Those mechanical lip-gripping goodies (Boga Grips is a well-known brand) might be popular among saltwater fly fishermen, but probably not with fish: a study published in Fisheries Research magazine says they damage between 80% and 100% of the bonefish they touch.

Remember that warm, satisfying catch & release glow? If you were using a grip, you might have killed nearly half your catch:

the lip-gripping device caused mouth injuries to 80% of bonefish restrained in the water and 100% of bonefish held in the air, always when fish thrashed while being held. Some of the injuries were severe (40%) and included separating the tongue from the floor of the mouth, creating tears and holes in the soft tissue of the lower jaw, and splitting the mandible.

See you on the bonefish flats, Tom Chandler.