The very few times I have had to use my X-tool Cull system the clips havent held worth a ****. So I Made up two different solutions for fixing this problem. I just bought a chain creel from Gander Mountain, took off the clips and added them to the X-tool bouy.
Option A: I just took off the existing clip and add the new clip
Option B: I cut it down to be alot smaller and easier to store.
Let me know which one you would you would think is better?
Thanks
(http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h184/BigGameHunter1755/x-tool.jpg)
Bad timing for me with the Xtool culling system I just bought it yesterday, and was wondering if those clips would hold. Well now I know, I will have to modify them as well. What about the Xtool scale? I was going to get that too but held off until I know its a quality scale. That clip on the scale looks like it will need to be replaced also, I dont see that thing holding a feisty bass. Other than that I like all the features on it, what scale do you guys use?
T
the scale works good, in fact so good there is one swimming around with a huge pike up on Wixom Lake...(Savage got slimy fingers) the clips are bad though, smallies throw them in a heartbeat. In fact I saw one of the anglers on the FLW tour do a modification similar to Langer..with that mod it will be a good system, because you can actually get a hold of the xtool buoys. Good Job Langer ;)
I think the longer buoy makes more sense. This way the fish can lay on the bottom of the live well and the marker will be at or near the surface. I think the longer one will be easier to get you hands on in the live well.
My $.02.
Cy
so thems xtools fish floots are junk >:( >:( >:(
i sorrie thay not wurth beans fur yous butt i glad yous fix um up bettur thans befour ;) ;) ;)
maybee sumeone shood call peepull up at xtools an gives thems hell bout thay junk klips on thar ;) ;) ;)
i wondur ifin thay pinchurs are anna bettur ??? ??? ???
ben thinkin bout buyin a pair of thay pinchurs fur gittin the spinners bait hooks out of thoose nice ones i gets ;D ;D ;D
:-* :-* :-* RANGERS BOAT RULE :-* :-* :-*
Last year I did the Option A mod to mine. The longer ones are easier to grab and make it much easier for the fish to stay down in the livewell. This is especially important for bass taken from deep water that are already having a difficult time staying down.
Like BASSFISHERMAN, I'm kind of surprised x-cull hasn't addressed this already. I saw this mod several times on TV tournaments over the past couple of years. Maybe it's time to send 'em an email.
I agree with Cf and Revtro, bigger is better. I am going to get the BPS version though, cheaper, already has pins, has more buoys incase I lose one, and I don't like the idea of the stiff plastic; won't it stick out of the water or lay funny if the fish is on the top? ???
Jav,
If you buy the BPS culling system don't buy this one. I owen one like this a pile of junk. Everytime you grab a fish either the chain or chain clip breaks. It is very frustrating.
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_74111_100011004_100000000_100011000_100-11-4
Cy
Thanks, that's the one I was going to buy. I guess I'll just get an X-tools and modify it myself. Good looking CF
I also had problems with the original clips and went to the option A and have no problems since. The scale seems to work fine as is.
For the price you paid...I would have called Xtools up and pitched a Biatch. I do like option A, but now it cost ya more money. I like my XPS ones...I have no problems with them and easy to stow away
I am shocked xtool's put out a product that fails as much as everyone claims with the culling system. They must have never tested it on the water, or never put the clip in a fish mouth to see if it would stay. Does not seem like rocket science, they should be able to come up with something that works in place of those clips.
T
I didnt pay that much for mine, I got them off the clearance rack at Gander Mountain last year.
I am going to stick with option A. I got ahead of my self when I was doing it lat night and cut before really thinking about it. As soon as it was off I thought hmm there probably long for a reason. (to be on the top while the fish is on the bottom). So I will have bouys 2-5 with the longer stems and number 1 will be the one I use on my kicker fish, it ought to weigh enough to keep it to the bottom. ;D
Thanks for the comments. I think I have 4 or 5 clips left over from the stringer I took apart if anyone is interested in them. I also plan on sharpening the clips so they poke threw the fishes mouth better, and I will probably get some large snap rings and barrel swivels to replace the cheapy swivels from the stringer.
At one point BPS had 2 different systems. The one I have has painted foam balls on the ends of the chains and the clip is held on with tiny stupid little cheap things. The other system had painted crankbait lookin' things on the end. The one I have is junk and it looks the same as the one I posted above. I would not recommend it.
Cy
Maybe someone on this site should make a quality culling system and start selling it. Sounds like its hard to find an ideal system without any hassles. Maybe there is some $ to be made since there is no good option out there right now?
T
I liked the concept of not putting more holes in the fish so I bought the X tools when it first came out and it came off 50% of the time so I have been using the bps cull system, I saw the clips added to the X tool while watching the elite series and like the idea I think Im going with option A.
You don't have to put a hole in the fish ... you can run the modified setup "stringer" through the gill open out the jaw. Just be careful of the gill plates ... no holes, no slip ... works great every time.
i recently bought the berkley tournament cull-system from bps. i havent had a chance to use it but plan to use it this season in some club tournaments. the clips look kinda flimsy. does anybody have any experience with this system?
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&partNumber=89091&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults
with all of thems bein junk i not no whut to get fur me cullin
setup ??? ??? ???
one wood thinks yous coold getts a nice cullin bouy frum sumeone out thar ??? ??? ???
maybee i juss paw round in the life well likes i allways did an lets xtools and bass pro shops keeps thay cullin rings ;) ;) ;)
:-* :-* :-* STRATOS BOAT RULE :-* :-* :-*
The cool thing about the XTools culling kit that comes with scale, is the scale will track your fish and tell you which one to release. It keeps track of up to 7 fish. You don't have to weight them, write it down or try and fish out the small one, it's automatic. I think it's cool.
I have been wrestling with this also...I am thinking about just using stringer clips with different color electrical tie wraps, That way they won't take up as much space as floats. (Co-Angler)..
Hopefully I get the opportunity to Cull alot..
I bought the new Berkley kit this year knowing that the tags would not work. I haven't used them yet though so maybe I am wrong. I got it mainly for the scale and storing weights.
I use the Bag'em tags and after using them and learning where to attach them, they rarely fall off. The biggest key is to not attach them to the bottom lip, but just off center on the top lip, so the clips are down on some thin skin but have to pull over a thick bone to pull off. It's a little hard to describe without a fish in your hands....
One thing I learned is the berkley scale stores weights by color of tag and that doesn't match the Bag'em tags. I will probably put some kind of stainless clip on the berkley tags.
i makeup a nice setup todays ;) ;) ;)
firss i takes sume diepurr pins and i hook thems on sume weed trimmur plastic coord ;) ;) ;)
i then takes sume small plastic bobbores i buy to wally wurlds an i hook thems to the weed trimmur lines ;) ;) ;)
i then takes an i make a 1,2,3,4,5 ontoo eachs one ;) ;) ;)
now i reedie fur me fish cullin once the seesun getts heer :D :D :D
sorry to says me setup looks micky mouse as hell butt i well be usein it thiss yeer fur sure ;D ;D ;D
:-* :-* :-* SLOW GAMBLERS BOAT RULE :-* :-* :-*
I don't like poking holes in the fish or trying to get the clip through the gills. I have been using these clips for years:
http://quik-cull.com/
They work great, even on big smallies. They will not come off. The ropes are also flexible, unlike the rod-like x tools system. I don't think the guys at x-tools fish much. Really poor product design.
Seth
I was looking at those at Cabala's. I wondered how well they hold on. Might be worth a try next time I'm down there.
One thing I do like about the x-cull floats though are the numbers. Easy to see and easy to use with a Berkley scale that numbers the fish to easily cull out. But I guess you could label any kind of float with numbers.
I don't mind poking a hole in the fish's lower lip though because it doesn't really hurt them at all and when you remove the clip, it's hard to find the hole sometimes. I'd guess it probably heals up rather quickly. I'm not sure I would recommend putting the clip under the gill plate. I have heard this can harm the fish, though I really don't know. Maybe some of you biologist types can chime in on that. I've always wondered.
Anyone ever wonder how the pros who don't use floats cull out there fish in a hurry? I notice on the bassmaster shows that a lot of the pros just toss the smallest fish into one side of the livewell, but when they cull that one out, how in the heck to do they quickly find the next smallest one without using floats? And is it me, or is it a pain to grab a slimy fish from a livewell with no float attached to it? Maybe I'm just a clutz, but I am not good at grabbing them swimming critters from a full livewell. It's like Rocky chasing the rooster around in Rocky 3. :-\'
I switched to those clip-on quik-cull tags a few years ago. Before that, I kept having the stringer type tags rip pretty big holes in the fish. They would be small initially, but after a long run in rough water the banging in the livewell really did a number on them. These quik-cull tags are strong enough that I can grab the rope to pull 6 lb smallmouth right to me and force their mouth open. They are expensive, but worth it IMHO.
Seth V
Using the clips properly solves this issue.... Watch this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEsQaoVbO5E
I use the Bag em clips too. They very seldom come off. I also like not putting holes in the fish . The only problem is you cant lift the fish with them but you can pull them too you to grab. As a co angler I can only hope I have culling problems lol.