What is it? Set 354

Would such an item "a priest" be likely to be in full-time contact with salt water -- even if the fishing were being done in salt water, not fresh?

For something in full time contact with salt water -- especially underwater fittings on a boat, yes. Something which occasionally gets splashed (as this would be if it is indeed a fisherman's "priest") is not going to have enough exposure to make this a problem.

And I believe that I was replying to a suggestion which was that its use was for removing, installing hub spinners for wire wheel equipped sports cars. (You trimmed too aggressively to make it easy for me to verify this.) For that -- either brass or bronze would be too hard, and likely to mar the spinners. Copper or lead would be the choices there.

For what? Given the relative hardness of a fish's head, I think not. For removing a hub spinner on an automobile -- softer is better, since the tool is replaceable at low cost, while the spinner is a rather expensive part.

Enjoy, DoN.

---------------------- As a sailor, I'm prejudiced.

Might find some brass in the shop, but never on the boat.

Sooner or later, it will bite you.

Lew

Naval Brass tends to fare a bit better, due to a lower Zinc content.

Steve R.

Then you smack the fish on your forehead.

It's specifically a brass trout or salmon priest. Trout ones are usually about 8" long and salmon ones 10" and heavier obviously for the larger fish. Yours at 9" is in between. My own has an aluminium end which isn't the ideal material being fairly light unless you use lots of it but my grandad bought it for me 40 years ago and it's done the job perfectly well so far. For sea fish you'd want something at least a foot long and much more robust or you'll just annoy them when you hit them on the head with it.

BTW it's certainly not for "stunning" the catch as your answer says. It's for "killing" a fish as quickly and painlessly as possible. The last thing you want is for the poor creature to only be stunned and wake up later in the creel and suffocate slowly in air.

Yours may even be a Hardy as it has the same turnings on the head as this one.

I usually put the "poor creatures" back in the water! They like it there. : )

Bill

If you are not going to eat them, why do you torment them?

For fun. Mine, not theirs.

--riverman

Don't assume it's torment for them--I recall one guy catching the same trout four times in the same day (he marked it somehow the first time--I forget how). Perhaps its the way fish are programmed, or perhaps it's that fish have a different idea of "fun" from humans.

Guy probably clipped a fin. Trout might just have been real hungry and/or the fisherman did an excellent job of matching the hatch.

Never could get into catching more than I was going eat or give to friends. Quit completely when when my balance went and standing upright in a river was near impossible, never mind playing a fish.

For fun. Mine, not theirs.

--riverman

'torment' was a bad word choice. I assume that's not the intent.

Thanks for the information, I just updated the answer page.

I don't own the priest, if it's still at the shop next time I go, I'll check the engravings.

Rob

There is an ongoing debate between fishermen and others about the 'inhumanity' of fishing, based on the assumption that fish must feel the pain of the hook, since they kick and fight so hard. Or at the very least, that it's harmful or traumatic bringing them into the air and supporting their bodies outside of the water.

The debate rages on. Many fishermen (myself included) have caught a single fish repeatedly, and released it repeatedly, which seems to suggest that the whole experience isn't traumatic enough to make them change their behavior. I have heard of scientific studies that suggest that fish lack a certain structure in their brains that would enable them to feel pain.

In any case, whenever I see those National Geographic images of grizzly bears catching salmon, dragging them onshore and ripping their skin off while the fish kicks and twists, I figure it could be a whole lot worse for the fish than to be pinched in the lip, quickly brought to hand, held underwater lightly while the (barbless) hook is removed, and then positioned gently so that the current flows over its gills and it is revived enough to swim away.

--riverman (who doesn't use a priest, but raps them on the head with his knuckles instead)

I don't fish, but, on the topic of this item, I have two comments, one technical and one nostalgic...

From the link, it sure looks like this is a very nice 'priest' or fish-basher but... I'd expect a club used to kill fish to be lighter than water. The metal head would seem to make it heavier than water, so if you dropped it, it would sink and be lost. It does have a wrist loop, but I find it hard to imagine a fisherman keeping in on his wrist at all times, or stopping to put the wrist loop on while landing a fish.

A long time ago, when I was a kid, there was a local fish market. It had a large tile-lined tank that held live merchandise. The buyer could point at a fish and say "I'll take that one.". The merchant had a club used to kill the fish. It was a simple round billet of wood, about 2.5 inches in diameter, with one end turned down to about 1.25 inch diameter to make a cylindrical handle. He also used it to drive a cleaver to segment larger fish.

Yes, it is much heavier than water, and if you dropped it, it sure would sink, along with the $25 you spent on it. Most fishermen use it on shore or in a boat when they land a big fish. Flyfishermen are fairly well-known for spending exorbitant amounts of money on fancy things that a cheaper thing would work just as well for. Like fancy wading boots (instead of hiking boots or even sneakers), fancy fishing shirts (instead of pretty much anything), fancy nippers (fingernail trimmers work just as well), floatant (candle wax or ski wax is amazingly good at this), priests (try a rock), expensive fishing sunglasses (instead of the cheaper polarized ones at the checkout rack), etc. And don't get me started on fly tying stuff....

--riverman Oh the fishing bone's connected to the wallet bone....

That is certainly likely.

Of course, there are also the ones which have two pads full of claws intended to grip carpet-surfaced tiles. :-)

Probably so.

O.K.

And I've seen them give way in a matter of hours. :-)

And I've also seen a single lever-operated suction-cup stand (works by deforming the middle of the cup -- no valve holes at all) intended to hold dial indicators and other things for machinist purposes let go of rather smooth surfaces in less than an hour -- when another metalworking club member was demonstrating just how good it was. :-)

Of course, you don't want to use soapy water on ground steel. :-)

Enjoy, DoN.

Yes, it is much heavier than water, and if you dropped it, it sure would sink, along with the $25 you spent on it. Most fishermen use it on shore or in a boat when they land a big fish. Flyfishermen are fairly well-known for spending exorbitant amounts of money on fancy things that a cheaper thing would work just as well for. Like fancy wading boots (instead of hiking boots or even sneakers), fancy fishing shirts (instead of pretty much anything), fancy nippers (fingernail trimmers work just as well), floatant (candle wax or ski wax is amazingly good at this), priests (try a rock), expensive fishing sunglasses (instead of the cheaper polarized ones at the checkout rack), etc. And don't get me started on fly tying stuff....

--riverman Oh the fishing bone's connected to the wallet bone....

My weighted plastic whacker is heavy enough to sink too. It is small enough to stow in the kayak. I simply fasten it and the landing net to the boat with a leash made from 3/16 shock cord. For years I used a pedal arm from an old bicycle. It worked fine! For the record my "expensive" fly tying vice is one I made in my workshop. Everything I needed for it was in the scrapbox, which is an old wooden Japanese mandarin orange box. money spent on the kayak and equipment is another matter, $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!

Steve R.

Sounds all to familiar... The wife and I were looking at new rod/reels last night. Need to get ready for the new season you know....

One place we were at took exception to me opening the reel up to look at the drive train. Guess who won't be getting any of my money!