Nippers on any fishing trip are key, no two ways about it, and if you think our recommendation of the Abel nippers and lanyard is totally ridiculous, you might enjoy a little tried-and-true guide tip for making your own system.
Its pretty simple, really. First, go to your local supermarket or Walgreens and buy as many sets of small fingernail clippers as you currently have waders. They’re less than $2 each, so even get a few spares. One can’t have enough line/leader cutting tools around and it’s always great as an in-camp gift for those who’ve forgotten theirs. After all, in camp, good karma tends to pay big on the river, right?
From there, cut a 3’ section of old fly line, running line or a heavy mono shooting line like Slickshooter or Berkeley Big Game Trilene. Tie a 4” surgeon’s loop in one end, then run the opposite end through the little hole in the base of the nipper and secure it with a small non-slip loop.
That’s it. Just loop the surgeon’s knot end around your wader strap and tuck it inside your waders, where it’s less likely to tankle in flylines and hamper your casting. You’ll also never again find yourself searching wader or wading jacket pockets for a nipper, and there’s a bonus to a tether like this: secured to your wader strap, it’s virtually impossible for cold, caffeine-jittery fingers to drop a set of nippers in the river, which makes those cold fingers even colder.
I tried this and my big name (but cheap) clippers fell apart (and into the water) in about 3 days. Maybe I was unlucky. My current approach is to look for nippers on Sierra Trading Post on their extra 35% off deals. You have to sign up for this, but this site has saved me a bundle on fishing, skiing and footwear over the years.