Tackle
The best fishing pliers: the tool you use on every single fish
Nothing else in the box gets used on every fish. Buy for the jaw, not the badge.
By Sawyer V. · Last updated · How we pick
The short answer
Buy pliers with long, narrow jaws and cutters that will go through braid. The Bubba Forged is published at 11 in in high-carbon forged steel with carbide cutters and a molded sheath; the Rapala Fisherman’s Pliers come in 6 1/2 in and 8 1/2 in. Length is reach into a fish’s mouth, and it is the figure worth choosing on.
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Quick picks
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Best fishing pliers Bubba Forged Fishing Pliers (11 in) 11 in of high-carbon forged steel with a titanium nitride coating, carbide cutters, an internal spring-loaded hinge and a molded sheath with a belt clip. | Anglers who unhook a lot of fish and want one tool to last | $43.19 · Check price on Amazon #ad how this is funded · price as of October 12, 2026 |
| 2 |  Best value, and the two-size choice Rapala Fisherman's Pliers Carbon steel, nickel plated, published in 6 1/2 in and 8 1/2 in with a double leaf spring and side cutters. | A first pair, or a spare set for the other bag | $11.97 · Check price on Amazon #ad how this is funded · price as of October 12, 2026 |
Length is the first decision, and it is about reach
Every other feature on a pair of fishing pliers is negotiable. Reach is not. The jaw has to get to a hook that is set somewhere you cannot see, past teeth, gill plates and two other hook points.
| Length | Model | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| 6 1/2 in | Rapala Fisherman’s Pliers | Panfish, trout, small lures, a pocket or a vest |
| 11 in | Bubba Forged | Pike, catfish, musky — and deep-set hooks in anything |
| 8 1/2 in | Rapala Fisherman’s Pliers | Pike, catfish, anything with teeth or a deep throat |
If you fish for one species, buy for that species. If you fish for whatever is in front of you, the middle length is the one that never feels wrong.
The cutters are where cheap pliers fail
Monofilament cuts easily. Braided line does not. Braid is a bundle of woven fibers with no brittleness at all, and a dull or soft cutter will push it aside and fray it instead of cutting it — which leaves you trying to thread a frayed end through a hook eye in a wind.
Neither maker publishes a braid rating here, so the honest position is this: if you fish braid and want a guaranteed clean cut, budget for a dedicated pair of braid scissors as well. They cost very little and they solve the problem completely.
You can add a set to the bag alongside either pair — braid scissors and line cutters on Amazon is the category, and any of them will outcut a general-purpose plier jaw.
Steel, plating and what actually corrodes
The Bubba is published as high-carbon forged steel with a titanium nitride coating. The Rapala is published as carbon steel, nickel plated. Both are carbon steel underneath, so the coating is doing the corrosion work on each of them — and in freshwater it takes years rather than weeks to show either way.
It shows fastest wherever the finish gets damaged. A hook point dragged across plating, a drop onto concrete, a jaw closed hard on a wire hook — each of those exposes bare steel, and bare carbon steel left damp will rust from that point outward. Our gear care page makes the same argument about reels: the failure starts at the scratch, not in the metal.
The maintenance is trivial either way. Rinse, dry, and a drop of oil in the pivot once a season. Pliers that live in a wet bag will seize whatever they are made of.
The three jobs, and why one tool is enough
Unhooking. The main one. Long jaws, and a grip you can work with one hand while the fish is in the other.
Crimping split shot. Both pairs publish a crimping feature. Pinching a split shot with your teeth is how people chip teeth, and pinching it with plain plier jaws crushes it out of round so it slides.
Tuning lures. Both publish a lure tuning slot. A hard bait that runs off to one side is fixed by bending the line tie a fraction the other way, and the slot is what lets you bend it a fraction rather than a lot.
Where they live
A tool in a bag at the bottom of the boat is a tool you will stop using by the third fish. The Bubba includes a molded polymer sheath with a belt clip; the Rapala page does not publish one, so plan a pocket for those. Neither publishes a lanyard, so if you fish from a kayak, tether them yourself.
Our tackle bags page covers the bags with a dedicated tool pocket on the outside, which is the arrangement that survives contact with a real day.
So what do I actually buy?
One pair, kept on your belt or in an outside pocket. Buy the length that matches the fish you actually catch, and add braid scissors if you fish braid.
Bubba Forged Fishing Pliers (11 in)
$43.1911 in forged steel with carbide cutters and a molded sheath. The one-tool answer if you unhook a lot of fish.
#ad how this is funded · price as of October 12, 2026
Rapala Fisherman's Pliers
$11.97Two published lengths at a much lower price. Keep them dry and they will last.
#ad how this is funded · price as of October 12, 2026
Plano Guide Series 3700XL Tackle Bag
$106.75The bag with the outside tool pocket, so the pliers are reachable rather than buried.
#ad how this is funded · price as of October 12, 2026
The picks, in full
Every card below lists the specs we could read off a published page, the URL they came from, and one honest reason you might not want it.
1. Best fishing pliers
Bubba Forged Fishing Pliers (11 in)
Bubba
11 in of high-carbon forged steel with a titanium nitride coating, carbide cutters, an internal spring-loaded hinge and a molded sheath with a belt clip.
11 in is the published length, and length is the whole point of a pair of fishing pliers. A treble hook set inside a bass’s mouth needs a jaw that reaches past your knuckles, and short pliers put your hand where the other two hooks are. Bubba publishes this line in 6, 7.5 and 11 in; this is the long one.
The jaws publish crimping cutouts, so the same tool closes a split shot without a separate crimper, and a cross-arm design that Bubba publishes as keeping the profile minimized — which is what lets an 11 in tool still work in a tight spot. The cutters are published as carbide, which is the one specification that matters if you cut braid.
The internal spring-loaded hinge matters more than it sounds. Pliers that open themselves let you work one-handed while the other hand holds a fish, and a fish held still for less time goes back in better shape.
A molded polymer sheath with a belt clip is included. That is not a luxury on a boat or a kayak — a tool you keep on your belt is the tool you actually use. Bubba publishes the sheath and clip but no lanyard with this one, so if you fish from a kayak, add your own tether.
The drawback
Bubba does not publish a weight, which on an 11 in forged tool you wear on a belt all day is exactly the figure you would want. Eleven inches is also genuinely long: it is the right call for pike and catfish and more plier than anyone needs for panfish, and it will not go in a shirt pocket. Bubba publishes no lanyard with this one, only the sheath and belt clip. And it is the more expensive of the two by a clear margin.
Published specs
- Length
- 11 in
- Material
- Premium high-carbon forged steel
- Finish
- Titanium nitride coating
- Cutters
- Carbide
- Jaws
- Crimping cutouts, cross-arm design for a minimized profile
- Hinge
- Internal spring-loaded
- Grips
- Bubba non-slip grip
- Included
- Molded polymer sheath with belt clip
- Sizes in this line
- 6, 7.5 and 11 in
- Part number
- BUB-1207216
- Weight
- Bubba does not publish a weight
Specs read from Discount Tackle - Bubba Forged Steel Pliers 11 inch.
#ad how this is funded · price as of October 12, 2026
2. Best value, and the two-size choice
Rapala Fisherman's Pliers
Rapala
Carbon steel, nickel plated, published in 6 1/2 in and 8 1/2 in with a double leaf spring and side cutters.
Two published lengths is a real choice rather than a marketing one. The 6 1/2 in is a pocket tool for panfish and trout work; the 8 1/2 in reaches into a pike or a big catfish without your hand following it in.
The double leaf spring does the same job as the Bubba’s spring-loaded grip: the jaws return open on their own. Co-molded soft grips are published, which is what keeps the tool usable with wet hands.
A split shot crimper and a lure tuning tool are published as part of the head, so the same three jobs are covered. For most freshwater fishing this does everything the dearer pair does.
The drawback
Carbon steel with nickel plating is not stainless. Chip the plating on a rock or a hook point and the steel underneath will rust, and these will not forgive being left wet in a bag. Rapala publishes the cutters as light duty side cutters, which is an honest description and also a warning: light duty side cutters and braided line are a poor match. A sheath is not published on this product page.
Published specs
- Sizes
- 6 1/2 in and 8 1/2 in
- Material
- Carbon steel
- Finish
- Nickel plated
- Spring
- Double leaf
- Grips
- Co-molded soft grip handles
- Cutters
- Light duty side cutters
- Extras
- Split shot crimper and lure tuning tool
- Sheath
- Not published on this page
Specs read from Rapala - Fisherman's Pliers.
#ad how this is funded · price as of October 12, 2026
Questions people actually ask
What length fishing pliers should I buy?
Around 7 to 8 in covers nearly all freshwater fishing. Shorter pliers around 6 1/2 in are easier to carry and fine for panfish and trout; longer pliers around 8 1/2 in keep your hand clear when you unhook pike or catfish.
Do fishing pliers cut braided line?
General-purpose plier cutters often fray braid rather than cutting it, and neither pair here publishes a braid rating. If you fish braid, add a cheap pair of braid scissors — they cut it cleanly every time.
Are stainless fishing pliers worth the extra money in freshwater?
Less than in salt water, but yes over years. The failure point on plated carbon steel is a scratch that exposes the steel underneath, and pliers get scratched. Stainless removes that failure mode.
What else do fishing pliers do besides unhooking?
Crimping split shot without crushing it out of round, and bending a lure's line tie to correct a bait that runs off to one side. Both pairs here publish those features on the jaw.
Read next
Sources
Prices on this page come from the retailer at request time and change without notice. If we cannot get a live one we say “check price” rather than show you a number that has gone stale. How we pick.