# Landing net or Boca grip?



## chimneymasterbassmaster

When wadefishing, I'm having trouble with fish getting away as I'm removing the hook. It's obvious to me I need a landing net or Boca Grip type tool. Which works best for you guys?

Thanks!


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## 2277master

I have and use them both. I like the Boga for trout and reds. Prefer a net for flounder, though. A little harder to get a Boga in their mouth, for me. My Brother-In-Law lost a NICE flounder last year at the Ferry Landing on a Boga...


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## sotexhookset

If you're already using nothing at all get a boga. Much better for the fish if releasing it.


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## Joe Fish

I have a pair of fish grips . I love those things. Work just like a pair
of vicegrips .... Plus they float. Got mine at ftu for around 15 bucks.


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## OnedayScratch

I use a boga. Hasn't failed and probably won't ever. solid tool. I figure a net to get in the way.


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## nick18

ive used both but I personally like a net. it takes to long to boga a fish and gives them time to shake the hook.


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## chimneymasterbassmaster

Thanks!


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## bragwell

Boga all year except when targeting flounder. Although if you set the hook right on a flounder you won't lose it,,, practice makes perfect.


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## TXplugger

Used a net for yrs and then got a boga a few yrs back. Took some getting used to but like mentioned earlier, if you aren't using anything now should be pretty easy. Need to be a bit more patient when using the bogas. 

Had Jelly fish and man o war get caught in my net and got popped 3 times before realizing that was what was happening. Every time I would stop moving and the net would sink to my leg is when I would get another zap! No more nets for me...


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## HuntinforTail

Honestly a net is going to help land more fish than a boga type tool. I have a fish gripper too, but when wading you have to get the fish almost completely still with its mouth wide open to get it well with the gripper. That means way more time on the hook. With a net you just scoop it up really quick. I use both. I scoop it up with the net, then I get it on the gripper to unhook and get on the stringer.


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## YELLOWCAT01

nick18 said:


> ive used both but I personally like a net. it takes to long to boga a fish and gives them time to shake the hook.


FACT.... BOGA IS NICE... BUT ALL IN ALL ITS JUST THE NAME.... I WAS GIVEN A BOGA AND USE THE NET OVER IT ANY DAY..BOGA JUST APPEARS IN THE PICS....:spineyes:


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## panamafish

just a thought i use a stringer.... i run a stringer threw them befor i try and removing the hook that way i know that it is on


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## tamucc04

I still land them by hand but have been using a set of the fishgrips and loved them for removing the hook and either releasing or stringer. I now have a set of bogas I just won and though fishing from the boat this weekend landed some big reds in the net and using the boga made them much easier to handle getting the hook out and to the cooler.


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## fishcatchr

For all of you talking about having to net a flounder (if you know it's legal size) use the point of your stringer to "gig" the flounder as it swims by on the surface. Rotate the point vertically and you've got a flounder that not going anywhere. I started doing this once I stopped carrying a net and started carrying a boga instead.


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## LingKiller

Don't they make a net that floats for wading?
The main reason I don't use mine odds because it sinks and rubs on legs.


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## jesco

Had a shark startle me while trying to grab a trout I was grabbing in the surf. I now use a net! I get those fish out of the water quickly now! Also, I'd rather get trebles untangled from a net than out of my hand.


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## Smackdaddy53

LingKiller said:


> Don't they make a net that floats for wading?
> The main reason I don't use mine odds because it sinks and rubs on legs.


For just this reason I take a net and fish grips in the surf. I like my hands and have seen too many 8' plus bulls eat trout while I am reeling them in.

http://www.fishingscout.com/scouts/SmackDaddy


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## ClearLakeClayt

LingKiller said:


> Don't they make a net that floats for wading?
> The main reason I don't use mine odds because it sinks and rubs on legs.


Easy fix, bro': piece of foam and a couple of zip ties...


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## bragwell

Learn to set the hook right and a boga is all you need. But I'm in agreeance with using a net in the surf. Sharks are unpredictable.


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## SaltwaterJunkie

LingKiller said:


> Don't they make a net that floats for wading?
> The main reason I don't use mine odds because it sinks and rubs on legs.


Yep....Fish-N-Hunt wading net.


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## SonofSasquatch19

Net all the way the have one at a academy that i bought last October and i have had 0 problems and it floats


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## speckcaster

fishcatchr said:


> For all of you talking about having to net a flounder (if you know it's legal size) use the point of your stringer to "gig" the flounder as it swims by on the surface. Rotate the point vertically and you've got a flounder that not going anywhere. I started doing this once I stopped carrying a net and started carrying a boga instead.


your kidding right :rotfl:....... this I'd love to see! use a net & string them in the net ...... IMO that the best way! no way I want to be left trying to boga grip a thrashing "soft mouthed" SOW speck with a single treble of my mirrolure hanging out her mouth!!!!

speckcaster


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## rjc1982

Not a big fan of nets because they tend to grab treble hooks dangling from multi hook plugs. I have a Boga, but 99% of the time I just hand grab the fish. I use the Boga for bigger fish (that doesn't happen too often though) or when a lure is pinned near the gills making the old hand grab a bit dicey. If you're worried about losing a fish just run the stringer thru it's lips before you unhooked it.


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## O2BFSHN

May be an irrational fear, but I worry about the hook pulling as I try to get the boca grip on and ending up with a hook flying at me from close range. Anyone ever heard of that happening?


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## whippersnapper

X2 -- Fish-N-Hunt wading net


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## BTOsprey

Fish grip is an inexpensive alternative to the Boga, but works really well.


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## team cut em deep

bragwell said:


> Learn to set the hook right and a boga is all you need. But I'm in agreeance with using a net in the surf. Sharks are unpredictable.


I hope I can be as good as you one day. Is there any secrets you can share on how to properly set a hook?


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## team cut em deep

HuntinforTail said:


> Honestly a net is going to help land more fish than a boga type tool. I have a fish gripper too, but when wading you have to get the fish almost completely still with its mouth wide open to get it well with the gripper. That means way more time on the hook. With a net you just scoop it up really quick. I use both. I scoop it up with the net, then I get it on the gripper to unhook and get on the stringer.


X2... Sharks are also a big reason I prefer a net.


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## Xpress89

The blue net above is great. The material of the net, and the size of the holes in the net make it really easy to remove hooks


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## [email protected]

I think perhaps the single biggest reason most wade fishermen find the Boga Grip difficult to use or lose fish in general with hand-grab method is that they are working with fish that are too green handle and they haven't yet figured out to keep the fish swimming in a circle around them until he is ready to be grabbed. Another common mistake is reeling the fish too close to the rod tip and/or leaviing too much line and not being able to control the fish via one-handed rod handling...pretty comic to watch but laughing can get you in trouble. 

However - no matter how skilled you become at this - good technique with a floating wade net will always land more fish (even though I personally do not often use one.) 

About that hand grab method in "Sharky Water"...Don't Do It! I have had several surf trout taken by sharks at what I term "very short range" and it is scary and dangerous. The shark is not after you at all but if your fingers are in the way I believe he'll take them too.


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## eesmike

Joe Fish said:


> I have a pair of fish grips . I love those things. Work just like a pair
> of vicegrips .... Plus they float. Got mine at ftu for around 15 bucks.


^ This! Fish grips are awesome!


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## Mojo281

It takes some time to get used to landing fish with a boga, but that's all I use anymore!!


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## sjlara

Boga grip 


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## sjlara

By the way don't for get to put put a float on the bags grip 15 pound all u need









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## adpostel

I have a pair of fish grip Jr.'s on the boat, I have seen SEVERAL 23 & 24" Specs and slot Redfish throw a last violent shake, and end up wiggling out of the grips and onto the floor. I lost a lifetime Spec a couple years ago, wading, because I left my wading net at the house that day. I vowed to never, NEVER try and wade without a net. I carry a Fish-N-Hunt wading net, and a 15# Boga when I wade. I asked the same question to Jim Wallace at a fishing show once:wink: He told me to NEVER fish for the Big Girl without a net!! He doesn't even own a Boga or a Fish Gripper.... Who am I to argue? So I'll net my fish, then I'll grab the lips with the Boga, then grab my pliers to begin taking out the hooks.... It is WAY easier to remove treble hooks from a Corky or a Mirrolure out of a net or a Sow Trout's mouth, than it is to loose a fish of a lifetime, or even 1 of the few fish you may catch that day. Let's face it, winter time wade fishing isn't typically fast and furious.....

I wouldn't have trusted a Fish Grip with any of these fish.... Netted and then Boga'd all of them..... Oh, the Big Girl went 28" and 7.25 pounds (PB, so far)


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## troutless

I have all three, but I haven't used the gripper yet. Well see I got it mostly for BTB fishing to pull those B U into the yak. In the surf, I use a net. Too Bull Sharks.


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## txteltech

HuntinforTail said:


> Honestly a net is going to help land more fish than a boga type tool. I have a fish gripper too, but when wading you have to get the fish almost completely still with its mouth wide open to get it well with the gripper. That means way more time on the hook. With a net you just scoop it up really quick. I use both. I scoop it up with the net, then I get it on the gripper to unhook and get on the stringer.


X2 I use an Ego floating net, then put the fish grip or bare hands on em and remove the hook.


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## willygee

I liking wading surf and have been using a boca type tool the last two trips as I was reluctant to take a net for fear that it might get tangled in my lure or something (actually chose the boca bc of this thread!). Lost two keeper trout fumbling with the boca - i blame myself b/c of inexperience but still... I went ahead and bought a small, light folding net that was on sale @ academy and thinking of taking both in the water next time but concerned it might be too much gear - might be worth the risk so i dont lose more fish!


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## Bueno Suerte

I use a Boga, unless in a Tourny, then I carry a net.

I just enjoy working the fish up and either grabing um (with either hand or Boga) almost as much as hooking them in the first place. It's kind of like you get to catch them twice.

That said what it really counts to put them on the stringer I carry and use a net, then grab them with the Boga to get them on the stringer.


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## robolivar

HuntinforTail said:


> Honestly a net is going to help land more fish than a boga type tool. I have a fish gripper too, but when wading you have to get the fish almost completely still with its mouth wide open to get it well with the gripper. That means way more time on the hook. With a net you just scoop it up really quick. I use both. I scoop it up with the net, then I get it on the gripper to unhook and get on the stringer.


X2
wadefishin def requires a net if you dont want to chance losing that trophy you may or may not have.


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## CoastalOutfitters

if you are wanting to keep flounder, deff. a net, no question


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## Cmac4075

Wait till a trophy hangs a treble in the lip of the net and you can't get her in there. 
Therein lies your answer. Play the trout out and land her without a net would be my two cents. Little fish, use your hand.. 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk


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## speckcaster

Cmac4075 said:


> Wait till a trophy hangs a treble in the lip of the net and you can't get her in there.
> Therein lies your answer. Play the trout out and land her without a net would be my two cents. Little fish, use your hand..
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk


I go with the net ...... but I stick the handle in the back of my waders or use the bungie to strap it across my shoulders....because Cmac is right loosing a pig on a net dangling behind ya....can cause serious cursing!

speck


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## ol' salt

60+ years of wading. I have used both extensively. Prefer Boga grips for all but flounder.


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## Fishdog

speckcaster said:


> I go with the net ...... but I stick the handle in the back of my waders or use the bungie to strap it across my shoulders....because Cmac is right loosing a pig on a net dangling behind ya....can cause serious cursing!
> 
> speck


I'm sure Cmac was talking about a fish hanging the lure near the top of the net when attempting to net it. I lost a huge tourney winning trout just that way once. Now I land by hand after tiring out the fish. I'll use a Boga for big fish or when a lure is hanging awkwardly down the side. If I lose an occasional fish so what? I probably would have released it anyway.


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## ol' salt

I use a Boga in the bays and landing net in the surf.


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## CoogFisher12

I have used nets extensively, and what they say above is right -- there is nothing more frustrating than getting a hook caught in a net when you're trying to land ol' mustard mouth. I keep a small net with me tucked in the back of my pants/belt for the big ol' girls, the rest I just tire them out and pick them up. I guess those fish lost make for some better stories though :smile:


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## artys_only

Use a net in the surf because of sharkie . Just something about grabbing a trout with the grey man around ,In the bay's Boga .


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## Bharvey

Never used a Boga, but just reading the comments, it would appear to be the better option to get a net. I understand that one may work better for certain types of fish, but sometimes you hook into big flounder while targeting trout or reds. I've used a rubber wading net for years and have had good luck. One thing I've started doing in the last several years, is netting the fish, and putting him on the stringer in the net before I ever remove the hook. It's a little more tedious, but it's better than losing a good fish. You can buy a floating net, but the last net I bought doesn't, so I just wrap pieces of a foam noodle around it in places to make it float. This way it doesn't drag underneath the surface and catch on things. I suggest a rubber net, but that's just me...


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## Tortuga

If I can see it's a 'keeper' then the net comes out.. If it's a 'maybe' or
a sure release..then the boga...easier on the fish...


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## Puddle_Jumper

Yup.. My net floats also....I always wade with it


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## Smackdaddy53

Both


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## Rubberback

Boga! That way you don't have to touch him if you release. Better survival rate.


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## FishinKidSteven

I always have both on me when wade fishing. There good for different purposes. I try to use the Boga when releasing fish of if they are larger fish, like an upper slot red, that can jump out of a shallow wading net.


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## iamatt

Neither. Ride dirty and grab them at the shoulders. Nothing like the feeling of mirrolure treble buried in your thumb with a 10 inch spec spazzing out. Win some lose some! =]


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## RB II

If keeping the fish really matters, like a tournament, then the net is the obvious choice. Almost fool proof way to secure a winning fish. 

If it is just a matter of just another fish on the stringer, the boga is probably the better way. Less injury to the fish and less potential for a hook in the hand.


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## Hornsfan76

I have the orange and black floating net from academy and I really like it. I'm more of a catch and eat rather than catch and release guy. I know that I do have to touch a fish in the net, but if handled properly and not hooked bad I'm sure that the survival rate is pretty high. Unless it's a keeper and then the survival rate is ZERO!


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## allin

May seem obvious, but get your fish on the stringer before you remove the hook if at all possible if you are just using your hand. If you are using topwater or plan on releasing the fish use a boga-and finally, take a net with you until you get comfortable with whatever method you use.


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