I am a huge stickler when it comes to taking care of the fish I catch. I use livewell treatment, run an Oxygenator, recirculate water continuously and check the fish multiple times during the day while fishing. In addition, I always keep hydrogen peroxide and non-iodized salt in the boat too just in case I deep-hook a fish.
With that being said, catch and release is like a religion to me and it’s mandatory in my book. I am always looking for quicker and better ways to enhance their care in and out of the livewell and have run across an extremely valuable tool that I refuse to fish without—the EGO Ultra Grip Scale.
Perfect for fresh or saltwater use
Whether you’re trying to save your fingers from toothy saltwater fish or simply improve your fish care practices when bass fishing, I’ve found the EGO Ultra Grip Scale to be perfect for a myriad of situations.
The jaws of the scale are made of stainless steel and will not corrode, even in the nastiest conditions. I’ve used them in rain, sleet and snow and to this very day, they still work like new. We’ve all had a pair of pliers that have rusted-shut—it wastes time and it’s not good for fish. It’s been great knowing that, whenever I reach for this tool, it’s going to work each and every time.
Saves time in tournaments
Until I saw anglers using the EGO Ultra Grip Scale in Major League Fishing, I honestly hadn’t thought about using one for bass fishing. But after getting my hands on one, I realized how handy it really is.
Even when I catch undesirable species in my tournaments, I always aim to treat them with care. Some folks will grab the hook with pliers and violently shake until the fish comes unbuttoned, but that is uncalled for and can potentially cause damage to the fish.
Whenever I hook a big musky, flathead catfish or striper, I immediately reach for this tool. It eliminates unnecessarily long periods of time when landing toothy fish and gives me much more control over big fish. Having control over the fish not only helps prevent human injury, but fish injury as well. As a result, I’ve never come close to injuring a fish with the EGO Ultra Grip Scale.
Prevents fish injury
The EGO Ultra Grip Scale is a Boca-style grabber, except better. It doesn’t hurt the fish or poke a hole in them like others I have used. The uniquely designed anodized body and non-penetrating stainless steel jaws grip exceptionally well with the weight of the fish. In fact, most fish I use it for do not even have to be brought into the boat.
Instead of torqueing the fish’s jaw and potentially causing injury, I just grab them with the Ultra Grip and remove the hook, allowing the fish to swim away freely.
Convenient features
The EGO Ultra Grip Scale comes with a built-in scale, which is great when fishing tournaments or simply fun fishing. After weighing fish with this tool, I’ve cross-checked the weight with other scales and it’s been extremely accurate. Whether I’m using it for bass, stripers or nasty catfish, it’s been pretty cool knowing how much each fish really weighs.
A quick twist of the handle engages the scale while a twist in the opposite direction locks the tool to be used as a gripper only. The coil-style plastic lanyard is attached to a v-clip mounted in the business-end of the gripper and comes with a clip that can be used to attach it to a belt loop or boat hardware to keep it secure. It also features a rubberized grip so you don’t have to worry about losing control and watching it sink to the bottom of the lake. This has given me more peace of mind when using it in wet or windy conditions.
If you’re a fish care nut like I am, I absolutely recommend checking out the EGO Ultra Grip Scale. Not only does it prevent personal injury when dealing with nasty game fish, it also gives you confidence that the fish you release will live to see many more days.
The EGO Ultra Grip Scale is available at TackleWarehouse.com.
