TOOLS
Boat-bag tools: pliers, line cutter and fish grip
Keep your fingers and your teeth out of it.
Photo: anglers at Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana. Steve Hillebrand, USFWS, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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Quick answer
Get long pliers first: they reach the hook, and the Cutthroat’s cutters handle mono, fluoro and braid. Add a clip-on line cutter if you fish braid a lot and want a cutter on your shirt. A floating lip gripper helps when the bass is flopping and your hands are wet.
Side by side
| KastKing Cutthroat pliers | Boomerang Original SNIP | Rapala Floating Fish Gripper | |
|---|---|---|---|
| This listing | 7 inch, split ring nose, orange (listing variant) | 36 inch retractable tether (listing title) | 9 inch, white/black (listing title) |
| Job | Unhook, crimp split shot, open split rings, cut line | Cut braid, mono and fluoro (maker claim) | Hold the fish one-handed |
| Key detail | 420 stainless, Teflon coating; tungsten carbide cutters; spring-loaded jaws (KastKing) | Stainless blades; clips on | Floats; wrist lanyard included |
| Lives | Belt sheath with coiled lanyard (included) | On your shirt | Boat deck, on the lanyard |
If you only buy one, buy the pliers. The cutter is there so your teeth can retire. The gripper is for the moment the fish decides the boat carpet is the place to be.
Who should skip this
- Skip the pliers if you already keep a good long pair in the boat. Two pairs is two things to drop overboard.
- Skip the SNIP if your pliers already cut braid clean. One good cutter is plenty.
- Skip the gripper if you lip-land every bass bare-handed and like it that way.
Honest note: we haven’t put these through a hands-on test yet. This is a comparison of published specs and listing details. If we fish them on purpose and keep notes, we’ll update this page and say so.
Want the whole list?
Every small accessory we picked is on one page.
Sources
Checked October 10, 2026 (CT).
- KastKing: Cutthroat 7″ Stainless Steel Pliers
- Amazon listing: KastKing Cutthroat 7 inch Fishing Pliers (Orange, 7″ Split Ring Nose) (product title text)
- Boomerang: Original SNIP
- Rapala: Floating Fish Gripper
- Amazon listing: Boomerang Tool Company Original SNIP Fishing Line Cutter, 36″ Retractable (product title text)
- Amazon listing: Rapala 9″ Floating Fish Gripper, white/black (product title text)