I used to carry a glove, something like one of these E.T. Unhooking gloves (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) but after one lengthy trip to Quetico I just found it too big a pain in the butt and stopped using it.  First, they're hot to wear on summer's day, so I found myself putting it on and taking it off.  The last thing I want to be thinking about when I've hooked a trophy fish is finding my glove and getting it on.  Second, they reduce my sensitivity and manual dexterity so I've resigned my unhooking glove to the bin of unused tripping gear.

I do, however, use a lipping tool.  The one I have is an exceptional piece of equipment called The Lipper.  They're not being manufactured anymore, some kind of patent dispute, but it is the same quality as the Boga but a much better design in my opinion.  The Lipper has a locking mechanism, which allows the lipping head to swivel freely when unlocked.  So when I catch a pike the first thing I do is lip it in the water with the lipping head locked.  I remove the treble with the fish in the water (after I've given it some time to settle.)  The only time I  bring it out of the water is if I plan to eat it, which means it would be under 6 or 7 pounds or if it is a trophy size and I want to measure and weigh it.  Then I will unlock the swivel mechanism so that if the fish should surprise me with a final thrash, it won't dislocate my shoulder or break its jaw.  It's too bad The Lipper tool isn't available anymore.  It has been a god send for dealing with Pike and walleye.  If you ever run across one grab it - (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
As with most tools, quality tells.  Cheap lipping tools are, in my opinion, worse than useless.

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The few times I've used it on a NP, I was acutley aware of that possibility. The orange gripper has a coiled wrist loop. I had in on, figuring if the fish started thrashing, I would release  my grip and let the coiled loop do it's job.
Of course a 30"+ NP isn't the same as a trophy sized 46" one.
Bottom line for me in this discussion is patience is key and IF it's not ready, your risking damaging it/yourself.
Another thing is when your solo depending on conditions, the wind/chop can make you more likely to rush because your worried about dumping as well.

Yeah, Tom, it's a shame.  It was developed by a Paraguayan conservationist and fisherman named Jose Xifra.  Apparently there was some kind of financial conflict with the American distributor and production got shut down.  I bought one just before that and a friend(?) of mine dropped it into the lake.  When I went to replace it I found the company had gone out of business.  I finally tracked a pair of them down that some fishing store in Florida had squirrelled away in old stock and bought them both.  Realizing I can't afford to lose another one, I now have a bungee style lanyard, about 4 foot long, which I secure to a thwart.  If I lose my grip or a fish thrashes too much I don't have to worry about losing it to Davy Jones again.

most of my biggest pike come while jigging for walleyes also, but thats probably because i spend the most time doing just that. being that its on a jig rod with light line and a small hook, you have to play the fish out to even get it close to the canoe. i guess im blessed with large meat hook hands and have never met a fish i couldnt grab behind the gill plates. i landed at 45 inch muskie from a pile of rocks in a river by just grabbing it after a 45 minute fight. all the guys in my group do it with the behind the gill grab, i dont know if we are all just crazy or lucky or what, but we dont lose many, if any, fish boatside

mastertangler wrote on Feb 15^th, 2014 at 3:12am:


You are right to call me on this MT. What length do you prefer?

Its called tie-able titanium and available at Bass Pro and from a company called KNOT2KINKY.
Leaders made from this stuff are ultra fine (I use 25lb test) and last until the snaps or swivels wear out. They do not kink even after dozens of thrashing pike or trout. I am still amazed at how good this stuff is.