Manley 6.5-inch Teflon Super Pliers
My friend, Oliver White, turned me onto these made-in-England pliers a number of years ago, when we were fishing for arapaima in the jungle in Guyana. I’m pretty sure Flip Pallot is who turned Oliver onto them before then, but I’m not 100% sure on that.
The bottom line is that I went out and bought a pair for less than a hundred bucks, and I’ve fished with them pretty much everywhere–shark fishing off California, redfish flats in Louisiana and South Carolina, Baja, Belize, Alaska, B.C., Saskatchewan for pike, Christmas Island and the South American jungle–for 10 years since, and I’m still using the same cutting blades.
Not one element has failed, and that’s after a decade of 40-pound fluorocarbon, wire leaders, shock tippets, smashing down barbs, dislodging hooks–all of it. I also carry them in my drift boat when I’m not on a saltwater trip, just in case I need pliers with some real purchase (grip) and smash power.
They’re teflon-coated, salt-resistant, with vinyl grips (optional), and they are spring loaded, at this size (6.5-inches), so they snap back into form.
I had to noodle around to customize them a bit for what I wanted: The little sheath they come with is pretty basic, so my pal John Perizzolo, who invented the “Hemo Holster,” and makes high end pistol holsters, made me a perfect leather sheath. I also added a tether.
The true appeal of the Manley pliers is that they have parallel jaws–not “V-pinching,” like a pair of scissors–so they smash evenly, and the contact area, for holding lines, etc. is longer than most. They also have a jaw groove that makes it easy to seat hooks for bending gaps, or anything else you can think of.
The cutters are robust and powerful, easy to see and simple to operate on the fly. They work great on heavy-duty fluorocarbon, wire leaders, even saltwater hooks.
The drawbacks are they aren’t “needle-nosed,” so if you need to probe deep into the gullet of a toothy fish to dislodge a fly, or lure, watch your fingers. I also bought a smaller size without the spring in the grips, thinking the mini version would be good for trout fishing, but without a bounce-back spring, they’re virtually useless.
Go with the large size (6.5-inches), but stick with the basic original design, and don’t shove them down the mouth of a shark, barracuda, pike or payara, and you’ll be fine. And you’ll save about $200 on some designer pliers that won’t last as long, or at least you’ll have to replace the cutting blades after a few seasons in the salt.
Pros
Low cost option for saltwater applications and corrosion resistance.
Parallel jaws to clamp down on lines and wires (even smaller diameters).
Spring-back grip makes one-handed operation plausible.
Durable cutting blades that work on heavy gauge wire, monofilament, fluorocarbon, etc. and remain sharp.
Plier groove for holding fishing hooks is well designed.
Cons
Snubbed nose won’t reach deep inside a toothy critter’s mouth.
The original carrying case and lack of tether probably require modification.
They look like something you bought from the hardware store, which is actually a badge of honor for many in the know.
Don’t bother with models that aren’t spring-assisted.
Any pair of pliers you can fish in the salt for a decade, and that cost less than a hundred bucks, offer an indisputable value for the angler.
We’d stack them up against all the high-end pliers that cost two, or even three, times as much.
- Price: $69
- Dimensions: 6.5-inches, teflon-coated, spring-assisted, vinyl grips
- Weight: 9.6 ounces
- Corrosion Resistance: Protects jaws from rust and saltwater damage, especially important for traveling pliers
- Construction: Made in England
- Warranty Information: Manley Warranty
More on the Manley 6.5-inch Teflon Super Pliers from Mad River Outfitters:
90-day warranty covering manufacturing defects. After that, you’re on your own.
Clean them. Rinse them. Dry them.
If they seem stuck or corroded, stick them in a jar of Coca-Cola for a few hours, then rinse and dry.
Buy these Manley Teflon Super Pliers if…
You want long-lasting pliers that offer best-in-class clamp-ability via parallel jaws.
You don’t want to spend $300 for fishing pliers.
You don’t really care if you have high-end pliers on your belt when you jump on your semi-annual saltwater charter, where the odds of you actually using them are fairly remote.
You want really good cutters that will last and handle a lot of different fishing lines, from wire, to braid, to fluorocarbon and beefy monofilament.
Ignore these pliers if…
You are constantly reaching into the gullets of toothy fish, and, understandably, want longer stems to protect your fingers and hands.
You’re not impressed with the cheap sheath they come with, and you don’t want to improvise a way to carry and keep attached.
End of the day, it’s kind of a no-brainer to have a pair of these in the kit, even as a backup.
They’re beefy, salt and corrosion resistant, incredibly durable and just work.