Just wondering if anyone has had any experience with these type tags. I was wanting them for bluegill and smaller stuff. Seems like a better deal than the t bar tags. If they work. Plus the price is right for $25 a 100. They have all different sizes. I can't post pics so I'm gonna try a link.
Thanks
https://nationalband.com/products/self-piercing-ear-tags-1005-1-2/
Beretta,
I use the t style floe tags and like them. One thing to consider is if algae will clot up in the engraving making it hard to see the number. It is easy to scrape the flow tag with a thumbnail. Also, will these be harder to miss when landing a fish? Where are they tagged at with this type of tag? Behind the dorsal?
If you get them and use them, let us know how they work. Are they hard to attach to the fish? Are they easily seen later when landing fish? Are the numbers easy to read? Any evidence of fish losing the tag?
Cmm
You just asked most of the questions I was looking answers for. I don't know. Never used them. I've used the t bar tags a lot. I just hate putting that big a tag in a 4 inch bluegill. I've tagged bluegill with the yellow t bar tags and then cought another bluegill with the tag in its throat. I know they tug and pull on the 3 inch yellow tag. Never seen this on bigger ones but I believe for the littler ones you tag it may be a hinderance. I'm just looking for a better option tagging littler bluegill.
Thanks
I never thought about the tags getting stuck in another fish when or if it got eaten. Good point. I am tagging bass 8" and over though, so I don't think it is as much of a concern as tagging your bg.
Hope you can find someone with some experience with these. Again, if you do decide to try, I'd be interested to hear what you thought of these tags.
Cmm
I believe those tags are used in such a way that they are clipped on a fish's gill flap, I don't think they are any less invasive to them, and I believe that they are more prone to infection than floy tags.
If you need to ID fish that are small, and don't need to track individual fish, I would fin clip them. I've done that to small fish and not seen any adverse affects when I've had to track a certain stocked "class" of fish.
FWIW, I used national band tags (old #898) over twenty yrs ago on bass 10" and longer.>Never thought to use them on BG's.
They would have been too large,though. I had no guidance back then as to where to place them. My buddy and I put them on the lower lip,upper lip and on the gill flap and even the tail.
Later, we used floy tags on bass. A significant number of bass were re-caught with metal tags missing .It looked like they had been ripped out (caught on something?).Others had infections around the tag area. This happened with the round floy tags,also.
The floy tag had to be anchored correctly or it would work itself out,leaving an infected area on the fish.
Finally,I started clipping fins to tell me the year I was doing them. That has worked for me since I clip all fins of small bass (too numerous) to provide an easy meal for the big ones
Oh yea, we discovered with the metal tags that we had to clamp them with room to grow or we would find some overgrown by the jaw.Never had much problem reading the numbers on the tags,though.
Hope this helps you.
Could you use like a hole punch and put a hole punch in their tail fin or no? Would that be to hard on the fish?
Just wondering, a hole punch would be quick and easy I would think, just so you know you have caught that fish before? Or am I way off base....
RC
When I only cut 1 or 2 fins to mark them,I will find the next year that these fins have grown back but not all the way. They're stubby and easily recognized.I've never tried a hole punch so I don't know if the hole would grow back or not. Someone else may know this.
I always thought we had less infections when we wiped the tag,scissors andfish with alcohol wipes.
If I found it necessary, I'd just fin clip the rear of a dorsal fin or anal fin with a sterilized set of sharp toe nail clippers....It could, but wouldn't have to be the Caudal fin. I like RC51's idea of the hole punch...quick n simple.