03-29-2017, 01:50 PM
You use them only when you have a fish that won't go down, a symptom of barotrauma, a fish that was unable to release air from its swim bladder. This is usually due to the throat being blocked in most cases I see. I ocassionally use mine during the summer months as well, when a landed fish is simply "out of gas" and doesn't have the strength to swim back down due to warmer water temperatures. I can usually feel them start kicking as I lower them back into cooler water, and often they swim right off the release without me doing anything.
My mold was made by someone else with skills beyond mine. Its some kind of steel that doesn't get too hot, is light weight, and . . . well . . . beats me! But it works. I use stainless steel rods that I heat with a torch, bend with another gizmo the same guy made, and grind the tip to a sharp point.
They work great on a downrigger, I'm told. I don't have a downrigger on my boat though. I use it on a rod butt and reel with 130 pound dacron. Others use very small rope like para cord or something a little bigger. You can watch my little video to see how I use mine.
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My mold was made by someone else with skills beyond mine. Its some kind of steel that doesn't get too hot, is light weight, and . . . well . . . beats me! But it works. I use stainless steel rods that I heat with a torch, bend with another gizmo the same guy made, and grind the tip to a sharp point.
They work great on a downrigger, I'm told. I don't have a downrigger on my boat though. I use it on a rod butt and reel with 130 pound dacron. Others use very small rope like para cord or something a little bigger. You can watch my little video to see how I use mine.
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