Every now and then you come across a new product that is simple and yet does exactly what it is supposed to. In these cases, sometimes the best thing to be said is: “it works!” Recently I purchased such a product… fish grips from Lucid Fishing.

Awhile back, I decided I was not happy with the plastic fish grips, although there are some advantages they offer. I did not like the fact that many times it was difficult to get the grips into the fish’s mouth when they were tight-lipped. I found myself prying their mouths open just to get the grips in. So I decided to look into the Boga Grips. However, I did not want to pay a lot of money for something that I might decide not to use. I also considered other cheaper brands but saw others having problems with the durability of these, especially with oxidation. Since I spend most of my time in saltwater, this wasn’t really an option.

During my search, I came across Lucid Fishing Grips. The first thing that caught my attention was that the owner of the company, Ted Wozny, is an avid kayak angler and his company has a host of kayak anglers as pro-staffers. I did some research and only found great reviews of this fledgling product. So, I contacted Lucid Fishing Grips and ordered my own.

To start, I will say that the customer service was excellent. The fish grips arrived quickly and came with a very comfortable price tag… $47 for the 30lb model, which is considerably cheaper than other high-end brands. The other thing I quickly appreciated about the grips is that they are very compact and lightweight, which must have been a consideration of kayak anglers. Furthermore, Lucid Fishing Grips are made from marine grade stainless steel, making them able to handle anything you can throw at them, including saltwater. The grips also come with a scale and a rotating head for those stubborn fish that like to spin and flail about.

The real question is: “how do they hold up on the water?” I have used Lucid Fishing Grips for almost three months now and I have not been disappointed. They show no signs of oxidation and even after only light washes with the water hose after saltwater use, they are as smooth as the day they came out of the box. I have used these grips on very large reds and they have yet to fail. I was even more impressed with how they handled the smaller fish with fragile mouths, especially specs. On one outing, I went on a “tagging” day, during which I caught and tagged several small specs. These fish had a tendency to flip around a lot. Initially, I figured that at least a few would slip out of the grips but I can honestly say that not one fell out. I was impressed. And as far as the tight-lipped fish… well the grips slid right in and I was no longer required to pry their mouths open by hand.

There is one thing that I would like to see offered, which would make this great product even better. I personally would like to see a compact float either added to the grips or offered separately. I did purchase a float from another company, which I am not pleased with. The float is big and bulky, which takes away from the compact nature of the grips. It would be a great addition to have a compact float offered by Lucid Fishing.

In the end, Lucid Fishing Grips are one of these products that are simple, durable, comfortably priced and do exactly what they were made to do… hold fish. The best thing I can say about them is: “they work!” If you are in the market for fish grips, head over to Lucid Fishing Grips and check them out. You will be glad you did.