There are plenty of fishing tools available for today’s anglers. Are they all necessary for the average fisherman? Probably not. Don’t plan to weigh fish? Then you don’t need a scale. Don’t plan to keep any fish or cut bait into chunks? Then you probably don’t need a fillet knife. Don’t plan to use heavy line with crimp connections? Then you probably don’t need a crimping tool.
Chances are you don’t need a ton of fishing tools to have a successful day of fishing. Many tools are dedicated to some specific fishing purpose which you may or may not need. But some basic tools are important to keep handy on the boat. These are the types of fishing tools that help anglers rig tackle and handle fish safely.
How can you cut your fishing line without a tool? Don’t use your teeth! What if you need to remove a hook from a toothy fish? How can you safely handle a fish without affecting its slime coat? Here are three fishing tools to make sure you have on your next trip. These tools are important in fresh or salt water.
Easily Remove a Hook from a Fish
Part of catch and release fishing is being a responsible angler that handles fish with care before releasing. When a fish is bleeding from inside the mouth or throat, there’s a strong chance the fish won’t survive. Trying to unhook a fish that’s hooked deep in the gut can often lead to a bloody mess. A tool is available for anglers called a hook remover, or dehooker, that helps remove hooks in the gut. The Daason Easy Fish Hook Remover utilizes a long neck and a pair of handles to grab hold of a hook and release them with minimal harm to the fish. The neck reaches deeper than a fisherman’s hands, plus doesn’t rip the hook out like a pliers. The tools anodized aluminum construction has good corrosion resistance against salt water.
A Fish Handling Tool
The ZACX Fish Lip Griper is meant to help the angler handle a fish safely. The lip gripper has a pair of jaws that grab hold of a fish’s mouth. Do not hold the fish vertically with the lip gripper, instead hold the fish horizontally with one hand under the belly and one hand holding the lip gripper. The lip gripper allows an angler to hold a fish’s mouth without getting cut by teeth. To remove a hook or lure, leave the fish in the water while holding onto the lip gripper. Use your free hand to unhook the lure from the fish’s mouth. The ZACX lip gripper features an EVA foam grip and T-handle that’s spring loaded.
A Tool to Handle Knots and Pliers
Quality fishing pliers perform many functions for anglers. They can open split rings to remove and add treble hooks to lures. They can squash down the barbs of your hooks. They can cut line and leader. They can help you tighten your fishing knots. But most importantly, they can grab hold onto a hook and help remove the hook from a fish’s mouth. The Piscifun fishing pliers performs all these functions, built from anodized aluminum to deter oxidation and rust. Replaceable tungsten carbide cutters make short work of braided lines, heavy mono, fly lines and backing lines. The spring-loaded pliers come with nylon sheath, belt loop and coiled lanyard.
