Collection: Tools

The tools that make the rest of the tackle usable — pliers, cutters and rigging gear.

Two things are non-negotiable in saltwater. You need pliers with enough reach to get a hook out of a fish that has teeth or spines, because reaching in with fingers is how people end a trip early and end up needing stitches. And you need a cutter that actually cuts braid, since braided line will laugh at ordinary nail clippers and fray instead of parting.

Good tools also matter enormously for catch and release. A fish you can unhook in ten seconds and return to the water swims off; one you fight with for two minutes on a hot deck often does not.

Rinse in fresh water and oil the pivots or the salt will seize them.