The BogaGrip is designed to promote “catch and release fishing,” as it will land, handle, and weigh fish quickly and simultaneously without injury to the fish. The BogaGrip also affords an easy opportunity to inspect and take pictures of the fish. Since it doesn’t wipe off the protective slime nor puncture the fish, and allows the fish to be quickly returned to the water, fish that are handled and released using the BogaGrip should be more likely to survive.
The BogaGrip is particularly good for handling fish in cold weather, or hard-to-handle fish such as toothy fish, slimy fish, or fish that are likely to fin or cut a fisherman. It also keeps a fisherman’s hand at a safer distance from hooks.
The BogaGrip is generally tube shaped, with one end serving as the grip and scales, and the other end with a pair of jaws. It has a trigger sleeve that slides along the main tube, serving as an opening and closing means as well as a lock. The grip consists of a sleeve tube covered with a non-slip grip. The grip sleeve slides over the main tube and is linked to it through the scale spring. The main tube has a precision scale embossed in it to match each individual scale spring, and the scale is calibrated using certified weights to insure accuracy within one increment. You can send your BogaGrip to IGFA (954-927-2628 Dania Beach, FL) where they can certify it for world-record catches.
The BogaGrip is made in the USA of USA-made materials. All metal parts of the BogaGrip are made of 300 series stainless steel, with the exception of the precision scale spring, which is 17-7 PH stainless steel. All plastic parts are made from acetal, which is a high-performance engineering thermoplastic that is used in unlubricated bearing applications. Acetal is tough and resilient and is very resistant to UV light. Constructing the BogaGrip of these materials makes it very strong and resistant to conditions encountered while fishing in fresh or saltwater.
In use, the fisherman will hold the grip sleeve, and using his index finger or thumb will pull back the trigger sleeve, which causes the jaws to open. The jaws then are placed around the tip of the lower jawbone of the fish, and the trigger sleeve is released. Two light coil springs push the trigger sleeve down, causing the jaws to lock shut. The fish then is lifted, with the fish’s weight causing the jaws to be pulled shut even tighter while the trigger sleeve is being continuously pushed down by the two light coil springs to lock the jaws in a progressively tighter position. This self-closing and locking ability allows the angler to maintain a secure grip on the grip sleeve without exerting any locking effort. If the fish thrashes, the main tube is allowed to spin inside the grip tube while the scale spring acts as a shock absorber. The fish’s weight is checked by reading the point that the main tube’s embossed scale has been pulled down to inside the grip tubing. The fish is released by placing it down in the water, boat or on the bank, etc., and again pulling back on the trigger.