THE Iki Pik has just released a six piece Ike Jime and Shinkei Jime kit. The Iki Pik has collaborated with Tuna champions to develop a product that every game fisho should have who plans on taking home a feed. I have been using the kit for all the fish that I catch, not just game fishing.
The kit includes:
- 1x Ikipik iki jime brain spike with grip handle and bottle opener with protective cover and lanyard
- 1x T shaped Stainless Steel pithing/coring tool with 360⁰ blade to access skull cavity for wire insertion
- 1x Stainless steel blood knife with grip handle for accessing lateral line artery
- 1x Sheathed knife with grip handle for accessing the tail section of the spinal column and general use
- 2 x Braided Stainless Steel Spinal Wires in small and large gauge with ergonomic grip handle
- 140cm x 3mm (55′ x 1/8″) Heavy wire for large game and trophy fish.
- 90cm (36′ x 3/32″) Fine wire for smaller prized edible species of fish
- 1x Washable kit bag
The Iki Pik brain spike has a solid reputation for dispatching fish humanely. The Iki Pik has a recognisable yellow handle from the social media push of anglers who snap a photo of the spike in their catch to show they are taking care of their seafood.
There are benefits of the spiking (ike jime) to the flavour and shelf life of your fish with the reduction in the spread and production of stress hormones plus reducing energy creation through voluntary muscle movements. The Iki Pik is a tool that is far safer than using a knife or screwdriver that could potentially slip as pressure needs to be applied to pierce the spike into the cranial cavity to reach the brain. The slippery surface of the fish skin means that the right tool for the job is important.
The spine wires are multi strand flexible wire that are inserted either from the tail or head of the fish along a canal in the spine. This process is known as Shinkei Jime. The wire is long enough for large fish. I have been using the thinner wire on smaller fish like snapper to reduce involuntary muscle spasms and energy production. This creates a build up of lactic acid in the flesh even after the fish has been dispatched.
The stainless steel knife can be used to give access from the tail for Shinkei Jime or the hollow corer can be used to gain entry from the head of the fish. The corer is a hollowed circular blade that can be pushed and twisted to remove the flesh in front of the spinal cord.
The kit has been specifically designed for the physiology of tuna, however has a broad range of applications across fish species. The bleeding knife is designed to cut the pectoral fin artery which sits just below the surface. By using the bleeding knife it avoids cutting too deep and causing the blood to reach the flesh, risking spoilage.
In the words of the Iki Pik:
“Getting a bite is hard, but treating your catch with respect and ensuring delicious results is made easy with the right tools.”
This kit is one of the most important pieces of equipment that a fisho can use to improve the quality of their catch. They are currently undervalued and underused by the recreational community, commercial operators have been using these for a long time. It is time for us recreational folk to catch up.
The Ultimate Iki Jime/Shinkei Jime kit sells for $159.
Visit www.theikipik.com/ for more details.
