# Fish Grips and Dehookers (2026): Lip Grips, Scales and Release Tools > Four lip grips and two dehookers compared on material, jaws, scales and lanyards, with NOAA's and Florida FWC's advice on handling a fish you plan to release. - Source: https://saltprooflab.com/tools-catch/fish-grips-and-dehookers - Publisher: SaltProofLab (https://saltprooflab.com) - Published: 2026-09-29 - Category: tools-catch - Tags: fish grips, lip grip, dehooker, hook remover, catch and release, fish handling - Method: picks chosen from Amazon listings and brand specs; not hands-on tested; current Amazon prices are on the page; content checked 2026-09-29. - Quick answer: For fish you release, a dehooker does more good than a grip: the Booms Fishing R08 pushes or pulls a deep hook out, and Berkley's trigger hook remover reaches in so your fingers don't. For toothy fish, pair a grip such as the Berkley Big Game with a hand under the belly. ## Key takeaways - NOAA Fisheries: 'Never suspend a fish by its lip or mouth,' and support its weight along the length of its body. - Florida FWC: hold a toothy fish with a gripping tool at the front and your other hand under the belly. - Florida requires a dehooking device on board when fishing for reef fish; FWC says needle-nose pliers count. ## Products (chosen from listings, not tested) 1. **Booms Fishing R08 Saltwater Fish Hook Remover** (details: https://saltprooflab.com/tools-catch/fish-grips-and-dehookers#product-B0792W1PZ8) — Buy it if you release fish that swallow the hook. - Pros: Dual-curve tip for pushing or pulling a hook out, per the listing; 10 in austenitic stainless steel; ergonomic T-handle; Booms says it removes deep and embedded hooks without touching the fish - Cons: No lanyard listed 2. **Berkley Stainless Steel Hook Remover** (details: https://saltprooflab.com/tools-catch/fish-grips-and-dehookers#product-B0043ICR2O) — Buy it if you want jaws that grab the hook while your hand stays back. - Pros: Spring-loaded trigger handle and sure-grip jaws, per the listing; Stainless steel; Berkley says it removes embedded hooks safely - Cons: Length is not stated on the listing 3. **Berkley Big Game Lip Grip** (details: https://saltprooflab.com/tools-catch/fish-grips-and-dehookers#product-B002VLWWD4) — Buy it if you land fish with teeth and want steel jaws that lock. - Pros: Corrosion-resistant stainless steel body, per the listing; Positive locking jaws hold until you release them; Non-slip comfort handle; fresh- and saltwater use - Cons: No scale on this version; the digital-scale version is a separate listing 4. **KastKing Paradox 11 in Fish Lip Gripper with Scale** (details: https://saltprooflab.com/tools-catch/fish-grips-and-dehookers#product-B0CH8CTKH2) — Buy it if you want a weight for fish going in the cooler. - Pros: Integrated scale to 32 lb (15 kg), accurate to ±0.4 lb, per KastKing; Swiveling jaws and a 2-finger trigger for one-handed use; Non-slip elastomer handle with a ring for a wrist strap - Cons: Weighing on the scale means hanging the fish from its jaw 5. **Rapala 9 in Floating Fish Gripper** (details: https://saltprooflab.com/tools-catch/fish-grips-and-dehookers#product-B00YHZG57Q) — Buy it if you fish from a kayak or small boat and drop things. - Pros: Floats, per the product name; corrosion resistant; One-hand hold with a quick-release mechanism; Wrist lanyard included - Cons: No scale and no stated material 6. **Booms Fishing G05 Fish Lip Gripper** (details: https://saltprooflab.com/tools-catch/fish-grips-and-dehookers#product-B0B4P53PJB) — Buy it if you want a light grip that cannot corrode. - Pros: 70% nylon, 30% glass fiber, so nothing to rust; Booms rates it to 110 lb load; Toothed jaws lock when squeezed, with a mouth opener on the jaws; Wrist lanyard included; several colors - Cons: Plastic jaws; Booms' steel G1 has the scale A lip grip and a dehooker both keep your hands away from teeth, gill plates and hooks. For a fish you plan to let go, they work best together with the handling rules below: support the fish, keep it wet, and get the hook out fast. **How we chose:** we did not test these tools; materials and features come from the Amazon listings, and each was sold by Amazon.com or the brand's own store and in stock on September 29, 2026. ## Six grips and dehookers side by side | Tool | Type | Material | Scale | Lanyard | Sold by | Amazon price | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | [Booms Fishing R08](https://saltprooflab.com/tools-catch/fish-grips-and-dehookers#product-B0792W1PZ8) | Dehooker, push or pull, 10 in | Stainless steel | No | Not listed | Booms Fishing USA | see the current Amazon price on the page | | [Berkley Hook Remover](https://saltprooflab.com/tools-catch/fish-grips-and-dehookers#product-B0043ICR2O) | Trigger-jaw dehooker | Stainless steel | No | Not listed | Amazon.com | see the current Amazon price on the page | | [Berkley Big Game Lip Grip](https://saltprooflab.com/tools-catch/fish-grips-and-dehookers#product-B002VLWWD4) | Locking lip grip | Stainless steel | No | Not listed | Amazon.com | see the current Amazon price on the page | | [KastKing Paradox 11 in](https://saltprooflab.com/tools-catch/fish-grips-and-dehookers#product-B0CH8CTKH2) | Lip grip, swiveling jaws | Not stated | To 32 lb | Ring for a strap | KastKing USA | see the current Amazon price on the page | | [Rapala 9 in Floating](https://saltprooflab.com/tools-catch/fish-grips-and-dehookers#product-B00YHZG57Q) | Lip grip, floats | Not stated | No | Wrist lanyard | Amazon.com | see the current Amazon price on the page | | [Booms Fishing G05](https://saltprooflab.com/tools-catch/fish-grips-and-dehookers#product-B0B4P53PJB) | Lip grip, 9.4 in | Nylon and glass fiber | No | Wrist lanyard | Booms Fishing USA | see the current Amazon price on the page | ## How to handle a fish you will release NOAA Fisheries' [catch-and-release best practices](https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/resources-fishing/catch-and-release-best-practices) are short and specific: "Handle the fish as little as possible and only with wet hands," keep air exposure under 60 seconds if you must lift it out, and "support the weight of any fish removed from the water along the length of its body." It also says: "Never suspend a fish by its lip or mouth." That last line is the one lip-grip owners need. A grip controls the head; it is not a hook to hang a fish from. Florida's wildlife agency gives the two-handed version. The [FWC's fish handling page](https://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/fish-handling/) says "fish swim horizontally! Never hold a fish by its jaw, gills or eyes," and for a fish with teeth, "use a gripping tool to support the front of the fish, and use the other hand under the belly to evenly support the fish's weight." FWC also says large fish such as tarpon "should not be boated or dragged over the gunwale," and that tarpon over 40 in should always stay in the water. ## Dehookers: the tool that shortens the release NOAA lists "release tools such as a dehooker" because they "minimize handling and make it easier to release fish without removing it from the water." FWC says the same: dehooking tools let anglers "quickly release their catch while minimizing injuries and handling time." The two here work differently. The **Booms R08** is a stainless shaft with a dual-curve tip that slides down the line to the hook; Booms says it handles "push & pull hook removal," including deep hooks. The **Berkley hook remover** has spring-loaded jaws on a trigger, so it grabs the hook shank and your hand stays back. In Florida, a dehooker is also a rule. FWC's [reef fish gear rules](https://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/gear-rules/) require a dehooking device on board when fishing for reef fish such as grouper and snapper, and count needle-nose pliers as one. Our [fishing pliers guide](https://saltprooflab.com/tools-catch/corrosion-resistant-fishing-pliers) covers those. If a swallowed hook will not come out easily, NOAA's advice is to "cut the line as close to the hook as possible." **Key point:** a reef fish pulled up from deep water may need more than a dehooker. Barotrauma is what [descending devices and the DESCEND Act](https://saltprooflab.com/tools-catch/descending-devices-descend-act) address; the Gulf and South Atlantic have their own rules for carrying one. ## Lip grips: steel, plastic, and the scale question **Stainless steel** grips, like the Berkley Big Game, are the heavy-duty option. Berkley lists a "corrosion resistant stainless steel body" and "positive locking jaw action" that holds the fish until you let go. **Plastic** grips cannot rust. Booms makes its G05 from 70% nylon and 30% glass fiber and rates it to a 110 lb load, with toothed jaws and a mouth opener. The Rapala 9 in floats, which matters on a kayak, where anything dropped is gone. **Built-in scales** are where grips and release advice collide. KastKing's Paradox weighs up to 32 lb, accurate to ±0.4 lb, per the listing, but it reads the weight by hanging the fish from its jaw. That is exactly what NOAA says never to do with a fish you release. Use the scale on fish headed for the [cooler](https://saltprooflab.com/tools-catch/fishing-coolers). ## Tools we left out The **Boga Grip**, the original locking grip with a built-in scale, was on Amazon only from resellers (AvidMax and Gear Hub USA), not Amazon.com or a Boga store. We found no AFW Hook-Out or Ketch dehookers on Amazon. KastKing's and Booms' larger kits bundle a grip with pliers and scissors; we kept to single tools. We found no CPSC recall of fish grips or dehookers in our [recall tracker](https://saltprooflab.com/recalls). Related: [saltwater fillet knives](https://saltprooflab.com/tools-catch/saltwater-fillet-knives) for fish you keep. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Is it OK to lift a fish by a lip grip for a photo? Not by the grip alone. NOAA says never to suspend a fish by its lip or mouth, and FWC says a fish "should not be held out of the water for long periods of time just for the purpose of taking a picture." Hold it horizontally with a hand under the belly. ### Do I need a dehooker, or are pliers enough? For Florida's reef fish rule, pliers are enough: FWC counts needle-nose pliers as a dehooking device. A long dehooker like the Booms R08 reaches deep hooks that pliers cannot without lifting the fish. ### Which way should I release the fish? Head first. FWC says releasing a fish head first into the water forces water through the mouth and over the gills. --- *SaltProofLab is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Handling advice is quoted from NOAA Fisheries and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.* ## Sources - NOAA Fisheries: [Catch and release best practices](https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/resources-fishing/catch-and-release-best-practices) - myfwc.com: [FWC's fish handling page](https://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/fish-handling) - myfwc.com: [Gear rules](https://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/gear-rules) --- Last updated: 2026-09-29 Canonical URL: https://saltprooflab.com/tools-catch/fish-grips-and-dehookers How to cite: "Fish Grips and Dehookers (2026): Lip Grips, Scales and Release Tools", SaltProofLab, https://saltprooflab.com/tools-catch/fish-grips-and-dehookers (checked 2026-09-29). Disclosure: as an Amazon Associate SaltProofLab earns from qualifying purchases. Safety information summarizes public guidance and is not medical advice.