THE old adage that you get what you pay for is certainly true when it comes to fishing gear.
American company Accurate Fishing Products is well known for its range of extremely high-end threadline and overhead reels. These are not reels that the average fisho would use – rather these are specialist products used by anglers who target seriously big fish and who appreciate the benefits of using elite tackle. If you’re into extreme sportfishing and appreciate world-class engineering and design, then Accurate reels will more than likely appeal to you. They ain’t cheap, but they’re bloody good.
The guys at Accurate also manufacture what I reckon are the bee’s knees of fishing pliers. Again, the Accurate Offshore Cutters/Pliers are most definitely at the premium end of the market. Constructed from aircraft-grade aluminium, these tools come in three sizes – 15cm, 18cm and 21cm – and offer lightness, durability and superior performance in a package that should, given a modicum of care and attention, last for generations.
I used a pair of the 18cm Offshore Cutters/Pliers during a recent trip to Exmouth with the lads from Halco Tackle, the representatives for Accurate products in the local market. The major benefit over other similarly designed fishing tools I’ve used is that the Accurate’s stainless steel cutters slice through all types of line with consummate ease. It didn’t matter if it was thick mono trace, wire or fine braid – one snip and it was sliced in two. The cutters are replaceable, as are the stainless steel jaws. Having one tool that cuts everything is a real boon when rigging. I myself use good quality pliers for my rigging work but need to have a pair of braid scissors and cutters on hand as the pliers struggle with thin braid or really heavy wire. If you do a lot of rigging, then a pair of these Accurate Offshore Cutters/Pliers would doubtless prove very handy.
Obviously, the Accurates are also ideal for unhooking fish, straightening hooks and fixing stuff. An optional sheath and self-coiling lanyard are also available – I’d certainly be ensuring the pliers were attached to the lanyard – you’d weep tears of blood if you dropped these pliers overboard! The Accurate pliers I used proved very light with an ergonomic handle design that seems to naturally fit the shape of your hand. Being constructed of quality aluminium means the Accurates withstand corrosive marine environments really well.
That said, if I owned a pair of these top shelf pliers I’d be carefully washing them after each use and giving them a good spray with Inox to ensure they remained as pristine as possible. “Look after good gear and it’ll look after you” is what my old grandad used to say. He was a tool-maker and I reckon he would have been blown away by how good these Accurate pliers are.
Check them out for yourself at accuratefishing.com. If you fancy owning a pair, Chris Baty at Compleat Angler Melbourne is an official Accurate stockist. Contact him on 03 9620 3320 or Melbourne@compleatangler.com.au.
