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What it is
“Pliers and tools” is the small kit of hand tools that turns a tangled, fumbling day into a smooth one. None of them catch fish on their own — they handle everything that happens after the cast: unhooking, cutting, weighing, and getting a thrashing fish under control without anyone, you or the fish, getting hurt.
The good news for a beginner is that you do not need all of them at once. One tool does most of the work, and you add the rest as you find out what your fishing actually demands. The why behind each one is simple: hooks are sharp, fish have teeth and spines, line does not always cut clean, and the deck of a boat is a long way above the water when you drop something overboard.
Types to know
A good pair of fishing pliers is the one tool to buy first, and it is close to a multi-tool on its own. Look for a needle-nose tip — the long, tapered jaws reach into a fish’s mouth to back a hook out without putting your fingers near the points. Most quality pliers also build in side cutters for snipping line and leader, and a split-ring tip at the very nose for prying open the split rings on hard baits and spoons when you swap hooks. That is three jobs in one tool, which is why it earns the first slot in your bag.
Line cutters and nippers exist because braided line is the one thing pliers struggle with. Braid is slick and fibrous, and a dull cutting edge will fray and crush it instead of slicing it — which makes threading a knot maddening. A dedicated braid cutter or a small nipper gives you a clean, flush cut every time. If you fish braid at all, this is worth carrying.
Hook removers (dehookers) are long-shafted tools that reach a hook set deep in a fish’s throat, where pliers cannot go. You slide the tool down the line to the hook, give a quick downward push, and the hook backs out. This protects the fish for a clean release and keeps your hand out of a mouth full of teeth.
Fish grips (lip grippers) clamp the lower jaw so you can control a fish that is toothy, slimy, or simply refusing to hold still. They make handling safer for both of you — a calm, gripped fish is a fish you can unhook quickly and release in good shape. Many models include a built-in scale, which solves the “how big was it” question without a second tool.
Rounding out a fuller kit: a knife for cutting bait, trimming leader, and cleaning a keeper; and a hook sharpener, a small file or stone that touches up a dulled point so it bites on the hookset. A few passes can revive a hook that has been bouncing off rock all day.
How to choose
Corrosion resistance matters most in salt. Saltwater is brutal on steel — it will seize a cheap pair of pliers shut and pit the jaws within a season. For inshore or offshore use, choose aluminum or anodized-aluminum bodies with corrosion-resistant cutters; rinse everything in fresh water at the end of the day. In pure freshwater you can spend less, but a rust-prone tool is still a tool that fails you eventually. As the gear testers put it, the worst moment to discover your pliers seized up is with a fish at the boat.
Match the size to your fishing. Long needle-nose or long-reach pliers shine for deep-hooked or toothy fish; shorter, finer forceps and panfish pliers reach the tiny mouth of a bluegill. Start with a mid-length pair and add a specialist later if you need one.
Spring-loaded jaws and a tether keep tools working and on the boat. Spring-loaded pliers pop open one-handed, which is exactly what you want when the other hand is busy with a fish. And every tool you carry near the water wants a lanyard or a retractor clipped to it — a coiled lanyard for grips, a retractable zinger for nippers. Tools go overboard far more often than people expect, and they do not float. A two-dollar tether saves a forty-dollar plier.
Brands worth knowing
Rapala fishing pliers are a long-standing, affordable starting point — needle-nose jaws, side cutters, and a split-ring tip in one tool, with long-reach models for deep hooks.
Berkley fishing pliers offer a straightforward, budget-friendly option that covers unhooking, line cutting, and split rings for the beginner who wants one reliable pair.
SPRO split ring pliers are favored for an improved split-ring tooth that makes hook swaps on hard baits genuinely easy.
Boomerang line cutters are a tiny retractable nipper that snips braid clean and clips to your shirt on its own zinger — a cheap, high-value addition.
Van Staal pliers sit at the premium end: titanium tools built to shrug off harsh saltwater for anglers who fish the salt hard and want a buy-once tool.