im thinking about buying a boga grip and had a few questions. is it worth the price? does it ever cause any harm to an agressive fish? are the knockoffs any good?
if anyone has any personal experience id like to hear about it
Thanks
Dan

I have the Berkley version and I've been very happy with it. Does exactly what it's supposed to do. I do wish it had the built in scale, but I just can't justify the $120 price for what the $30 Berkley version does very well. If having a scale is important to you, then the Bogagrips are the only way to go.

btw the main difference between the 2 besides the scale is in the way the lip gripper portion attaches to the handle. On the Bogagrip, the lower half will rotate/spin as to reduce the stress on your wrist while holding a lively catch. Halibut like to get pretty wild and there are stories of the Berkley Lip Gripper, breaking the jaws of halibut, cause it does not rotate. I believe that this could happen, but have not had it happen to me yet. Either way you go, you'll have a great tool that hopefully will get used alot. :)

-fishin420

Here's a pic of the Berkley Lip Gripper in action. :)

http://fishingfiends.deelees.com/Gallery/SkiffPics/Newport%20Harbor%20Daveys%20Locker%20Skiff%20Rental%20%202_22_03/slides/P1010008.JPG

-fishin420

I would strongly urge you to not buy the Berkley Lip Gripper. I bought one, thinking I found a cheaper alternative to the Boga. I have had 4 halibut break their jaws while gripped with it, and I'm talking broken all the way through. Fortunately these were all legal fish. I have made several posts in the past regarding the problem I was having and the correspondence that I recieved from Berkley after sending it back to them. Try searching for Boga Vs. Berkley Lip Gripper, to see the earlier posts. According to Berkley, they are changing the lip gripper to include swiveling jaws (like the Boga) and a digital scale (the boga has a spring scale which can absorb some of the pounding a big flattie can deliver). The new grippers are due to hit the retail market in May. I'm not sure what the price will be, but I would wait untill May or buy the Boga, which is a tried and true product. I have nothing against Berkely and they have responded promptly to my concerns, but I am buying a Boga.

Bowlboy