The best fishing tools and field accessories range from trusty pliers and our favorite pocket knives to a satellite tracker to keep your valuables in sight and a rechargeable beverage bottle that boils water and charges your devices.
The latest designs in tried-and-true fishing gadgets and the fresh and new technology available today have made time in the field more effective, comfortable, and safer. We’ve chosen our favorite field accessories below.
These are the best fishing tools and field accessories for 2019
| Orvis Pliers orvis.com We like the holster and how the loop is large enough to allow the buckles of a wading belt to easily pass-through. We like how the pliers fit in the hand, their quality, and smooth operation. We like the lanyard that connects to the plier handles and then attaches to our waders so we can’t lose the pliers. They work very well for removing hooks, pinching barbs, and attaching split shot. Cutters and jaws are made from Crucible CPM S35VN steel for corrosion resistance and edge retention, while the remainder of the pliers are made from machined aluminum. |
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| Midland GXT1050VP4 Two-way Radio midlandusa.com These radios are waterproof, work over a long range, are camouflage and offer a wide range of features. They work with other GMRS / FRS two-way radios. They can be set up to work silently with a vibrate alert and are a good way to stay in touch with other members of your group. The two-radio package we tested came with a pair of boom mic headsets, a desktop charger, rechargeable batteries, an AC wall adapter and DC adapter. |
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| Limbsaver Crosstech Clip On Holster Universal Form-Fit Holster System crosstechholsters.com Easily set up for a custom fit by molding the material with a hairdryer and adjusting screws as needed. Adjusts to IWB or OWB (inside- or outside waist band). It can be refit for multiple firearms and customized draw angles; this is a quality holster for securely carrying a firearm. |
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| Lifeproof FRE iPhone 6 Plus/ 6S Plus Waterproof Case lifeproof.com This case is waterproof and shockproof. It keeps your valuable phone clean and dry when properly installed. Our tester feels this product offers peace of mind, while on the water or everyday use, so there are minimal worries of damage to an expensive phone. A bursted water bottle, filling a purse during a drive, highlighted the value of the phone case. The phone, after sitting in water for a half-hour, still worked perfectly. Make sure to pretest your case, per manufacturer’s instructions, before installing. |
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| Cauldryn Fyre Mobile cauldryn.com This ingenious device is designed to maintain consistent liquid temperatures, boil water, sterilize, and also serve as a power bank to charge other devices. It includes a vacuum sealed, 16-ounce stainless steel bottle with attached “Fyre” control module, a pour spout, a sip lid, a 5000-milliamp battery pack with two USB ports to charge other devices, an AC charging base and AC adaptor cord. Beverages can be kept hot (125- to 145℉), extra hot (160- to 170℉), brew/sterilize (195- to 205℉) or you can boil with it (212℉). With this device you can brew coffee, heat up soup, cook, even boil right in the bottle. The versatility and large battery capacity make this one of the best fishing tools and accessories for outdoor adventure and emergency preparation. |
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| Kicker Tabor Headphones kicker.com Sometimes you need solitude, music, and fishing. If you can relate to this you should invest in some Kicker Tabors. You can block the world out which is kind of nice once in a while. |
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| Spyderco Shaman Plainedge spyderco.com This is one awesome knife. Super burly, we used it to split open two dozen little-neck clams one day; yet precise and sharp, as needed on another day when one particularly nasty splinter needed attention. Later in the year we used it to do a delicate caping job on a deer. The knife is big, which adds heft and fits well in our tester’s large hands, yet is well-balanced so it performs exceptionally well. Since it’s a folder, the knife is compact and can be carried on any adventure. It’s made from CPM S30V stainless steel showcasing a full-flat grind. The handle features contoured matte-finish G-10 scales that lock into the hand. The stonewashed, four-position pocket clip provides left or right-side, tip-up or tip-down carry. This is one of our everyday carries. |
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| P-Line Adaro Pliers p-line.com These aluminum pliers are a great solution for mobile anglers. They come with a nylon belt pouch with a large loop that will fit most wading belts and a lanyard to help prevent losing the tool. They sport stainless-steel jaws and a tungsten-carbide line cutter that can cut braided line up to 500-pound-test. We like that they are comfortable and light, making them one of the best fishing tools in our book. |
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| Spyderco Cara Cara 2 spyderco.com This everyday carry is light, sleek, and sharp. It features an ambidextrous one-hand opening, lanyard hole, and pocket clip. The lightweight, value-packed knife has been reengineered and includes upgrades like a full-flat-ground blade, for better edge geometry and cutting performance as well as an FRN handle for increased grip. We like that it’s light, sharp, comfortable, and is really well priced. |
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| Clam Hawk CG5 crabhawk.com These clam guns were recommended by our friends at Bottom Line Charters who take a few groups a year on clamming excursions across Cook Inlet. We used the Clam Hawk on one of those charters last July and found it to be one of the best fishing tools to bring if you plan on clamming. If you do any clamming you’ll appreciate the Clam Hawk CG5 to help reduce backaches and maximize your time on the clam beds. It is sturdily made of stainless steel and the CG5 model has a 5-inch barrel. |
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| Rigrap Ceramax Super Cutters rigrap.com These serrated, ceramic-bladed scissors cut braid like nobody’s business. Since no parts of these scissors are steel, they won’t rust, so they’re suitable for both freshwater and saltwater use, which makes them one of the best fishing tools. |
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| MaxxDry Boot Dry maxxdry.com This boot dryer uses air warmed to 105° and thermal convection to dry boots, shoes, and gloves. The machine operates silently using 30 watts and has no moving parts. It’s got a drip tray to catch excess water and muck. It can dry boots up to 16 inches tall. We have several boot dryers from MaxxDry and in a household of four boys, they are in use most of the winter. |
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| Coast FL60R Rechargeable Headlamp coastportland.com This rechargeable LED headlamp is super light and easy to wear; it’s a 450-lumen headlamp with a wide-angle flood beam in a 2.8-ounce package. The rechargeable lithium-ion battery will run for about two hours on high and 10 hours on low. The lamp can also run on three AAA batteries. It’s got three output options: low, medium, and high. At high, a user can see out to 100 feet. It comes in four color options. |
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| Garmin inReach Mini garmin.com We used this device to send emails while off the grid. It worked well. It’s light and compact, but packed full of features. It provides 100% global Iridium network two-way messaging and interactive SOS plus basic navigation. Online location tracking using the Earthmate app helps people keep track of your whereabouts, and weather forecasts help you know what to expect. This is a handy device, and another means of staying connected and safe while in remote locations. |
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| KastKing MadBite 5-inch Bait Knife kastking.com KastKing’s MadBite 5-inch Bait Knife is a great one for general bait-cutting chores and excels for cutting plug-cut herring with one of the many plug cutters on the market. Many bait knives are too small with blades too short and dull to work well with plug cutters. Not so with this one. The 5-inch, German G4116 stainless-steel blade is long enough to work well with plug cutters and is very sharp to make precise, even cuts, resulting in plug-cut herring with very clean leading edges. This produces bait that spins better and lasts longer on the hook. The non-slip polymer grip is very grippy and comfortable. Since the handle is fluorescent orange, it’s easy to find when you need it. It also has a serrated top edge for cutting through bones and big chunks of halibut bait. It comes with a sturdy orange plastic blade cover to protect you and the blade when not in use. In the same product line, KastKing also makes 6-, 7-, and 9-inch fillet knives and a 9-inch steaking knife. All are great quality and are a lot of knife for the money. |
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| Loon Outdoors Fly-Tying Tool Kit loonoutdoors.com This is an excellent fly-tying tool kit. All the items are Loon quality, and it has almost everything the average tyer needs. The case is sturdy, compact, is well suited to travel, and has room for any additional tools you might want to toss in. Included are Ergo Arrow Point Scissors, Ergo All Purpose Scissors, Ergo Bobbin, Ergo Bodkin, Ergo Whip Finisher, Ergo Dubbing Brush, and the Gator Grip Dubbing Spinner. This kit is great; the only thing we would change would be to add a bobbin threader and some hackle pliers. Even without them, it’s still one of the best fishing tools. Editor George Krumm says he’ll be taking this kit on all his trips where he takes fly-tying equipment. |
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| Boga Grip Model 260 bogagrip.com Boga Grips are American made and built to last. It securely grips the fish and weighs it in half-pound increments up to 60 pounds. The main tube swivels should the fish start to thrash around, allowing for minimal damage to the fish, making it one of our best fishing tools. Other Boga Grip sizes are the 130 model which weighs fish up to 30 pounds and the 315 model which weighs fish up to 15 pounds. |
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| SPOT Trace findmespot.com Whether it’s your truck or your boat, this device can give you peace of mind by alerting you of any movement, thereby giving you immediate notification of theft. This device uses satellite technology to help you keep track of important assets, making it one of the best fishing tools and accessories for us. |
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| Kicker K Speaker kicker.com We love having tunes on the boat, in camp, at the cabin; pretty much anywhere you can run Bluetooth you’ll love this small travel speaker by Kicker. It produces excellent sound, is waterproof, and is a fun addition for music lovers in the outdoors, making it one of our best fishing accessories to bring along. |
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| Coleman 425M Flashlight coleman.com This flashlight will provide three hours of 625 lumens reaching 425 meters (465 yards) on high and 200 hours of 20 lumens reaching 50 meters (55 yards) on low. It sports Battery Guard which provides 25% more battery life. The outer casing is tough and waterproof, which checks all the boxes when it comes to the best fishing tools and accessories. |
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| FixnZip fixnzip.com This handy product allows you to fix broken zippers. It works on tooth and coil, metal, and plastic zippers, and comes in small, medium, and large. We tried it out on a gear bag and it worked well. It was fast to make the repair and allows you to start anywhere on the zipper. |
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| Work Sharp Pocket Knife Sharpener worksharptools.com This handy little sharpener is all you need to put a sharp edge on your knife. We like that it is very small (great when space and weight is at a premium), durable, and easy to use. It has guides to help you establish the correct sharpening angle, with 320-grit diamond abrasive on one side, and a ceramic honing rod on the other. |
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| Mountainsmith Halite 7075 Trekking Poles mountainsmith.com These are well-made, collapsible trekking poles that break down to 16 inches and can fit right in your pack. Our tester appreciated the quality grips and hand straps, as well as the locking mechanism that kept these sticks sturdy on rough terrain, making them one of our best fishing tools and accessories in the field. They come with a hiking basket, replaceable rubber boot tips, and a carbide tip. |
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| Loon Outdoors UV Infiniti Light loonoutdoors.com The UV Infiniti Light is a high-powered, UV-curing light that makes short work of curing UV resins. Aside from direct sunlight, this is one of the best fishing tools to cure UV resins that we’ve found. Note that we have only tested it with Loon UV Knot Sense, however, it should cure most UV resins on the market. It uses a rechargeable 8650 lithium battery, so you won’t be throwing any more alkaline batteries into landfills. It’s charged using a USB cable. The on/off switch changes from green to red when the battery needs charging. Our tester commented that he’s used it quite a bit, and hasn’t needed to recharge it yet, so the battery lasts quite a while. This will be the last UV-curing light you’ll ever need to buy. |
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