Had some time to kill so I stopped in Bass Pro........Decided on a backup pair of pliers for offshore lest somehow I lose my pair and end up totally screwed. Can't fish without pliers, at least offshore.

When I got home and opened the package I marveled! These are the lightest pair of GOOD fishing pliers I have ever seen coming in at 3 freakin oz! And quality! They have   
side cutters as well as split ring function. Impressive. I had already picked up some Aluminum pliers for trippin but these will definitely get the nod. You DO have pliers don't you?

Anyway, give these a look. I love good tools and these have the look and feel of being well made despite their weight.

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The test of any good pliers is whether or not they'll grip braid.  Most of the cheaper ones won't because the jaws don't close absolutely.  These days most of the 30-40 dollar salt water pliers are pretty good.  i've got a pair of Evolution Gorilla pliers which I like because not only can you replace the cutters but you can also replace the jaws.  if you want realllllly good pliers pick up a pair of Van Staal's, in fact, at $300 a pop why not get two pair?

Kerry wrote on Apr 16^th, 2013 at 8:38pm:

The test of any good pliers is whether or not they'll grip braid.

The question I have for you Kerry is why would you want to grip braid with pliers? I have went around and around with this and can come to no other conclusion than you are tightening your knots this way. True or false?

If that is the case then I strongly suggest you cease and desist. This is not a desirable way to handle braid IMO. Despite claims to the contrary braid is by no means the indestructible material that it seems. In fact if it gets nicked it is very likely to basically come apart. When I backcountry saltwater fish I use nothing but 30 braid but I always have a 30lb floro leader. And that is for 2 reasons.......of course the presentation is better, the line being much less visible to the fish. But almost as important is to keep the braid away from sharp objects such as oyster shells and barnacles. When braid rubs against this sort of material you can kiss your stuff goodbye. Floro is much more abrasion resistant when it comes to sharp edges than Braid IMO.

So........how to tighten your knots then. I have NEVER, EVER grabbed my braid running line with pliers. There is simply to much chance for damage. Instead I use fingerless gloves or I will use an athletic wrist sweat band. The idea is to make several wraps around your wrist using the gloves or the band to protect yourself and pull tight. Bada-bing! Plus I can really bear down on that baby and make sure my knot is really good. Never know when Mr Big might come along.

So......to review, no pliers on the braid..........and NO CAPES  ;)
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Actually no, I don't tighten my knots with pliers, not only because of the problem you mention but because it would be a pain in the ass.  My point with gripping braid was only to address the fact that quality pliers, whether for fishing or any other purpose, should close tight.  In the old days that was a given but these days, more often then not, the quality of manufacture isn't there and neither are the tolerances.  If you want to get an idea of the quality of a pair of pliers checking the tolerance in the jaws will give you some clue.

AND NO CAPES!!! Definitely.

Kerry.....

The Van Stalls are really nice......I think they charge you to even hold them at most shops. $300 bucks.......nice but that is a bit over the top. Back about a decade ago there were no decent fishin pliers.......you either had garbage or the Van Stalls of the world. And you thought Kerry was kidding about $300 fishin pliers.......
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But these days there are quite a few choices out there of pretty well made pliers at a reasonable cost. Back to the P-line pliers..........they are hands down the best trippin pliers I have come across. The weight I have already mentioned (3 oz). The length is somewhat shorter than most fishin pliers (6"), another plus. The quality has not yet been put to the test but they look and feel great. I worked with them some tonight........

I have decided to make one rather significant change. The pliers have a split ring function at the very tips of the jaws. While this might be fine for a purely offshore plier I would rather have the multiplicity of usage that true needle nose pliers offer. I will grind down the split ring feature and make true needle nose pliers out of them. Probably far more useful. Did I mention side cutter capability? Can you tell when I like something, I really like it?  ;D

A $300 fishing pliers? Where you fishen? Mars?

mastertangler wrote on Apr 16^th, 2013 at 1:53pm:

Had some time to kill so I stopped in Bass Pro........Decided on a backup pair of pliers for offshore lest somehow I lose my pair and end up totally screwed. Can't fish without pliers, at least offshore.

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Ha! Well done Pascanell.......Are you suggesting "floating pliers" for those of us who are perhaps a little apt to have some gear, shall we say, "misplaced"?  ;D

OK......I'll play. I'm trying to think of other stuff that the water has laid claim to in my piscatorial pursuits.

I lost the top end of a Shimano SST (salmon,steelhead,trout) rod in Louisianna while in my plastic Coleman Canoe.....At the time it was my pride and joy. I have never found a rod since that could load and cast a j-11 rapala and 4lb test a country mile. Very handy for the crystal clear gravel pits we used to sneak into when we were kids. The rod started my love affair with long rods. I still have the other 1/2.

Then there was the time my Dad and I had stashed our sunglasses in the canvas of a fold up top on his boat. When the rains came the top went up and both pair of glasses went overboard. Bloop!

Lets's see......what else. 1 very nice stringer of fish while on Lake Erie when I was a kid (I got blamed but not totally my fault)........ 1 fancy high end fish marker while off shore, I can still see the tide forcing it under, 10' then 20' etc. etc............ One ignition key while on a dock........

And those are just off the top of my head. Hey we could start a new thread........."what have you kerplopped into the drink"

Here is another good one. (yes I'm a believer in self deprecating humor......if you can't laugh at yourself once in a while you might need counseling or medication  :D )

While on Batchawana bay (Lake Superior near the straights in Ontario) pike fishing for the big boys I tied a lure on and chucked the big spoon over...........only to find out I had tied it to a scrap piece of line. Arrrrgh! Obie Wan of fishing? Maybe more like C3PO  ;D.

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