The best fishing tools and field accessories range from trusty pliers and our favorite knives to a hatchet and a solar charger for your devices.
The latest designs in tried-and-true fishing tools and accessories along with the fresh and new technology available today have made time in the field more effective, comfortable, and safer. We’ve chosen our favorite fishing tools and field accessories below.
These are the best fishing tools, field accessories, and gadgets for 2020
| Spyderco Genzow HatchetHawk spyderco.com  Razor sharp, light in the hand, comfortable, and formidable, we found this to be a very handy camp tool for splitting rounds, chopping up branches, and pounding tent stakes. It holds an edge and is well designed. The hammer head also allows you to pound onto it to more easily split stubborn rounds, adding wedge, in addition to hatchet and hammer, to the list of tools that it provides. The head is drop forged from 5160 tool steel and heat treated; the result is a tough and dependable tool. The handle is comprised of a rigid aluminum inner core beneath a polypropylene-plastic, injection-molded outer layer. When not in use, the HatchetHawk is housed in a handcrafted heavy-leather sheath with a snap-fastened leather strap. A loop on the back of the sheath allows convenient belt carry, while grommets in the sheath body will accept a cord or strap for over-the-shoulder carry.
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| Spyderco Endura 4 TI Damascus—PlainEdge spyderco.com  Stunningly beautiful and wickedly sharp, this folder is a beauty and a beast. Like all of Spyderco’s products, we are enamored with the design, function, usability and performance of this knife. The blade is made from D.P.S. 15, which is a blade material which consists of VG-10 stainless steel sandwiched between two outer layers of Damascus steel. Each Damascus layer is comprised of 15 layers of forge-welded steel which is patterned and etched. In sum, the blade is made from 31 layers. The result is an awesome, eye-catching knife. The handle scales are made from 6AL-4V titanium, and the knife is assembled with stainless-steel parts including back spacer, liner tube, hardware and clip. Clip configuration allows for left- or right-side, tip-up or tip-down carry.
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| Plussino Fishing Line Spooler Spooling Station myplusinno.com  We have been looking for a portable line-spooling system and this is a decent choice. It allows you to put tension on the line spool, which is critical when piling braided line onto your reel. It’s lightweight and compact, so it’s easy to travel with it. The clamp system allows you to attach it to most surfaces. If you are looking for a unit for personal use, this isn’t a bad choice.
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| Donnmar Checkpoint 880 Titanium Pliers donnmarpliers.com  We were very impressed with these pliers. They are made from titanium, making them light, strong, and corrosion proof. They incorporate tungsten-carbide blades for cutting line including braid, and the blades are replaceable. The Santoprene rubber grips are molded into the handles and they are comfortable. They feature an internal spring, which makes it easy to operate them with one hand. These are the type of pliers that you buy once and use for a lifetime, easily earning a spot among the best fishing tools for 2020.
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| Rural Energy Solar Charger 13W, Camouflage ruralenergy.com  We found this to be a great solution to allow us to recharge our portable devices like cell phone, laptop, GPS, etc. It recharges 5V batteries through the two external USB connections. It only weighs one pound, which makes it extremely portable, and it has an ultra-high conversion rate of sunlight into power (22%). It can charge devices at up to 1% per minute. We like the book-style design, magnetic closures and built-in stand.
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| Yeti Tundra 35 Hard Cooler yeti.com  At roughly 16” high by 16” wide and 21.5” long, this cooler is a versatile size for travel, camping and as a bait cooler, which is what we used it as for testing purposes. Our bait coolers endure a lot of use and abuse, and the Tundra will take this sort of abuse for years. It may be the last bait cooler our tester ever needs. It holds ice better than any similarly sized cooler our tester has ever used. It also has a drain hole—many coolers in this size range don’t—and tie down slots on the upper sides to secure it to your boat, trailer or truck bed. The Bearfoot non-slip feet prevent it from sliding around your boat or truck. It is not light at 20 pounds, but that weight is the cost you pay for durability and ice-retention performance.
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| KastKing Cuttthroat 7” Stainless Steel Pliers kastking.com  These pliers are hard to beat for the price, like all KastKing products. They’re made of 420 stainless steel and feature tungsten-carbide cutters, crimping slots, holes to insert a hook to pull knots tight, and rubber grips. The cutters will cut both monofilament and braided lines. They’re suitable for fresh or saltwater use. The come with a sheath and lanyard to help keep you from dropping them into the water. There is a standard needle-nose version and one with a split-ring nose. They’re a high-quality piece of equipment that have found a permanent place in our tester’s boat as a best fishing tool for 2020.
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| KastKing Braid Scissors with Lanyard and Sheath kastking.com  These scissors are the best braid cutters in our ample supply of cutting tools! Testers don’t head to the water without them. They are compact, comfortable and come with both a sheath and a lanyard. The super-sharp blades are made from 3CR13 Japanese 420 stainless steel. The frame is made from lightweight and tough polypropylene, and the finger slots feature a nonslip TPR coating. Well done KastKing!
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| Knives of Alaska Fisherman’s Combo knivesofalaska.com  We used this set to take apart many salmon in 2019. The two-knife set is comprised of the Coho and Steelheader. We used the Coho to fillet Chinook, coho, and sockeye salmon and the Steelheader to remove rib bones. They hold an edge amazingly well and are comfortable in the hand. The Suregrip handle material allows the user to maintain knife control even when hands are bloody and slimy. Both knives feature full-tang handle construction and a lanyard hole. The set comes with a lined Cordura nylon sheath.
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| Weego 66.1 Jump Starting Power Pack myweego.com  This multi-function tool is a portable power pack that allows you to jump start your vehicle; recharge phones, tablets, GPS’s and laptops; powers 12V accessories; and functions as a 600-lumen flashlight that will run for up to 30 hours. It’s easy to use and comes with instructions. The jump-start function has multiple safety features built in including anti-spark, reverse-polarity recognition, overheating and power-surge protection. This puts the Weego among our best fishing tools, and best accessories in general.
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| All Good SPF 30 Sport Mineral Sunscreen Lotion allgoodproducts.com  This lotion provides excellent protection from the sun, and carries an 80-minute water-resistant rating. The active ingredient is non-nano zinc, and the formula includes a variety of natural ingredients to protect and repair damaged skin. We find that this type of zinc-based sun protection wards off sunburn in even the most hostile sun conditions, important to remember for the midnight sun days of Alaska’s summer.
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| Norvise Magnum Hubs nor-vise.com  Norvise Magnum Hubs are bigger, thus 40% heavier than standard hubs, and they spin a little longer and with more momentum than the standard hubs. Our tester has used these for the past several months and comments he doubts he will go back to the standard hubs. All three Norvise jaw configurations will fit in Magnum Hubs. |