TOPIC:

Everyone who has released many “shaker” sized salmon or unwanted lake trout has seen them bobbing on the surface like a spent balloon as the boat trolled into the distance. Will they recover? Will a gull swoop down and peck their eyes out?

A study in Lake Superior and Lake Huron conducted by the Michigan DNR revealed almost half the lake trout released when the surface water temperature in the lakes was above 50 degrees didn’t survive, due to thermal stress and barotrauma from being pulled up from deep water.

Until now, there has been no good tool available to trollers to enable them to return unwanted catches back to the depths where their chance of survival would be near 100 percent. At ICAST, last month, I found a tool called the Seaqualizer.

It’s a boca grip which will clamp securely in a fish’s mouth. Once in place, a weight will decend the fish into the depths. The SQ opens when it reaches a certain depth, freeing the fish. I have the “striper” model which can be set to open at 30 feet, 50 or 70 feet.

I replaced the clip that comes with the SQ to clamp it to a weighted fishing ling with a four foot cord (so I could get the fish back into the water) and attached a small snap on the other end to attach the cord quickly to a downrigger weight. Then I hit the down switch.

I tested the SQ at each setting, letting the weight down to 35, 55 and 75 feet. It always came up open. I’ve released one shaker king and one small laker on my last two trips. Are they still swimming? I don’t know. I do know they aren’t bobbing on the surface feeding the gulls www.seaqualizer.com $59.99

Capt.Mike about a year ago I posted a thread about a similar device from Ocean Ed. You can get the fish releases for FREE by going to their website www.OceanEd.org and click on the "request devices" tab and filling out the form. If you fill the need you can donate to the cause to help offset the costs but not required. The releases are very similar looking.

Steely: Did you get one? I watched their video and they showed two types. One was some sort of wire thingy you needed to let down on a separate rod and reel. It worked, but I doubt it would be easy to use with a downrigger. The other looked very much like the one I have and have used. If they will give out those, great - I'd even get one and donate. The wire one looks like something which would only cost a buck or two and (just guessing) is what they send for free. That's why I asked if you ordered one and if so, which one you got. Free beats $59.99 by almost sixty bucks! But you often get what you pay for.

I did not order one of the originals but I did request the newer descender 2 model. I did not like how the older one worked so I more or less forgot about getting one. But the newer one seems to be a better deal idea. Let you know when it shows up. Your post reminded me of the website and I went and visited it again. I would think it would work great on a rigger. I even have a few extra Scotty downrigger safety pin type line clips to quickly add and remove the devise from the rigger cable

I sent for the "free" descender from the organization shown above. It's just a homemade, bent wire thing which probably works okay from an anchored boat, but of little use to a troller. The video on that site of the boca grip device I think is the same device I got at ICAST. I've released a few more trout and shakers with it since I originally posted. It works flawlessly, so far and I'm smiling, my customers are smiling and I suspect the fish are smiling down in the depths.