Some of this gear seems redundant...maybe

[City Rat]

Hi guys this is my first post so go easy, I'm here to learn. While not at all new to the outdoors, I hunt, backpack, camp, hike, etc. I am brand new to fly fishing. I sat down with a local guru yesterday and he opened up the firehose of knowledge as I took notes. Going over my notes today it seems like three items on the list of strongly suggested tackle would be redundant if you just brought along a decent multi-tool:
1- Needle nose pliers- for crushing barbs
2- Clippers and scissors pliers- to cut leader material
3-hemostats, forceps or tweezers to remove hooks from fish.

My current, 25 year old, multi-tool has needle nose pliers, with integrated wire cutters and, at least from the newbie's eye, it would seem that they could handle the duties of these three tools in one. Am I missing something or did the traditional tackle list just not get updated in light of advancement in multi-tools? Thanks in advance.

 

[cooutlaw]

Hi Rat- and Welcome! The forum is a wealth of information and a great resource for new and old alike. Your tool would potentially get the job done, but.....I'm assuming you haven't spent much time in the water yet...when changing flies, tippets, etc. it's not easy to grab, unfold, set-up a multi tool, while in current, juggling and balancing a rod, to clip line, wet hands, potentially dropping the tool into the water....let alone trying to do so after bringing a fish to hand for release. I can chop wood with a machete, but I'd rather have an axe. hemostats, nippers, etc. can be secured by lanyards or zingers and offer quick and easy access without set-up. After you spend some time fishing, you'll discover what works best for you....in the beginning, guessing wont do you much good, buy the cheap basics and fish....upgrade after you discover your own personal preferences. Hope that helps.

 

[spm]

Welcome to the forum, City Rat. I agree, you can use your multi-tool for most things, but as outlaw says, when you're on the water, you don't always have enough hands as it is, so I also suggest a few essentials: hemostats and nippers, at the very least. As far as crimping barbs, do that at home, while watching television.

And BTW, lots of knowledgeable people on here, willing to help. So, don't be afraid to ask more questions. Everyone was a beginner, once ...some of us (me) more than once.

Welcome,
steve

 

[karstopo]

I use my needle nosed pliers for cutting line, hook modifications and repair, and removing flies from the fish. I don’t bring along nippers or hemostats as a rule.

 

[hollisd]

Remember you're going to drop 2/3 in the river and learn to god bless things like zingers hence, redundancy.

 

[cooutlaw]

This is exactly what I meant when I said as you fish you'll discover personal preferences. You have to remember that fly fishing isn't limited in species, salt water anglers, Bass or other warm water fisherman, will all prefer different gear than say a high country creek trout guy. Your fishing environment will somewhat dictate gear choices. For instance you wouldn't be trimming the tag off a size 22 with pliers, no more than you'd be removing the streamer from a bonefish with hemostats. Let your species dictate your needs.

I use my needle nosed pliers for cutting line, hook modifications and repair, and removing flies from the fish. I don’t bring along nippers or hemostats as a rule.

 

[City Rat]

Wow, This is excellent feedback. Thanks so much. I definitely take your points about not enough hands. I also hunt waterfowl and spend a fair bit of time in waders hip deep and making sure that you have the things that you need close at hand is a consideration in that world as well. If it helps you guys, my initial foray into fly fishing will be mountain stream fly fishing for trout and also some bass a bit farther down the mountain. Pretty much every stream where there are trout is approx a 1/2 hour to an hour's hike in. That's what spurred this question, it's like looking hard at a packing list before a backpacking trip vetting what you really need , what can serve dual purposes and what is not a "need" but a "nice to have". Because I am greener than green in this sport, I turned to you guys to help steer me along on this. Any additional thoughts will be appreciated. Thanks again.

 

[cooutlaw]

Wow, This is excellent feedback. Thanks so much. I definitely take your points about not enough hands. I also hunt waterfowl and spend a fair bit of time in waders hip deep and making sure that you have the things that you need close at hand is a consideration in that world as well. If it helps you guys, my initial foray into fly fishing will be mountain stream fly fishing for trout and also some bass a bit farther down the mountain. Pretty much every stream where there are trout is approx a 1/2 hour to an hour's hike in. That's what spurred this question, it's like looking hard at a packing list before a backpacking trip vetting what you really need , what can serve dual purposes and what is not a "need" but a "nice to have". Because I am greener than green in this sport, I turned to you guys to help steer me along on this. Any additional thoughts will be appreciated. Thanks again.

Knowing your target species and geography helps a great deal. For remote trout streams you wont require lot's of gear. As to the original tool only question, you should be able to get by with hemostats and nippers, which combined weight will be less than that of a multi-tool, however, you may just carry the multi-tool anyway as it is a handy to have item in remote areas, a vest or small sling pack or hip pack should carry all the gear you need...tippet, fly box, extra leader, floatant, bug spray, sunscreen, rain jacket, etc. minimalist is ok in most instances, unless you prefer to carry a backpack with everything and leave it streamside while fishing.

 

[City Rat]

Ok I'm tracking you. The good news is I took some time and grabbed a vest that has a small hydration pack/ day hike pack built in. It holds everything that you mentioned with ease plus rain gear and an extra fleece pullover just in case weather on the mountain forgets that it is supposed to sunny with a wafting warm breeze in March and April. Thanks again to all for the guidance and the gentle treatment of the newbie. Cheers.

 

[el jefe]

Something like this would check a lot of your boxes:

Scissor Forceps with Power Jaws [platinum] - StreamWorks - Affordable Fly Fishing Gear

Also, for cutting tippet, nippers are probably better for that, as they allow you to cut the tippet closer to the knot.

 

[joe_strummer]

My experience is that serrated jaws (as needle-nose pliers usually have) have a tendency to break hooks when flattening barbs.

 

[wthorpe]

Something like this would check a lot of your boxes:

Scissor Forceps with Power Jaws [platinum] - StreamWorks - Affordable Fly Fishing Gear

Also, for cutting tippet, nippers are probably better for that, as they allow you to cut the tippet closer to the knot.

I was about to say you can find some good forceps/scissors for $20 or less when i saw this post. This is a good example and there are many others. Nippers should cost $5 or less, and if not drugstore nail clippers certainly do. All this will seem more logical to you the first time you drop some expensive multi tool type gadget in 12 feet of water. Those gadgets have a lot of uses -- preferably away from the water!

 

[rangerrich99]

You haven't stated what species you're going to be targeting, so this may be off-base.

However, if you're going to be fishing for trout or other small-mouthed fish, that are commonly fished for using sz 20 or smaller flies, your average needle-nose pliers are going to be too big to grab these tiny flies. Also some trout you might catch are going to be on the order of 6 inches or less. Getting needle-nose pliers into their small mouths is going to be an issue.

On the bright side, forceps/hemostats aren't expensive (I think they average about $14). And many come with scissors and barb anvils built-in. Mine is a Rapala with scissors, barb anvil and a hook-eye needle. I almost never use the scissors, except when I drop my nippers in the water, which happens about once every two years or so.

Of course, if you're not going for trout/smaller fish, then ignore my post.

Peace.

 

[sweetandsalt]

I carry a small multi-purpose tool but it is more for potential repairs than fishing..and I don't go ultra light. Serrated plier or hemostat jaws are unacceptable for crushing hook barbs, smooth jaws required. I tend to use my fingers 95% of the time for removing flies from a trout's mouth but taken deeply, hemostats do help on smaller fish. I recommend a simple but good nipper like Dr. Slick or Orvis on a zinger for the all important cutting of leader/tippet work and trimming knots. Learn to tie knots well without employing tools. Fly fishing for trout is very manual, few tools are required.

 

[fishiowa]

"Pretty much every stream where there are trout is approx a 1/2 hour to an hour's hike in."

Do you have a bluegill pond close by? Might make sense to do a trial run to make sure you have what you need before hiking in for an hour.

 

[dennyk]

Hi City Rat, the guys have things well covered, I just wanted to welcome you to the forum, you'll like it here!

:welcome:

Denny

 

[sweetandsalt]

City Rat, When I was a younger man I used to back pack into the high back country, sometimes for extended periods of time. Of course I carried a tent, sleeping bag and pad, an aluminum fry pan and matches, a little bottle of olive oil and a knife. Oh, and a dog too.

Fishing wise, I had a 5 piece Scott Pow-R-Ply glass rod (today it would be 4 pc. graphite) in a light weight tube strapped to my frame, a reel with line and leader + a spare leader and enough spools of tippet to re-build, one small box of flies, a little bottle of silicone floatant and a nipper. A hat, sunglasses and a compact rain shell rounded out my outfit. No waders or boots other than my well mink oiled Pivettas which I was reluctant to get too wet. I did some wet wading and man those mountain rivers could be icy...I'd have to set by the fire to dry my jeans while frying a brace of pan sized trout for me and a fat whitefish for the dog.

 

[Ard]

Welcome to the forum Rat,

That in itself sounds strange but you picked it not me...….. I have a Leatherman like most others do but it isn't a great fishing tool. Having a pair of forceps (they are cheap) clamped on your outerwear somewhere is a good thing. I still carry one even though I have a regular fishing plier on my belt. Cutting line? Nippers are a must and I can tell you we've had many a spirited discussion about today's selection of nippers from the $2.99 drug store special up to the high end Abel Nipper.

The Leatherman stays in my boats emergency box where it won't get lost, the fishing plier I use is the Dr. Slick Pisces model and you can get them for about $24.99 most places or online. Other than those 3 things I travel pretty light but they all come in handy.

 

[City Rat]

City Rat, When I was a younger man I used to back pack into the high back country, sometimes for extended periods of time. Of course I carried a tent, sleeping bag and pad, an aluminum fry pan and matches, a little bottle of olive oil and a knife. Oh, and a dog too.

Fishing wise, I had a 5 piece Scott Pow-R-Ply glass rod (today it would be 4 pc. graphite) in a light weight tube strapped to my frame, a reel with line and leader + a spare leader and enough spools of tippet to re-build, one small box of flies, a little bottle of silicone floatant and a nipper. A hat, sunglasses and a compact rain shell rounded out my outfit. No waders or boots other than my well mink oiled Pivettas which I was reluctant to get too wet. I did some wet wading and man those mountain rivers could be icy...I'd have to set by the fire to dry my jeans while frying a brace of pan sized trout for me and a fat whitefish for the dog.

Now that sounds like good times!

 

[City Rat]

So after giving it some thought I am not thrilled about dropping my multitool in the crick, never to be seen again. I tried a cheap pair of 5-6 inch long needle nose pliers. They lasted about a week as I tried to de-barb the hooks on some flies with it. They fit inside the bend of the small nymph hooks ok but the serrated jaws didn't do a reliable job mashing the barbs, they always just a bit behind of the barb. So I will go with a set of needle nose fishing pliers and clippers. I'll try that setup for approx a month and see how they do de-barbing hooks and removing hooks from fish. I will re-visit this all in approx a month. Thanks to all for all of the feedback and input. It really helps a newbie.