Pliers- getting a grip

Acristickid

Acristickid

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Joined
Apr 25, 2007
Messages
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Location
NV, AK
I was looking for a CHEAP tool (thinking a needle nose plier type) to get hooks out of saltwater fish. Heading to Florida next week.

Last year was my first real experience and my forceps were a little undergunned and I really did'nt even get deep hook sets in.

Again, looking for something to release all of my fish. A minor concern would be taking them on a plane(I can buy a pair down there)- if you guys think that would be a problem I can have someone drive them home to me at a later date.

Looking at Lowes and Home Depot online briefly- Lowes appeared to have a decent pair cheap.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=253671-16878-50522&detail=&lpage=none

I guess icing on top would be a pair that is light in weight- but that might be asking alot for this budget.

Thanks in advance for any help, Paul.
 
You can get a Leatherman KICK for under 30 bucks. Not necessarily cheap, but like Les Stroud says, a good multi tool is priceless.

Salt water is hell on tools, so I often buy a cheapo pair of needle nose and a fillet/bait knife at the tackle shop each trip to the beach.
 
I think these would do the trick, complete with a sheath and Bean's no questions asked guarantee. You can, I believe, also get free shipping via in store pickup and get them from the Pittsburgh store. Dr. Slick makes quality tools.

http://tinyurl.com/7efz3n

They also make a model called the Pices, which are more similar to the higher end pliers you see for over $100. Did some quick research and see them priced around $35.00, but you would have to order and pay for shipping. Probably out of budget, but food for thought.
 
I picked this up at Aldi's of all places a few years ago for like 5 bucks. I keep it in my kayak for the beach. I bet they have something similar at Wally World.
 
Buy a cheap pair of needlenose pliers when you get there and hand them to your guide with the tip at the end of your trip.
 
you can get cheap stainless pliers at a bait and tackle down there your guide would appeciate these better. (8.95-14.95).
 
Or do what I do and guarantee you'll catch some big toothy fish...don;t bring pliers. If you come prepared you'll never need them....
 
JackM wrote:
Buy a cheap pair of needlenose pliers when you get there and hand them to your guide with the tip at the end of your trip.
Click to expand...

Jack, you obviously never took a pair of metal pliers to the beach. In one week they will be locked up and unusuable.

I brought my fishing gear home from OBX last year and set it in the garage for 1 week before going through it. I had to completely rebuild all the reels couldn't open two pairs of pliers.

a guide would probably say thanks but no thanks.

Just sayin....
 
Paul, too bad I didn't know you needed a good pair of pliers when we were in Erie. I had a couple of multi-tools that are stainless and designed to work in chemical environments. I have used them down the shore and if you rinse them off with freshwater they hold up great.....I guess it wasn't meant to be!!
 
Mo- was thinking that the salt would seize it up. These pliers are nickle or something- wonder if that would help?? Anyways for $14 or less I'm not gonna worry.

Tom- nice I will check out Aldi's.

Shawn- did'nt know I was going then

Jaybo- humm, that's got me thinking since they are good in salt.

This is as low budget a trip you can get. Had some air miles and they were going to expire soon- so figured I would use them now.
And when you have a free place to stay and partial use of a car- dont get any better.

$35- bullcrap airline fee
$30- FL 7 day license
$6- bus to airport (both ways)
$25- saltwater fly budget
$5- couple coffees- I love my coffee.
$30- 1 day kayak rental

Mom's free homecooked meals- priceless
 
acris,
I'll second the votes to buy a pair when you get there. I fish salt a lot and have had my gear hold up well but I'm also pretty careful and thorough about cleaning up. Non-stainless tools need to be cleaned especially well and I usually give 'em a shot of WD-40 before putting them away. My Gerber multitool has held up in the salt flawlessly. Although a tight budget trip, you might consider a "lip - grip" type tool in addition to pliars. The Boga Grip is too expensive in my book but there's a bunch of cheaper knock offs and I've used a Berkely product that has held up well over several seasons of saltwater use. There are also pliars designed for this purpose, the big box stores advertise a variety of designs. I won't fish FL without some time of lip grip tool - really helps with cudas, snappers, sailcats, maks, small sharks, even seatrout and all the other toothy fish common down there. You can always use the lip tool on freshwater fish like pike etc.
Where in FL are you headed? Good luck with the trip and post some pics for us.
 
FI- Sarasota FL

It is about an hour south of Tampa on the southwestern coast of Florida. I could kick myself for not knowing how great I had it there. Lived there for 6 years during my high school years and beyond. Fished some but not much and did'nt fly fish then. The older I get the more I like Florida but still would not want to live there year round.

Vacationed with my college girlfriend at Bahia Honda State Park for a spring break once. Again, could shoot myself for not fly fishing then. Was wondering what all the boats were fishing for- hehe.

Now I visit at least once per year- my parents and brother still live there. Hence my great budget trips.

Just FYI- usairways when I had checked in the past for trips, the frequent flyer miles redeemtion was very limited but the airlines must be hurting since the flights were wide open. And I got trips for 12,500 miles each way when they used to be 25,000. The only downside is that Pittsburgh no longer has many direct flights and to get the lower mile deal I stop in Charlotte. No big deal though.

Snook, Redfish and Tarpon along with seatrout are the primary fly fishing game fish there. Might not be a better area for snook- from what I have heard. There was an article in FF magazine a year or two ago about the snook fishing.

I remember in 1984-85ish commerical gill nets were banned- big contraversy. However; snook and redfish have come back big- so good for us.

Never a great caster myself- Florida gonna teach me to get better at double hauling. I still stink at it since I hardly ever had to do it. No joke- I found my self pantomiming the double haul this morning while I was waking up in bed this morning! Can you tell I am excitied!!!

Have not caught snook,redfish or a tarpon on a fly and cant wait to try. There are high on my list right now. This fly fishing has been an evloution to me. I love fly fishing!

Got any tips for me?? Paul

ps.... I noticed you spelled pliers--- pliars Which is right?
 
Yeah - it's pliers :)
Anyway, you're in for a great time FFing in FL. IMO, one mistake a lot of new FFers (or at least new to salt) make when planning a budget trip to FL is to visit the Keys. Not to impugn the Keys, of course - I love 'em and hope to get there next month - but the Keys are tough for a new FFer on a shoestring budget that doesn't allow for a guide. Bonefish - heck even cudas - in the Keys have just seen so much pressure they're really tough to catch on flies and there aren't a lot of wadable flats. Up around Sarasota, while still heavily fished, ought to be a bit less demanding to get hooked up (esp if your'e snooking at night). I'd suggest a couple bits of advice:
-Have some spin gear - if the fish aren't taking flies or it's too windy, there's no shame in breaking out a spin rod and doin some catchin.
-You might not care to deal with chum, but putting some in the water will vastly improve your odds of getting fish to eat your flies.
-Don't worry too much about double hauling, accuracy is more important, esp if you're working mangroves for snook.
-Try some practice casting in your backyard from a sitting position on the ground as this is how you'll fish from a kayak.
-Tie up some smallish flies, the trend in tarpon flies these days is certainly toward smaller patterns.
-Tie up some cuda flies. I'm not sure about the Sarasota area but cudas are esp common in the Keys this time of year.
-Have some big yellow poppers for jacks and some small "crazy charlie" type flies for snappers. When I can't get boat dock snappers to eat a fly (which is most of the time), I'll sweeten it with a bit of shrimp and the hookups come easy - sure, it ain't FFing but I'm no purist.
Again, good luck.
 
Ok, gonna give it a go. Hoping for calm winds and I that don't hook myself with a rig zooming passed my head.
 
Don't forget some sort of wading bootie to protect your feet even in a yak..sting rays can really hurt..do the sting-ray shuffle when ya walk on the flats or anywhere..plus there's shells, coral, glass, and a host of critters to guard against. take a small first aid kit, and sun block along...
 
Heading out tomorrow but the forecast looks pretty chilly.

Tue
Jan 13
PM Showers
68°
41°


Wed
Jan 14
Sunny
64°
40°


Thu
Jan 15
Mostly Cloudy
66°
38°

Fri
Jan 16
AM Clouds / PM Sun
62°
38°

Sat
Jan 17
Sunny
66°
42°

Sun
Jan 18
Partly Cloudy
70°
50°

Mon
Jan 19
Partly Cloudy
72°
53°

Tue
Jan 20
Sunny
72°
52°

Wed
Jan 21
Partly Cloudy
71°
53°
 
Oh how ever will you survive?
 
hehe- some how I will manage.

Have'nt figured out which Steeler bar to watch the game at yet though.
 
Man, you picked a good week to get outa PA - it's in the single digits tonight (Thur 15th) here in the southcentral part of the state. Hope the fishing is good. May there be many "happy" tarpon, snook, and reds down your way
 
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