Yak Attack Pliers

Pliers built for salt water. Aluminum pliers will not rust the way steel ones do, and these come with the sheath and lanyard already in the box.

Why Aluminum Pliers

Because steel pliers in a kayak die. They live wet, they live in salt, and they end up seized shut in the bottom of a crate by the end of the season.

An aircraft-grade aluminum body does not rust. The parts that need to be hard — the jaw inserts — are stainless, and the cutters are replaceable tungsten carbide.

That last detail matters more than it sounds. Braid destroys ordinary cutters, and a plier that will not cut braid is half a tool. Carbide cuts braid cleanly, and when it eventually dulls you replace the cutters rather than the pliers.

What Comes With These Aluminum Pliers

• The 7" pliers

• A nylon belt-clip sheath

• A coiled lanyard

Both included, which is unusual at this price — most pliers make you buy the sheath separately.

Use the lanyard. Pliers are the single most-dropped tool on a kayak, and they sink instantly.

The Details That Get Used

A small hook at the top of the jaws for opening split rings, and dedicated positions for crimping split shot and single-barrel crimps. So it is a hook remover, a ring tool, a line cutter and a crimper in one.

On a Kayak Specifically

Clip the sheath where your hand falls without looking — a PFD strap or a waistband. The moment you need pliers is the moment a fish is thrashing with a hook somewhere it should not be, and hunting through a crate is exactly the wrong thing to be doing.

Rinse them in fresh water afterwards. Aluminum resists corrosion but the pivot still collects salt.

Details

• YakAttack 7" aluminum pliers

• Aircraft-grade aluminum body, stainless jaw inserts

• Replaceable tungsten carbide side cutters

• Split-ring hook, split-shot and single-barrel crimping positions

• Nylon belt-clip sheath and coiled lanyard included

At our Clearwater shop.