rapala lock & wiegh..anyone use it

[jim sylvester]

hey guys,
my wife bought me a rapala lock and weigh (60#) for my birthday

anyone have any experience with this???

should I return it and save the money for a boga....or don't bother


thanks

jim

[BuckShot]

If you have the pair with the narrow opening return them, it's not easy getting it on the lip of a striper. the magnum has a larger opening and would be much easer to use.

or go with the Boga

[fishaholic18]

I have the Magnum and it's accurate, kinda tough to read the weight under neck light but works great.

[JoeP]

I have one & have weighed a few fish this year. Takes a little getting used to get a good grip on the fish's jaw but I think its just a matter of practice.

Better than the alternative 60LB scale - the Boga that is almost $200 more and is huge & heavy for a surf belt.

[Slingah]

Im curious about these things......I kinda though it was a boat tool...for reaching over...or a safe alterative to a gaff..
How do you try and land a fish with that thing in the surf??? Or is it strictly to weigh the fish after grabbing it?

[MakoMike]

Just don't weigh any fish you plan in releasing.

[slapshot]

I owned one when they first came out, it lasted about one season. The ones with the narrow jaws will not fit over a fish greater than about 35 pounds. In fact it will damage the mouth of most fish over about 25 pounds.

Mine rusted out and those light duty wires that run down to the hinge detached from the body. Worthless junk now. I would not recommend one, especially if wading in the surf. If you have one be sure to rinse and maybe put some kind of rust preventitive lubricant on it regularly.

Get the Boga.

[vanstaal]

have a Boga and love it !

[Treble Crusher]

Buck shot hit the mark. I have the one with the narrow opening you have a hard time getting over the lip of mid teen bass. You have to wiggle it on and getting it off you need to do a dance with it. More trouble then its worth. Exchange for the magnum if you can.

[Swimmer]

I have the magnum, it works fine and is accurate, but difficult to erad under the best conditions. I spray it with WD-40 everytime I put it back in the truck, just like my pliers.

[Nebe]

save for a 60 lbboga- you wont regret it.

[tynan19]

It doesn't like the sand at all. Also like others have said it is pretty hard to get on a big fishs mouth. However it is pretty accurate and I have weighed a fish over 45lbs on it.

[zacs]

Originally Posted by slapshot

...Mine rusted out and those light duty wires that run down to the hinge detached from the body. ...

One detached on mine the second time I used it. I wrote them an email and they said to send it in and they would replace, with a new one.

nowhere near as good as boga but way cheaper.

[slapshot]

Wow, I had a different experience with their customer service. They told me that since mine was a year old and I didn't have a recepit (do people really keep receipts for everything they buy) that I was out of luck.

I since bought the 60 pound Boga, and it is a really nice tool to have on the boat.

[JoeP]

FYI, just to "re-test" the accuracy of the 60 LB scale, I just hung a 45 pound olympic weight plate off my Rapala and it read 45 LB's on the dot.

[finstar]

Look at a Barracuda Grip. As good as a Boga and alot cheaper with more accessories included!

Read the Barracuda Grip vs. Boga Grip article

<steve>

[RIROCKHOUND]

Spam-spaspam spam spam...
SPPPPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

[finstar]

Not spam...useful information only. If you are interested in reading it and seeing information about another lipping tool there's nothing wrong with that, is there?

<steve>

[massgc]

Throw it away, get a boga

[finstar]

Interesting response. Do you also own all LL Bean clothing and accessories? I totally understand being partial to Boga -it was the "first" of its kind, and is a very good tool. There are alot of people out there who either don't want or can't afford to spend that kind of money on a grip and the Barracuda comes in nicely there. Unless you have used both tools and have some valuable comparisons, just saying "throw it away" is pretty much useless to everyone except you.

<steve>

[Slingah]

Steve.....if that grip is yours..you can't post about it or the masses here will bust ur nuts...no free advertising...hence the SPAM comments

[finstar]

Well, I tried to ride under the line there without actually "selling" it where people in the past have just blatently posted an ad to buy something. Bottom line is that I was trying to give people more information about another product, which is in fact mine, and which is useful in this thread/context. I'll try and be a bit more careful.

Thanks slingah

<steve>

[massgc]

The wheel does not have to re-invented

[finstar]

Well, there are a million iterations of lures, rods, reels, fishing line, snaps, swivels, waders, gloves, shall I go on? We'll just leave it at that. Tight Lines massgc!

<steve>

[slapshot]

The baracuda grip is not nearly "just as good as a boga. An I have owned that one too. Take it from somebody who has bought the cheap imitations, and then bought a boga. The others are just junk. That tape measure shouldn't be on there. It rusts after getting close to the shore.

[finstar]

Actually, you probably haven't used this one. I have used this tool exclusively over the past year from boat and from wading the surf and flats where it was completely submerged for hours in the belt pouch around my waders. I tested this thing hard and gave some to some people on my Pro Staff to test as well. Not a single trace of rust or corrosion anywhere -and I didn't even wash it! The tape measure is made of stainless steel. Kayakers enjoy the tool also as they can mount it to the kayak and use just one hand to stretch the tape measure out and measure the fish while its resting on the kayak.

<steve>

[JohnR]

Steve - Couple questions - how long have you been a member of RISAA and Weeky? It is important in how I go about all this.

I don't want to sound too negative but the advertising part would need to occur AFTER you become an advertiser, not before. One can often say when surfcasting that you gingerly work your way into the surf as to not spook any fish in tight to the beach. Running in full speed, sloshing, splashing, and making noise tends to spook the fish - knowhatimean?

As for advertising, you do not yet meet the criteria at this time for becoming a sponsor at S-B and you did not follow the Registration Info too strongly either, the part about commercial advertising, as well as some of the "stickys" around here concerning links. In addition, the only people that have (or are supposed to have) links in their signatures are those that are sponsors here or have at least been granted permission for this. Sadly this is nothing new as it has happened often over the years we've been running.

As for the Barracuda, if that is that $19 "item" I have seen in some local shops, I've been reluctant to try it as it does not seem as capable of some of the other grippers, let alone a Boga. Now I have only checked this out in a store and have not taken one in the suds yet but it does not look like it would hold at all. If this is NOT the $19 item I may be interested in checking them out, down the road, and before we would even begin to talk about sponsorship here. All sponsors are to have high recommendations, good rep (at least when they start ), and good products. Other places allow anyone under the sun to advertise, just not the case here...

I will be removing your signature and advertising info from your account as per site policies...

Thanks,

John

[finstar]

John,

I have recently joined RISAA and have been a member of Weekapaug Surfcasters for almost 2 years now. For the site policy, I inadvertently clicked through it and was unable to find the policy on the site -I looked in the FAQs section. I didn't think to look in the forums themselves :-(

As for the Barracuda, the one that you have seen in the shops around town is the "Entry" model. Basically a disposable model if you will. For people who don't fish regularly or who lose these types of items, its a great tool for a great price. There are Pro models available which are a much better quality which include 26lb and 60lb scales, stainless steel tape measure, coiled lanyard (so you don't lose it), and a custom nylon belt pouch.

As for the "spam" post I was thinking that it would be ok since I wasn't actually telling people to buy something...just to read about it. If this is considered spamming, then ok.

Let me know if you would like to take a look at and try a Barracuda Grip. I'll send you one free of charge, no strings attached.

Thanks for the ahem...insightful reply.

<steve>

[JohnR]

Steve - the part when you registered that said read first and then click the part that "I have read, and agree to abide by the StriperTalk Message Boards rules." has a particular part about advertising: "Commercial Advertising without written permission from Striped-Bass.com is Strictly Prohibited, this includes self promotion and promotion of external entities. This is locally considered "SPAM" and is prohibited at Striped-Bass.com. FURTHER, the registering of accounts, mannualy and automated, to solicit services on this forum is expressly forbidden and will be reported". We get a lot of people that try to SPAM the boards so we need to be fairly strict about it and it is pretty clear in the registration agreement. 8 posts, seven of which promotes your business does constitute spam.

Anyway, because you have been a Weekapaug member for a little while I'll be nice (as we support that club and other local clubs).

We'll talk later - I have company - but for now I'm going to lock this thread and request that you particpate as a member for a while instead of a seller. We have a great group of people here that would prefer to respect you as a member then as a salesman - goes a long way...

Thanks & welcome to S-B

[finstar]

Sounds good John. Thanks.