The McToob is the latest lionfish containment device to hit the market. It was invented by James McVey who lives here locally on Grand Cayman, where I live.
I got to test out a McToob recently on a couple of dives and I was most impressed. The McToob is a very sturdy containment device made from PVC. The rectangular box is 22 inches long and will hold 50% more volume than a 6.5 inch diameter, round, 28 inch long PVC containment device. Basically it has more space inside as it has corners.
The double doors at one end of the McToob open and close with ease, while the flexible plastic hinges spring back closed once a lionfish is pushed through the doors. The opening is larger than other containment devices which means it is easier to insert larger lionfish without all the pushing and puffing, thereby saving some air for a longer hunt. These doors are far superior to any plastic funnel which soon splits or cracks and needs to be replaced.
On each of the two dives that we tested the McToob we caught 20 plus lionfish. There was still space for more. Have a look at the video below where you will see the McToob in action.
So you see how easy it is to use the McToob. Being rectangular, if you put it down, it stays still rather than rolls off. I was quite gentle when I tested it out. However, after my wife finished filming some kills I then gave it a much rougher test, ramming the fish in and tugging the spear out. Everything held in place but sometimes the spears that the Department Of Environment here give us do make our life more difficult. They have a metal ring where the 3 prongs meet the shaft and that ring means you have to wiggle the spear a bit to get it out of the McToob, just because the doors shut so firmly. But once the lionfish is in the McToob there is no problem, it just takes an extra 2 to 5 seconds to get the spear out. What I would say is if you have a spear with 6 prongs on, all with barbs, then that might not be recommended to use with the McToob.
So I highly recommend the McToob as a quality, well built, lionfish containment device. If you would like to buy a McToob then e-mail James McVey on [email protected]. You can also read up more about the McToob on his website mctoob.com.
Having a good sized containment device is great but being able to fill it up because you have fantastic air consumption is awesome. So think about it. If you can improve your air consumption on each dive then you’ll get better value for money AND have more time to catch more lionfish. So why not buy my pdf ebook Save Your Breath which highlights dozens of ways to improve your air consumption – click on the link here for Save Your Breath and read all about it.
Happy hunting.
