Why Cut Lionfish Fins Off?

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The jug is easy and cheap. Grab any 5 gallon bucket and you've got half of it made. The lid is the only special part and it just consists of a small hole cut in the top in the center, then slits made radiating from the cut so that they become sort of flexible "fingers" that flex when you insert the fish, and pull it off when you remove the spear. You can sort of see it here but usually they have more cuts and there's the hole in the middle of the lid.
Lionfish-Bucket-Finished.jpg
 
I made one like the lion cage out of 6" PVC a funnel and a female adapted with male screw in so they are easily removed on the boat only down fall its pretty heavy n I use a lot more air but don't have to worry about getting poked
 
Think there is only one spine that is actually venomous..

sorry guys all the spines along the dorsal are venamous as are the 3 anal fin and both pec fins are too

Another reason not to cut the spines off underwater, most people don't cut the right ones, or only cut them partially, and they can still sting.

I prefer putting them in container and cleaning them when they are dead.
 

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i've seen the zookeepers that are for sale down here -- but the 5 gallon bucket just strikes me as something that would really throw off your streamlining due to the size - unless you drop it and come back to it after you have the fish?
 
That's what I thought about the buckets so I made a home made zookeeper feels like your toting around concrete blocks think I may add something for bouancy but ofther than it being heavy it works great
 
Zookeepers are the way to go ... easily obtained from www.zkstore.com. After spearing the LF with your ELF, just shove into the ZK and the one-way action of the slotted funnel keeps them in the ZK while you extrat your ELF tip. And, yes, there are a number of venomous spines ... the antidote is very hot water, which breaks down the venom proteins. We learned to hunt LF with ELFs & ZKs on Bonaire and are among the few non-residents who are allowed to own their own ELFs and hunt independently.

---------- Post added August 26th, 2013 at 07:30 PM ----------

Just to clarify, the very hot water is not an antidote, it will just help reduce the time that the pain is excruciating if you impale yourself on a LF spine. BTW, you can clip off the spines and bake them to kill the venom, then use them as colorful finger food toothpicks ... picked up this tip from the Lionfish Cookbook
 
That's what I thought about the buckets so I made a home made zookeeper feels like your toting around concrete blocks think I may add something for bouancy but ofther than it being heavy it works great

I don't get it? I built a zk and it weighs nothing in the water and fits just like my deco bottle. If you are attempting to use it without drilling the bottom for water to drain from, then yes it is heavy as hell to load onboard a boat. Mine drains almost as fast as I can pull it onboard and is streamlined next to my body.
 
That's what I thought about the buckets so I made a home made zookeeper feels like your toting around concrete blocks think I may add something for bouancy but ofther than it being heavy it works great

I don't get it? I built a zk and it weighs nothing in the water and fits just like my deco bottle. If you are attempting to use it without drilling the bottom for water to drain from, then yes it is heavy as hell to load onboard a boat. Mine drains almost as fast as I can pull it onboard and is streamlined next to my body.

Yea I have drilled several holes in it and the water drains very fast and I also sling the one I made its 6in PVC but I don't know how to lighten it up if u in clip it its sinks like a rock
 
I have no problem with it at all. I counter mine with my deco bottle on the right side and the ZK on the left, because I shoot right handed. No different weight wise from the al 40 in the water. I clip it on before I get off the boat, back roll off with both bottle and ZK and when I get back to the ladder platform onboard, I have a buddy unclip it just like they do my deco bottle.

YMMV
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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