the fish grip

Mississippi’s finest fishing gear

- AMANDA WELLS

In the late ’90s, Don Norton spent a lot of time fishing for redfish offthe coast of Louisiana. He and his fishing buddies Cal and Tucker Hoge found themselves dissatisfied with grips that were on the market. With fish that can get over 3 feet long and strong, the anglers were spending most of their time fighting the catch. Not much more than needle-nose pliers, most grips would sink, rust, knock the paint offof boats, and rip the lips of the catch. The best inventions are typically the brainchild of those who they would benefit—in this case, avid fishermen.

Norton set out to create a fish landing device that would be safer and please the most avid of anglers. After four prototypes, he did just that. He worked at United Plastic Molders and presented his drawing of the perfect grip to Bill Hoge, the owner of UPM, and the Fish Grip was born.