The Boga Grip
April 23, 2008
The bass the Mexican guide netted for me was a dandy.
“Que tamano es?” (what size is it) I asked. The guide reached for the digital scale I’d given him earlier in the morning. He jabbed the sharp end of the fish holder on the scale up through the lower jaw of the fish.
“Es siete y cuarto,” (7 ¼-pounds) he said.
My fishing partner in the bow of the boat was watching. “Stan,” he snorted, “there’s no way that fish weighs only 7 ¼-pounds. If that ain’t 8-pounds then I don’t know a bass from a bullfrog. Here, try these scales of mine.”
I took the scales my companion handed me and gave them to the guide. My friend’s scale had a clip on the end that held the bass firmly in place. It wasn’t necessary to poke a hole in the jaw of the fish.
The guide lifted the fish on my friend’s scale. “Es ocho exactamente,” (exactly 8-pounds) he announced. I checked the scale myself and he was right, that’s exactly what it said.
My immediate thought was I should throw both those blasted digital scales I had with me into the lake. I fear I have the same opinion of most fish scales that I harbor about politicians. They’ve got to prove they can be trusted. All too often they can’t.
For decades I’ve carried a variety of scales. In recent years I’d been using the digital variety most of the time. My experience with them hasn’t been good. I often didn’t get the same weight when I checked one against the other. Sometimes they refuse to function---period. They might give me a ballpark estimate of the weight of a good one, but I find myself always questioning their accuracy.
I’ve know some anglers who would be completely pleased to have a scale that might show inaccurate weights as long as it was on the high side. That’s not for me. I don’t get that many 8 to 10-pound bass. And dammit when I do I want to be absolutely certain that my scales give me a true weight.
There is something else I don’t like about some scales. You’ll recall my mentioning how the guide jammed the hook holder of the digital scale up through the jaw of my bass. I hate to see a nice fish treated like that. I don’t kill the bass I catch. They go back in the water. Having their lower jaw torn up in the weighing process can’t possibly improve their chances for survival.
You can, of course, get around tearing up the flesh of a bass you want to weigh with any kind of scale. The easiest method is to carry one of the plastic bags designed for that purpose. You simply weigh the bag with the fish in it.
You’ll find bags for sale in the Bass Pro Shops catalog. For that matter, most any sturdy plastic bag will do if you’re careful how it’s handled. But in doing so you risk having the fish flip off or out to crash down onto the hard bottom of the boat. That’s probably just as bad as poking a hole in its lower jaw.
But as I said in the beginning, I’ve solved my problems where a dependable fish weighing scale is concerned. Ever heard of a Boga Grip? That’s what my friend handed me that morning in Mexico. Chances are you may have seen them used in certain saltwater fishing TV shows.
The Boga Grip scale is quality all the way. Made of stainless steel, an accurate spring scale is built right into the grip. The scale is sufficiently accurate that you can have it certified by the International Game Fish Association if you choose to do so. There is a charge for that service. If the Boga Grip shows you a fish weighs 8-pounds you can count on it. No more fooling around attempting to verify things with a second scale and keeping the fish out of the water longer than necessary in the process.
And that’s just part of what I like about this dandy scale. As I’ve indicated, with the Boga Grip there’s no more jamming a sharp end of a metal holder through the lower jaw of a bass or any other fish. The end of this tool grabs and (note the accompanying photo) holds your fish easily and securely. Anyone can use it with a minimum of effort.
My wife knew I wanted a Boga Grip of my own and darned if she didn’t get me one for Father’s Day a couple of years ago. As she discovered when she ordered this scale, they don’t give ‘em away. I expect you can find them in number of places. Anita ordered mine from Fisherman’s Headquarters, a company that operates out of New Jersey.
The Boga Grip now comes in three sizes. The Model 315 weighs fish up to 15-pounds. The Model 130 weighs to 30-pounds. Both these models sell for $119. The largest model weighs up to 60-pounds and costs $239.
If you’re interested in getting additional details on these scales you can obtain it by calling Fisherman’s Headquarters at 1-877-984-5400.
These scales don’t come cheap, but here’s another instance where you get what you pay for. Take care of a Boga Grip and it will probably last longer than you do. And when you weigh a fish on the darn thing, what it says is what you got.
My guess is you’ll love it.