Attach to your line, add a weight and drop to your desired depth. It's so simple. The S-shaped hook clip ties directly in line to your bottom rig, the hook pokes through the lower lip of your fish, thus creating an open-mouthed fish ready for the release. Then you pull the line hard, and the fish just slips off the S-pin. Easy.
Effective Jan. 1, 2017, for the Recreational Bottomfish Fishery:
- NEW—Descending Devices Are Mandatory
- Any vessel fishing for, or possessing, bottomfish in the ocean must have a functional descending device onboard, and use when releasing any rockfish outside of 30 fathoms.
- Functional descending device means one that is ready to be used.
- Simple S-shaped wire hook clip that ties directly in line to a bottom rig
- Slim in design
- The hook pokes through the fish’s lower lip, keeping the mouth slightly ajar to allow water across the gills
- Heavy weight at the terminal end of the rig pulls the fish down
- Great for smaller fish such as Rockfish, Walleye, Atlantic Black Sea Bass, Lake Trout, Groupers and all species that suffer barotrauma
- Can handle more than one fish at a time
- Doesn’t need its own dedicated rod
- Once the fish reaches a desired depth, quickly snap the line upward to release
- A heavy jig can replace the bottom weight, or a two-hook rig can be tied above the device
- An angler can re-compress the fish and catch new fish on the same drop
Proper Release:
- Ensure the wire hook is tied to the line pointing down
- Bloated fish must be hooked and placed in the water before the terminal weight is tossed out. This prevents a fish from slipping off.
- You can rig a sliding egg sinker above the device and place it in the water first, or stick your rod tip in the water first, forcing the S-hook upward until the fish descends.
Effective Jan. 1, 2017, for the Recreational Bottomfish Fishery:
- NEW—Descending Devices Are Mandatory
- Any vessel fishing for, or possessing, bottomfish in the ocean must have a functional descending device onboard, and use when releasing any rockfish outside of 30 fathoms.
- Functional descending device means one that is ready to be used.
