Culling Help

Can any of you share some successful culling techniques? I have been using the berkley pincher grips (rope with plastic pinchers) but they usually end up in the bottom of the livewell. Have any of you tried the x-tools fish safe clips? Do you think the metal clips through the lip cause too much un-needed stress/harm to the fish?? I still use culling beam from time to time, and that is putting holes in the lips (only when two fish are almost identical) - should I just **** it up and use tags with clips through the lips and forget about the hassles?? Or do any of you have more fish friendly alternatives that are working? Thanks.

I'm sure I'll get some flak over this but I made my own. I use the snap clips off an old stringer with a short lengh of nylon line that is small enough to go through a bobber and it works fine. I have not noticed any fish being stressed and it's a lot easier to get them out of the live well and into the weigh bag. I seem to have to chase them around the live well and I think that would stress them as much as the small hole in the lip. Plus, I don't get finned nearly as much as I used to......

[quote=HoosierDon;326191]I'm sure I'll get some flak over this but I made my own. I use the snap clips off an old stringer with a short lengh of nylon line that is small enough to go through a bobber and it works fine. I have not noticed any fish being stressed and it's a lot easier to get them out of the live well and into the weigh bag. I seem to have to chase them around the live well and I think that would stress them as much as the small hole in the lip. Plus, I don't get finned nearly as much as I used to......[/quote]

I have seen several people use this technique. Seems to work quite well.

I use the clips that goes through the lips and havnt had any problems with losing fish in the livewell. Seems to work pretty well for me

I have the X Tools culling system but the clips come off if the fish jumps around or when you pick the fish up by the float. What I did the other day is bought me a cheap metal clip stringer at bass pro. I am going to take the metals clips and put them on the X-Tools set.

[quote=Col Forbin;326181]Can any of you share some successful culling techniques? I have been using the berkley pincher grips (rope with plastic pinchers) but they usually end up in the bottom of the livewell. Have any of you tried the x-tools fish safe clips? Do you think the metal clips through the lip cause too much un-needed stress/harm to the fish?? I still use culling beam from time to time, and that is putting holes in the lips (only when two fish are almost identical) - should I just **** it up and use tags with clips through the lips and forget about the hassles?? Or do any of you have more fish friendly alternatives that are working? Thanks.[/quote]
I use the Culling Beam as well but I hate taking the time to do it. I like the idea of weighing them and then placing them in the livewell with the color tags. Isn't that the expensive one that the pro's use? Is it Stren? Xtools? The scales tells you what color tag is on the lightest fish?

I got the xtools a couple of years ago and had the same problem with the clips coming off the fish in the well. Did what flippinstick is going to do. Bought a cheap wire stringer, took the clips off the stringer and put them on the xtools and have had no problems with them. But I would suggest a better quality wire clips as the cheaper ones will rust really quickly. Also, if you do this, make sure that you crimp them a little tighter so that they don't come off on their own.

I use the BPS culling system with the snap clips and find it very easy to use and makes it easier to retrieve fish from the livewell. The only problem I found was that the ends of the snap clip that goes through the thin skin of the fishes mouth was very dull, so I sharpened the end on my bench grinder and it only creates a very small hole in the lower jaw of the fish that will heal quickly.

I bought a Berkley culling system they sell for about 40 bucks. they come with a scale and I think 8 clips. It takes some time to learn how to use the features, but after a couple trips its second nature. It tells you which color you cull each time and tells your total weight, and big fish. Seems pretty acurate with most tournament scale. I did replace the plastic clips with metal ones. The plastic ones always seemed to end up in the bottom of my livewell. I always keep a culling beam handy for really close calls.

Got both the xtools and the berkley and if you think the berkleys come off then forget about the xtools. I do like the floaters on the xtools better than the rope on the berkley and I made a little "color to number" sticker and use the berkley scale with the xtools floaters and use it to cull, yet I always keep the level beam just in case. I don't think there is an "easy" way to cull just "easier"