# culling system question



## sasquatch hunter (May 17, 2010)

is there a culling system out there that will not tear fishes mouths up?

i have the berkley culling tags, and some of my fish are nearly tearing their lips off.  I don't know if they are getting stuck together or just trying to shake them out.

am I putting them on wrong?


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## NorthGaBowhunter (May 18, 2010)

We have never seen that before, but I'm not to fond of the cullbuddy system, they don't float up good enough in my opinion.
also don't spray sun tan lotion on your arms and run your arms threw the water. they will DIE, We also pull it thru the bottom lip in the thinnest skin in the tip of the lip.


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## russ010 (May 18, 2010)

I use the Ardent Smart Cull balls... I put the stringer part of the culling ball through the thinnest part of the bottom lip as well. I come up from the bottom into the mouth, and then out. 

I used to not go through the lip, but went in the back side of the gill out the mouth, but I lost a lot more fish that way.

Xtools has some culling balls that clip on to the fishes lip, and do not penetrate through the lip.. but the one time I used them, I had 5 fish in the well, and 5 floating culling balls that weren't attached. Somehow they came off, and it took me forever trying to figure out which 12" fish I needed to cull that day! I gave them away and my buddy got a stringer, took the attachements off and put them on the culling system


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## mikef61 (May 18, 2010)

I have been using the www.quik-cull.com system for years. No damage to your fish...take a look!


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## sasquatch hunter (May 18, 2010)

*thanks*

thank you for the help


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## brother hilljack (May 19, 2010)

Some of you witnessed my dumb Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ---- only bring 4 fish to the scales at the Ringer tournament. That was not because I did not catch 5 fish, but due to me throwing too many fish back! Small channel cats can get pretty lost in a big livewell. After the event I thought about what I could do to prevent this from happening again. I decided I needed one of those culling systems they sell at the store. So I went to local stores and realized that they just plain cost more than they are worth!! Being the HIllJack that I am, I have a HillJack designed fish culling system!

**Just for the record, I have not searched the library for this item so if one already exist.......Great design !

It is so inexpensive and simple that you are not going to believe it. Now here is the disclaimer! If you are FISHING then you just run a hook through a fishes mouth so don't get all upset when you see my design. I have discovered that 9 times out of 10 you can used the same hook hole to employ the HillJack Culling system.

You will need one of those cheapo metal stringers from any fishing section. They are less than $2! You will need 5 colored wooden beads (if you have kids this should not be a problem) and 5 small 4-6 inch zip ties.

step 1: use side snips to cut the large clips off of the chain.
step 2: attach wooden bead to small end of the stringer clip with zip tie
step 3: trim off excess zip tie
step 4: repeat!

You now have the ability to weigh and record the weights of 5 different fish in your livewell. You can simply use a dry erase marker on your windshield or record the weights on a sheet of paper. No more guessing folks! This entire process will cost less than $4 and it will take about 5-10 minutes to construct!


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## russ010 (May 20, 2010)

another thing you can do instead of wooden beads - is to get those styrofoam balls from the craft section of walmart - put a washer on either end, then tie knots before the first washer to keep it from slipping, then a knot on the very end... then they float and  you can grab the fish that runs around the livewell by that and bring them out.

good idea HillJack!


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## pbmang (May 21, 2010)

I use the glory bag system.  They are $$$, but have had very good luck with them.


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## russ010 (May 21, 2010)

pbmang said:


> I use the glory bag system.  They are $$$, but have had very good luck with them.



I've seen those, but never knew how well they worked... do you just put the fish in, and then right on in your livewell? 

I might have to look into those... how big of fish do they actually hold up to?


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## pbmang (May 21, 2010)

russ010 said:


> I've seen those, but never knew how well they worked... do you just put the fish in, and then right on in your livewell?
> 
> I might have to look into those... how big of fish do they actually hold up to?



Thats it.  It seems like they work just like blinders work on a horse.  The fish are so calm, you will almost think they are dead.  Once you take them out of the bag though, they go nuts.  That makes me think that it calms the fish in the livewell.  I know it keeps them from beating themselves up. 

I've had fish up to 3.5lbs in them, but I fish Allatoona a lot, so those fish are few and far between...lol...I would think anything up to about 5lbs would be no problem, but then again, how often are you culling 5lbers.


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## russ010 (May 21, 2010)

pbmang said:


> I would think anything up to about 5lbs would be no problem, but then again, how often are you culling 5lbers.



that's exactly what went through my mind after I posted it... thanks - I'm going to look into getting a set

I think I can just put those ardent culling balls on the zippers then just display the weights on the balls like I have been because I hate keeping pens and boards around to write weights down on


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## pbmang (May 21, 2010)

I have the ardnet balls on mine as well.  Usually what I'll do is just adjust them to 1,2,3,4 and 5 based on which fish is 1st to go, 2nd, etc.  Instead of weighing them, I use a culling beam and since they are in the bags, its really quick.


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## j_seph (May 21, 2010)

brother hilljack said:


> Some of you witnessed my dumb Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ---- only bring 4 fish to the scales at the Ringer tournament. That was not because I did not catch 5 fish, but due to me throwing too many fish back! Small channel cats can get pretty lost in a big livewell. After the event I thought about what I could do to prevent this from happening again. I decided I needed one of those culling systems they sell at the store. So I went to local stores and realized that they just plain cost more than they are worth!! Being the HIllJack that I am, I have a HillJack designed fish culling system!
> 
> **Just for the record, I have not searched the library for this item so if one already exist.......Great design !
> 
> ...


neat, we actually took a small hook straigtend out, a 6" piece of line. Then took the piece of line through hook eye and threaded that through the top fin and tied on a small 2" styrofoam float to it. Using color system green first to go yellow for the rest and orange was biggest. Of course we wrote down the yellow fish weights. Need 2 more colors of floats


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## NorthGaBowhunter (May 26, 2010)

pbmang said:


> I have the ardnet balls on mine as well.  Usually what I'll do is just adjust them to 1,2,3,4 and 5 based on which fish is 1st to go, 2nd, etc.  Instead of weighing them, I use a culling beam and since they are in the bags, its really quick.



We found the beams to be quicker also, we just hang the fish by the culling ball.


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## brother hilljack (May 26, 2010)

Don't have to be too quick when you are catfishing! Bags won't work for us, not getting too many 20 pounders in one of those bags. That is a pretty neat system though


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## jusdonaldson (May 28, 2010)

Do the bags just float around the livewell, or do the attach to something inside the livewell?


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## DROPPINEM (May 28, 2010)

I mostly fish Allatoona so i dont really need a culling system!


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