Every angler should have the basic tools necessary for fishing. When headed out on the water, there’s a strong likelihood you’ll have to cut your fishing line, retie knots, tie on different lures, unhook fish from your line, handle fish and release them, change out hooks, and plenty of other actions.
The basics of fishing require basic fishing tools. Finding the right tools can be tricky when there’s a massive industry of fishing accessories available at your fingertips. So, pick and choose what you know you’ll need on your next fishing trip. Once you begin to fish using different methods and in different places, your need for more specific fishing tools will undoubtedly grow.
If you’re going to fish the grass flats in a bay boat for speckled trout and redfish, you don’t need downriggers. If you fish regularly from a kayak, you don’t need a jack plate or T-top. If you’re an ice fisherman, you don’t need a boat or kayak. The many different style of fishing dictate what fishing tools you’ll need. Fishing tools can range from ultra-expensive electronics and tackle to basic pliers, gloves and line cutters. Below are three inexpensive fishing tools that a majority of anglers will need on their next fishing trip.
Landing a striped bass, bluefish or flounder is much easier with a fish gripper. In fact, landing any fish under about 35 pounds is easier with a lip gripper. A fish gripper allows you to handle a fish by the mouth without getting cut by a fish’s teeth. Also, with a lip gripper, the angler doesn’t have to grab hold of the fish and affect its slime coat. The Rapala Floating Fish Gripper is made from durable, molded heavy-duty plastic for easy corrosion resistance, but also includes a wrist lanyard for security. A quick release mechanism allows the angler to secure the fish with one hand and release it safely.
In particular, when using live or natural baits, a hook can sometimes get lodged deep in the throat of a fish. Circle hooks deter gut hooking, as their design helps hook fish in the mouth. If an angler needs to remove a hook that’s deep, don’t use a pliers that can really mangle a fish. Instead, use a hook remover that’s able to reach and remove the hook safely. The CrazyShark Hook Remover has an aluminum tube with stainless steel hook. Clasp the stainless-steel hook around the fishing hook and pull the two handles together. The design allows the hook to turn and come out without damaging the fish. Anglers who release a majority of their fish should have a dehooker handy.
Most anglers will agree that fishing pliers are a tool you need on every fishing trip. Pliers are versatile, in that they can open split rings to remove treble hooks from lures, they can push barbs down on hooks, they can cut line and leader, they help tighten knots, and they can grab a hook and remove it from a fish’s lip. The KastKing Cutthroat pliers are made from corrosion-resistant 420 stainless steel and coated with a Teflon finish. A tungsten carbide cutter slices monofilament, fluorocarbon and braid. An ergonomic textured rubber handle provides comfort and control to the angler. The pliers work well in freshwater and saltwater environments.
