Posted on January 31 2017
Over the last five years or so, premium line nippers have grown incredibly popular among fly fishing gear junkies like ourselves. Since their introduction, high-end nippers have sparked the debate – why pay for top shelf nippers, when a five-dollar pair of fingernail clippers can get the same job done?
Well, we’re not here to make a ruling on what makes more financial sense when purchasing gear.. After all, we’ll be the first to admit that some of us have invested more in fishing gear than we’re worth – Certainly not a solid retirement plan.
With that said, we like good gear, and we know many of you do too! Therefore, if you want the best line nippers available, we don’t think you can go wrong with the Hatch Nippers. It’s no surprise why they won the IFTD Best in Show award in the accessory category back in 2015. We think they’re one of (if not the very best) nippers available, and today we’re going to tell you why.
Hatch Nippers – Why We Like Them
- They Open Really Wide. Some line nippers, even expensive models, only open wide enough to accommodate most leader and tippet sizes (you know, what they’re generally designed to cut). However, occasionally we find ourselves reaching for our nippers for other tasks to0, like clipping silicone bead pegs or trimming excess fly materials while on the water. The Hatch Nippers open really wide, wider than most, making them more versatile in our opinion.
- They’re Super Sharp. We tried cutting through just about everything we could find, from lighter tippets, to 60 lb. fluorocarbon, to 100 lb. monofilament. They sliced through each material with an effortless pinch, so yeah, they’re sharp.
- They’re Salt Worthy. Hatch constructed their nippers using the same 6061-T6 aluminum and tungsten carbide cutters as their Nomad Pliers. Case in point, we’ve had the same pair of pliers for several seasons now, submersed for literally hundreds of days in both fresh and saltwater, with virtually no signs of corrosion. Seeing as how the nippers are made from the same materials, we’re pretty confident of their resistance in the salt.
- Eye-Cleaner Large Enough for Big Hook Eyes. Like most quality gear, the devil is in the details, and one detail we appreciate is that the hook cleaning needle includes a large enough gap for use on hook eyes up to 2/0 in size. That’s not always the case with cheaper nippers, but is super helpful when fishing large saltwater flies, or many larger salmon and steelhead patterns as well.
- Replaceable Cutters. Like most premium nippers and pliers available today, the cutters on the Hatch Nippers are fully replaceable. So, if you’re on the fence on whether or not to fork out the dough for top-shelf nippers, think of it as a long term investment to replacing your worn out bargain-bin nippers several times a season.
The Hatch Nippers retail for $100.00 and are available in four different colors, along with a sexy woven paracord lanyard. For more information, check them out on Hatch’s website, or visit your local Hatch dealer.