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.
Here’s our product review policy and FTC disclosure.
Seriously? While I’m sure they are great pliers, I find the $280 price point absolutely ridiculous! I’d say it’s at least $200 over-priced. If money is no object or you are given them for free to review, great, but fly fishing gear is far too often over priced. I believe this is counter productive to encouraging people to join our great sport and quell that elitist image that it has had in the past. My 2 cents.
The leather sheath is rugged, but less than optimum when you get it wet day after day. It will eventually rot. There is a reason none of the wader companies use leather belts.
Classy tools deserve better holsters than plastic or synthetic fabric. You may want to reconsider the idea of leather rot, properly treated leather will stand up to the rigors of outdoor use from Alaska to the Bahamas. I custom make leather sheaths for ” fish pliers” and “knives”, no issues here with rot.
I have used mine for every day use fishing , sailing and boating and in some calendar years in excess of 100 days . It is kind of nice to see the aged patina develop on the leather, kinda looks sexy…..
One can always leave the pliers in the drawer and they can remain as pristine as the day they were made.
I will take my $40 Manleys over any plier out there. I have the sheaths handmade by a tack and saddle shop. Manleys are the same pliers Flip Pallot & Oliver White use. So you know that they are awesome.
Yes I agree $280 is not that reasonable. But Hatch is in the business of selling a superior product at the highest price they think they can get. So basically rich (mostly older) folks pay top ?$ for the best gear that they might use a lot, or perhaps a little.
The guys & gals who pay full retail price are helping keep Hatch in business, as well as subsidizing the gear that they give to, or sell at a discount, to pros, like lodge owners, guides, sales reps & fly writers. Hey, it’s good to have options, from needle nose pliers at Ace hardware to this high-end fine product from Hatch. And we are in free country (I hope it remains a great & free country for a long time. It was never “not great.”)
Now to really take this a notch further, the wealthier guys who might do one (or more) great week a year at a dream lodge on some world class water for $5 to $10+K want this kind of expensive gear. And soon they will be getting very significant tax cuts thanks to our new president. So they will have to spend that additional after-tax wealth somewhere. Hey, if you’re rich and own some or all of a corporation, you will be seeing a big bump up in income.
And to take this back to the river, our American waters & fish & wildlife will no longer be protected by silly rules & regulations. So you’ll have to take more expensive int’l angling trips to find healthy fish populations that swim in clean water. Good thing we can sacrifice the average angler’s local waters, as well as healthcare, for these tax cuts, corporate subsidies & the freedom to pollute without annoying rules & scientists & government employees who might be a bother.
Remember that the heroes & pioneers (& conservationists) of our great sport/pastime/obsession/way of life (fly fishing) were not millionaires. For example, for guys who figured out how to catch wild steelhead on a fly in the Pac. NW were working class guys who only had to drive short distances ( or maybe long distances but they didn’t get to the river on a jet plane!) to have multiple hook-ups in a day.
Tight lines and good luck to us all! — Felton J.
Stop the political blather. Nobody needs to listen to folks like you constantly running off at the mouth about the current political climate. Go home and watch MSNBC and cry to yourself.
Now about those sexxxy pliers. Hatch did a great job and I’m glad I paid my $300.00 for them. Quality all the way. Maybe if Felton J asks nicely I’ll let him use mine so he can see how the other half fishes. Lighten up Felton and just go fishing. Save the political tears for the other chat rooms you visit. ?
So I chartered and guided for over 40 years. We used Manley’s for much of our offshore work, inshore my wife bought me Able’s for aound $200. To keep it short, while fishing a wreck off SW Fl, loaned then to a friend to take a hook out of a barracuda, and he proceeded to drop them, goodbye pliers. I picked up a pair of 7in Accurate pliers for around $100 with a nylon sheath, and have changed the cutting blades, which is what mainly wears out over time, also remember to wash off keep oiled. Bottom line, it really doesn’t matter what you get as long as the blades are good and last, also not a fan of leather sheaths unless on a boat. Tight Lines, Capt Frank