danco Pliers

It’s amazing how poorly constructed and short-lasting a pair of fishing pliers can be. Points of failure include, but are not limited to, rust beyond mitigation, misalignment of teeth, and cutters that become so dull that a set of child safety scissors would be preferred. Thankfully, my plight came to an end when I found danco pliers. My cousin recommended these pliers to me and I was pretty skeptical, thinking they would be like every other pair that falls apart after a couple of trips, or that they would be outrageously expensive, but my assumptions proved incorrect. The secondhand reviews I have collected of danco’s other products have generally been good. I personally have the danco 7” Species Pliers, and these things are a game-changer. They’re made out of lightweight aluminum and are tough as nails. The cutters cut like butter and are allegedly made out of tungsten carbide, which is good for me. I’ve had my current pair for a year now, and even with poor maintenance, i.e., floating around in the bottom of a rod box, or flippantly tossed into the bilge, I have yet to notice a single spot of rust. I’ve done all kinds of twisting, snatching, jerking, and pulling on much less than ideal hook placements in the mouths of various aquatic creatures and haven’t been able to jack up the alignment yet. I’ve cut everything from 160lb mono to 140lb tooth-proof, and I can still cut 10lb braid. Personal modifications include wrapping the handle in cheap athletic tape, but this is mostly to identify mine from a friend’s identical pair; I also recommend this for grip.

This item gets 5/5 stars for the Benjamin Smith stress test.

If you’re in the market for a pair of these, you can find them here:

Now, if you exclusively shop on Amazon and at Dollar General like I do, unfortunately, you will not be able to find this exact pair. Luckily, Amazon does carry some very close alternatives. After I drop this pair in 130 foot of water, I’m planning on buying these:

Happy fishing