Need some of your expertise and experience.  Currently I'm using cord stringers - you know the type, basically an oversized needle and thread with a ring on the end.  They're cheap and fairly light weight but I find them a nuisance to use.  In the past I've used the traditional chain stringers but they're noisy, heavy and tend to tangle.  So what do you use?  Any suggestions for a style or brand that is quick and dependable for use, relatively tangle free and light and convenient for carrying about?  I'm not terribly concerned about price if it will fill the bill.

Kerry
I am not fond of the straight rope stringers myself and will not use the metal types due to noise (I also had a nice flathead catfish bend one metal clip open and get off They are seriously tough). I like these but I cut most of the clips off. No sense in dragging along a bunch of clips you don't need (plus they get tangled). I also like that it is fairly lengthy and the fish have a chance to swim down below the boat. When you get to shore and want to keep them in the water the extra length is also nice.......stash them in some bushes though (In the water find a little pocket, they'll be fine) and that will keep them quiet or else they will splash around a lot and will keep you awake while trying to evade Mr. snapper.

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(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) canoe live well is a fantastic alternative to the stringer.  Otherwise we use the one with the (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links).  Of course I never need more than 2 fish on a stringer at any given time in canoe country.

Kerry,

What you have is the best type.  Just get a good quality one.  When you put the fish on the stringer make sure you string it through the lower jaw bone.  Any clip is just another point that can break or get caught in something.

Also tie the stringer to the very back of the canoe.

Westwood

I just use a large caribiner tied onto the end of a length of para-cord. Cut a slit in the lower jaw and snap it on. It will hold enough fist for dinner. If needed you could tie on another caribiner or just thread more fish on top of the first. Multiple use, and packs away nicely. Used that method one time when I forgot my stringer and have been using it ever since.

Keep it simple! I use the cheapest simplest stringers I can find and then sometimes shorten them to about three feet. Fish should not really be on a stringer for more than 15-20 minutes, then head for shore, clean em and store the fillets in a wet chilled canvas or burlap bag. You won't be able to convince me that stressed out fish that have been hauled around for any length of time (even if they do stay alive) will taste better than quickly cleaned and properly chilled fillets.

nctry_Ben wrote on Feb 5^th, 2011 at 4:31pm:


Very true.  Nevertheless, I find that particular stringer useful for "displaying" the BAIT which I use to attract pollyhumpers.

Also, I should point out there is no question about eating pollyhumpers "soon".  The real trick is not to BE EATEN by pollyhupers soon.  SAFETY TIP:  Always keep the Standard PH Mallet (preferably the model with the 6 inch stainless steel spikes) close at hand (or you may LOSE that hand), especially when you are in the red zone!

By the way, if you conk'em good & catch'em in their chub stage, they fix well with onions & chili pepper & taste a bit like chicken.  Anything over 65", however, you would be wise to release... for numerous reasons.  And beware; ALWAYS keep on the lookout for the dorsal fin of "momma."  The female schools with its young & is very protective.  She can close on her prey with surprising speed.  

By the way, an ichthyologist friend of mine informs me pollyhumpers generally eat their meal within 15-20 minutes of catching it; people apparently taste loon-y to them (which is, of course, a PH delicacy).

Jimbo  

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.

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   

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

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! 

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?