Posted on April 04 2015
Earlier this year, Hatch Outdoors released their newest addition to the world of premium fishing pliers. They’re called the Nomad Pliers and today we’re here to tell you about them.
We were pretty excited when we first heard about the pliers, after all, we’ve been a big fan of just about everything else they’ve put out thus far. We recently got out hands on a pair, and we’re happy to report, the Nomads are no exception. Here’s a few things we really, really liked about them.
High Quality, Rugged Design
High end fishing pliers have become all the rage in the fly fishing world, and why not? You reach for them all day long. Could you get by with a rusty pair of needle nosed pliers? Sure you could. But, good gear feels good and that’s certainly the first thing you’ll notice upon picking up the Nomads for the first time. The Nomads are extremely comfortable in the hand and clearly built to last a long, long time.. Like forever long.
Replaceable Jaws and Cutter Blades
While the Nomads are clearly built with a lifetime on the water in mind, blades get dull and jaws get beat up over time. However, both the jaws and cutter blades are factory replaceable to make sure they continue to function like new.
Best Line Cutters We’ve Used
According to Hatch, the cutter blades used on the Nomads are made from Tungsten Carbide which, quite frankly, doesn’t mean that much to us. However, we tested them on just about every leader, tippet, or line material we could find and we can honestly say, these are some of the best line cutters we’ve ever used. They cut through 6X tippet (although there’s no doubt in our mind they could handle finer), heavy saltwater mono, and 30 pound Fireline braid with ease. We even tried cutting 40 pound knotable wire, and although we might not recommend it (it might dull your blades pretty darn quick), it cut through it like butter.
Hatch claims that the Nomads are able to make reliable cuts through ALL fishing line material, and from what we’ve seen, we’d have to agree with them on that.
Versatile Jaw Design
On other fishing pliers, jaws are often made to be completely flat, allowing them to close completely flat on each other throughout the length of the jaws. This is great when crimping down barbs or dealing with small flies. However, when dealing with larger saltwater or heavy gauge salmon/steelhead hooks, we find that entirely flat jaws don’t hold as well. Think of it like trying to clamp down on a ball point pen with a pair of scissors. No matter how hard you squeeze, the scissors push the object further away.
Instead, the jaws on the Nomads feature a flat section at the tip to deal with crimping barbs or smaller flies, while the rest of the jaws feature a slight parallel gap to ensure pressure is placed on opposite sides of large hooks and flies for maximum grip. We think this makes for an incredibly versatile pair of pliers whether you’re chasing tarpon or trout.
Killer Sheath
We know what you’re thinking. What’s the big deal about a sheath? Well, surprisingly many other sheaths included with pliers today don’t actually fit over the popular wide wading belts included with some premium waders today. However, the Nomad sheath fits on all wader belts, including 2 inch wide models (like that included with Simms G4 series). A bungee lanyard is also included, connecting the pliers to the sheath to make sure your pliers don’t ever end up in the drink.
Also, the belt loop on the sheath itself features a button closure, so the sheath (and pliers) can be removed without ever having to take your belt off, which we think is pretty darn handy.
Bottle Opener
We know, we know, you can probably MacGyver your way into a bottle by prying with the edge of your pliers. But why not use the handsome bottle opener built in to the handle of the Nomads. It will certainly work better and we think its a pretty cool feature.
Conclusion
We’re really, really impressed by the Nomad pliers. For those that are familiar with Hatch’s previous Tempest pliers, we think the smaller Nomads are even more versatile whether you’re planning on fishing in fresh or salt water. If you’re looking for a do it all pair of pliers, from bonefish and tarpon to salmon, steelhad, and large trout, look no further than the Nomads.
The Nomads retail for $280.0o and are available in three colors: Red, Blue, and Clear. For more information visit Hatch’s website, or pick up the Nomad pliers online.
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