Fishing, Hunting and Camping
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D-Barb Fishing Hook Remover Tool Review (with how to video)
Have you ever gut-hooked a fish? I have and it doesn’t feel good as an angler. You only have a few choices. 1. you can cut your line and hope the hook rusts out before the fish dies of starvation. Or 2. you can pull it out which will probably kill the fish. I found a new tool that makes removing the hook in a way that will give the fish a much better chance of survival. It’s called the D-Barb D-Hooker and Line Cutter, you can also find it on Amazon here.
Today, we are going to take a closer look at the D-Barb Hook Remover. Good for the fish but bad for this review, I have not gut-hooked a fish since receiving this new tool.
D-Barb D-Hooker Overview
So mentioned above, the tools main purpose is to remove hooks from a gutted fish to make recover time much faster.
How it works
When your hook is stuck in the belly of a fish, it is most likely not coming out without destroying the intestines. The D-Barb D-Hooker has a sharp steel cutter that allows you to cut the barb of the hook allowing you to pull the hook out without the barb. Once cut, the built in magnet catches the barb and it comes out with the pliers not leaving any sharp metal in the fish. Check out the video below.
The size
The D-Barb pliers are quite long allowing you to use these on larger fish along smaller fish. Though they may be a little big for small blugill. Since mostly fish for large catfish, carp and bass, this will be a good tool to have in the tackle box.
The Quality
Not too much to say here besides that the main material the tool is made out of is stainless steel. This should gove you years of use if you take care of them. I’m not sure what the handle material is but I believe it is some type of rubber.
The D-Barb also comes with a sheath though I believe it is lacking a bit. It does fit well but I don’t see anytime that I would put it on my belt. I just will not use it that much. I placed it in my tackle box where it will be when needed.
Does it Work?
So, we know it made of quality stainless steel but will it cut a hook? Let’s find out. In the below video, I will show you how to use the D-Barb hook remover and test how it cuts a few different quality hooks. We will also try them on different types of hooks.
As you can see in the below video, we tested the D-Barb tool one three different quality hooks. From thin bluegill hooks to thick catfish hooks. This tool cut with ease through all three.
Testing the D-Barb D-Hook Hook Remover Tool Video
So Why Use This Tool?
When you gut-hook a fish, your only real choice is to cut your line leaving the hook in the fish. Trying to remove a barbed hook from a fishes belly is a death sentence for that fish. The chances of you getting it out of the fishes intestine and that fish surviving is slim to none.
Everyone has been told, “cut the line, the hook will rusk out”. This is true in most cases. But unless it is a thin cheap hook, the fish may die of starvation before it completely rusts out.
By getting the hook removed properly, you are giving the fish a much bigger chance of recovery and to fight another day. Being outdoorsmen, I take conservation seriously as I hope you do the same.
Another use, remove hooks from yourself!
Photo: YouTube Yea, I know it’s nasty!
While playing around with this tool, I though of another use the D-Hook can be used for. Remembering back from when I was a kid, getting hooked SUCKS! It has happened more than once between myself hooking myself to my younger brother sinking a hook through my shoulder. This topic has always made me skirmish.
You think this doesn’t really happen to people? Search photos on Google. Heck, even a hospital in Canada has a wall of shame strictly on hooks that have been pulled from fishermen!
Having the D-Barb tool in the tackle box can save you from turning your finger into something that looks like hamburger or needing for that trip to the E.R. to have it surgically removed. Having three kids of my own, having this around gives me a little piece of mind!
The Bottom Line
The D-Hook tool is not something you will use on a regular bases (unless you don’t know how to set a hook). But, having it in the tackle box gives me piece of mind knowing I’m prepared. Doing what we can to be responsible fishermen is worth the little price these cost. Since I look at it as part of my first aid kit, it’s just that much more valuable.
Warriors Tackle Supply Monthly Fishing Subscription: Is it Worth It?
I found to new service that seemed right up my alley about a month ago. It’s monthly goody box geared towards people who love to fish. The company that offers this service is named Warriors Tackle Supply.
Today, we are going to take a look at what I received in my first box, check the value and see if it is worth the monthly auto purchase. But before we go over all of that, let’s take a look at the company itself to learn more of who is behind this awesome idea.
A Business With a True Cause
I’ll be truthful here, I do not know much about this company. What I do know is that they have a mission, and that mission is what really caught my eye and pushed me over the edge to give them a try.
The founder of Warriors Tackle Supply has a passion for helping children. Adopting a son who needed a home, they also support others in the adventure.
They work directly with organizations that meet the immediate needs of children that live on the streets. They also do what they can to bring kids living on the street visible to government, help influence policy and work directly with organizations to help build orphanages.
Feel good story right? How can a company doing such good for children in need not have anything but a great product! Well, we are about to find out. Yes, they have a good heart, but do they have a good product? Let’s find out…
The Choices
You have two choices to select from in different price ranges. As of when I signed up, you could select the regular size box costing $16.99 and a larger XL box for $26.99. This is by the month and said they membership can be cancelled at anytime by sending them a quick email.
I went with the XL subscription, so lets’s take a look at what showed up in my surprise box.
The Contents of the Mystery Box
So the time came when I got my Warriors Supply Tackle Mystery box, and I was pretty excited. The mystery of not knowing what your getting is like Christmas.
When I received the box, I decided to take some photo’s what I got for an article. In the above photo is how the monthly fishing subscription showed up. They have a pretty cool design, I’m hoping they are not all marketing!
The box came stuffed with fishing gear and even a couple swag items which every man would be happy with. In the above photo is everything pulled out. I’ll go over each item below with value to get a feel of if this fishing gift box is worth it.
And finally, in the above photo you see a little closer shot of the included lures that was in the box. So, let’s take a closer look at each item.
Each Item by name
The Warriors Tackle Supply Monthly Fishing Subscriptions would obviously come with different gear in it each month. Here is a list of what came in this month’s box:
- Warriors Deep Diver Crankbait
- Six Section Shad Dark by Warrior Tackle Supply
- Warriors Tackle Face Shield
- Warriors Tourney Special Minnow 3
- Rapala Original Floater Purpledescent
- Storm by Rapala 360GT Mangrove Minnow
- Strike King KVD Perfect plastics Caffeine Shad
- Strike King Tour Grade Swinging Swim Jig
- Warriors Tackle Hat
That’s a lot of stuff! It all sounds good, but is it really worth the $26.99 paid for it? My thinking is yes but let’s dive in and see.
The Value
So, also inside the box was a packing slip with each pieces value. I want of course do my own research and see what type of value I as a consumer think.
Strike King Tour Grade Swinging Swim Jig
Warriors Tackle has the Strike King Tour Grade Swinging Swim Jig marked down as costing $6.29. My research shows that they are spot on. Doing a quick Google search, that is exactly what I’m finding them for online. Some places are a little lower and some higher.
Here is a screen shot of prices I found
Strike King KVD Perfect plastics Caffeine Shad
The Strike King KVD Perfect plastics Caffeine Shad ranges in price depending on where you get it. Warriors had a price of $5.99 which is the priced to match Bass Pro and Cabala’s. I agree with this price. You can see Bass Pro price here.
This lure is close to my all time go-to plastic fishing lure the Zoom Fluke. I’m really looking forward to giving this one a try.
Storm by Rapala 360GT Mangrove Minnow
Also being priced by Warriors Tackle at $5.99 each is the Storm by Rapala 360GT Mangrove Minnow. Another plastic that I’m looking forward to using. Looking this lure up, it is priced at $5.99 at Bass Pro and just a tad cheaper at Walmart and Amazon. Being that the outdoor stores are the same as Warriors price, I can agree with this one as well. Also, Walmart and Amazon are not that much cheaper to take them into account.
Rapala Original Floater Purpledescent
Warriors has the value of the Rapala Original Floater a little high at $9.29 for me. Their price does match Bass Pro pricing which is even cheaper than Amazon, but higher then Cabala’s and which are about $2 cheaper. On this one, I will be using $7.40 when adding up final value.
Regardless, this can be a deadly lure out on the water. I have used them in the past and glad I now have another. It is similar to this HD trout lure here. Fishing creeks, I loose lures and always feel sick getting caught up on something underwater with a lure over $3.
Warriors Tourney Special Minnow 3
Priced at $4.99, the Warriors Tourney Special Minnow 3 is another I’m looking forward to trying out on the lake. I don’t know much about it so I will update this article once I play with it. The one thing I will say is that other branded similar lures are about $1 cheaper. I will be using $3.99 for the final value evaluation.
Warriors Six Section Shad Dark
The unique six section flex shad lure is priced at $7.99 at Warriors Tackle. This is actually cheaper than many other lures of the same type. This lure gives great actions and cheaper than others like it. Bass Pro is pushing $18 for simular while other places online are around $10. I will use the Warrior Tackle price on this one.
Warriors Deep Diver Crankbait
This deep diver just looks like it is out to cause some trouble with any fish that dares to go around with it. Priced at $7.99, I feel this is a good price point and will go with it.
Being that I’m not a huge crankbait guy, this is probably the most undesirable lure in the box. Only because I tend to loose them. With that being said, I know just the guy who will enjoy it. If I actually give it up that is!
Warriors Tackle Face Shield
The price on the last two items are pretty subjective. This branded face shield sports the Warriors Tackle logo which I find pretty good. I’m not sure that I will be using it while fishing, but I will be breaking it out during hunting season. Well, that’s if my son doesn’t steal it for skiing…
Warriors has this price at $14.99 which I’m torn on. Doing a search for face shields, the price ranges a lot. I found them (after shipping) between $7.99 and $20. Amazon has them in the $8-$15 range. I’m going to go with $11 for the value here.
Warriors Tackle Hat
Again, hats can range in value depending on a lot of things. The Warrior Tackle hat with a cool looking logo, is a win in my book. Being that the price of this hat is not listed in the gear layout, I will need to come up with a price. Doing research of other logo hats, I feel $12 is fair and in the range of fishing logo hats at Walmart.
Prices Compared
Okay, so we went over everything in the box, what Warriors had each piece priced at and what I think they should be priced at compared to similar lures. So let’s take a look at the numbers.
- Price for this month’s box: $26.99
- Warriors Tackle Supply suggested prices: $63.52 (without hat price)
- What I think this box is worth: $56.64 (with no hat like above, or $68.64 including the hat)
- New lures to try monthly: Priceless
Okay, so looking at everything added up, this is a very good deal if you were going to purchase everything separate. I mean, let’s say the hat is a freebie and, you use my lower pricing. You are still saving $30, your saving more money than your paying. And again, that’s real price, not inflated prices…
The Bottom Line
So, I want to be clear, this is worth the money in goods for sure. But, it also depends on if you will actually use what they send every month. For me, so far so good. I will use everything in this box besides maybe the crankbait. But then again, I may give it a try just because I have it. If I loose it, so be it. If I don’t, I know my brother in-law will.
This monthly fishing goody box would make for a great gift for someone who fishes a lot. I don’t know any fisherman that wouldn’t be thrilled to get this every month.
This subscription may not be best for someone who doesn’t fish enough where the lures would just pile up, though getting for a few months to stock up may be a good idea.
For me, I’m all in for now. We will see what future boxes bring, I’m already excited for next month!