Not fond of the chains or darning needle types.  I don't keep enough fish for it to be an issue for me.  There are nice plastic ones.

I use my own cord.  I usually have lots on hand.  If I decide to keep a fish it works for me.  Yes it's fussy.  I'll usually keep fewer than 6 fish a year.

I like/use the plastic locking clip kind as well, for the same reasons other's mentioned. Only thing I would add is that many plastics can degrade with long term exposure to direct sun , so I would check throughly before each outing.

I also believe in putting the clip in both lips, unless your going to stop and fillet your catch as soon as you get a meal. Hauling a large fish or stringer of fish with mouth(s) open for any distance is like dragging an anchor.

I also believe as KF says, the stress it puts on a fish isn't helping any in the flavor dept, much as venison from a wounded animal being chased and then dispatched is different from one the adrenaline hasn't been running thru.

KF's cooling tip is what I use. I went to my bank and got a canvas coin sack. On a 90+ day, I hauled a beheaded/gutted LT from Jean Creek to end of Sturgeon lk. I just kept the bag wet and under my seat out of the direct sunlight. Works great as an overnight cooler hung well in camp.

Jimbo, after seeing that  infamous picture of your fingerling catch , you could probably get by with a quart zip-lock for a fish locker eh?

The best stringer I found, though I don't know brand or anything like that, was the basic style you talked about except instead of rope it had thin plastic coated cable. It was simple, small, never really got tangled, and because it was plastic coated cable teeth never got stuck in it. Don't know where you're from but I got mine at L&M. Works great.

Shotgun?  You must be in the BWCA I guess. 

In that case you have less to worry about with Pollyhumpers.  They are fairly rare in the BWCA for some reason.

My theory on why the Q is apparently less travelled relates to pollyhumpers.  It's not that fewer people go into the Q.  It's just that fewer people come out! 

Thanks for all the input, folks.   The nylon cord with plastic lock snap type seems exactly what I'm looking for.  Sampo makes one that looks good and they're a brand that I trust so I'll probably go with that.  As for pollyhumpers, I carry a shotgun and an axe.  Overkill?  I don't think so!

Jaximus, that's the best kind of stringer to have up there...one with dinner attached!

we use a nylon rope stringer with metal clips attached to it. the rope stays quiet but the clips make for easy on and off of the fish. (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

My problem w/metal stringers hasn't been the noise, so much.  Rather, I've found I have to use a minimum of two clips on larger fish to ensure they don't twist, pop the single clip, and self-release.  I've lost more than one bigger fish that way.  In other words, I have found big fish to be less secure on metal stringers.  On the other hand, I don't recall ever losing a fish on a nylon thread style OR a nylon line-with-plastic-locking-clips style stringer.

Of course, in the old days I tended to keep bigger fish more often.  That wasn't very smart.  Nowadays, I mostly release the big ones & keep only eaters.  I suppose a metal stringer would work fine now... unless, of course, it's a pollyhumper.  None of the above work very well with them.

Jimbo   

Jimbo wrote on Feb 5^th, 2011 at 8:55pm:


Another reason is anything over 65" and you'd need a chainsaw to fillet them with.  The meat of the larger ones is reputed to be very tough indeed.

I use a metal clip stringer...which I can't seem to find online to show a picture of it.  You can get them at Gander Mountain, but apparently not online at Gander Mountain.

The main difference is that the clips slide along the chain and stop at various points down the chain.  Up near the top is a clip-keeper which holds the unused clips in place until you need one.  It keeps the stringer from tangling as long as you close your clips and reset them on the keeper when you finish using the stringer.

The main reason I like it over a nylon stringer is that it lasts forever.  It is louder, but I tend not to drag fish around too long until I fillet them out.

I'm definitely in these camps:

Metal stringer

Stringer thru both lips...or you'll be hauling a mini sea-anchor before long.

Fillet the fish ASAP.  As soon as I have a meal's worth, I'm heading for the nearest flat rock.