Top Six Fly Fishing Nippers and Why!
(Life is too short for crappy nippers)

Is there anything more frustrating than trying to snip a piece of tippet off the fly you struggled tying on in the waning hours of light on an evening hatch (see 20/20 MAGNETIC TIPPET THREADER), and they won’t do their job?! Nippers that work well are an essential piece of fly fishing gear and probably the single most used tool in our kit that we take for granted, that is until they fail. And then we find ourselves gnawing on the tippet to get it cut, something we get chewed out for by our dentist twice a year. So how do you avoid all the headaches with dysfunctional nippers and keep your dentist happy? Invest in a quality set of nippers … life is too short for crappy nippers.

What it really comes down to is this:  Do you want to fish, or mess around with tags and knots? True, you can use nail clippers, pliers, your hunting knife or the Mk-I Nipper (your teeth). However, none of these are specifically designed to perform the precision job of clipping a small diameter strand of monofilament cleanly and efficiently. Take it from us, investing in a solid set of nippers will pay dividends in terms of saving time spent cleaning up your tags on the water and that translates into having your fly in the water longer and more fish to hand.

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Abel Nippers

Guaranteed to last and cut anything from 7X to 100# hard mono forever, this precision-machined aircraft aluminum leader nipper has replaceable jaws and is the best nipper ever made. Period!

“As a fishing guide, there is no more important tool than your nippers. As important as it is to have a good working vehicle or the right boat for the river you fish, day in and day out your nippers get the most use of any tool in your arsenal. I’ve had my Abel nippers hanging around my neck (on the Abel lanyard that is the perfect length) for close to a thousand days on the water. They have never failed to cut any line I have asked them to. They have never bound up or failed to open and close with ease. Although there is the option

to replace the jaws on this nipper, mine are as sharp as the day I got them. This tool was given to me as a gift and although the $ tag is on the high end for my budget, if I ever (God forbid) lost them, I would replace them the very next day. Like a Timex watch they take a lickin’ and keep on clippin’. They are written in my will right next to my Pre-War Hardy Perfect.” - Chris King

• Designed, manufactured and assembled in the USA
• Anodized 6061-T6 aluminum body construction for added durability
• Replaceable jaws - machined out of premium grade Crucible CPM S35VN stainless steel, then heat treated to 58-60rc - can be replaced easily by sending your nippers back to Abel.
• Designed to cut mono, fluorocarbon and braid from 7X to 100 LB. We do NOT recommend using these, or any nipper, to cut wire.
• Two Year limited warranty on the jaws after initial purchase

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Rising Fat Boy Nippa

A simple nipper with a cushioned grip and recessed needle to clean the junk from the eye of your fly. The difference between the Fat Boy and the standard Nippa is this guy is nearly four inches long, and is made for cutting heavy mono and fluorocarbon with maximum efficiency and leverage.

This amazing nipper was designed with Rising by the staff here at The Fly Shop® (Cory Williams and Terry Jepsen). They worked closely with Dylan at Rising to come up with a wide nipper that took features from many different nippers. The idea was originally to replace the Elephant Clipper while at the same time giving more of a paddle feature. This immediately became a top seller that we can’t keep in stock.

• 0.75” long cutting blade for easy cutting
• Curved shape for increased comfort and control
• Rubber grip for comfort and control
• Large hole for easy attachment to a lanyard
• Rounded ends to reduce harm to products and increase holding comfort

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Tie-Fast Combo Tool

The Tie-Fast Combo Tool is the #1 streamside accessory tool on the market. It has a clipper, knot tyer, hook sharpener and an eye cleaning tool. Perfect for tying nail knots, cleaning clogged hook eyes, clipping mono and in-the-field hook sharpening. The Combo Tool’s cutting blades are razor sharp. Available in both Standard and Magnum (no file on the Magnum).

“I have used this one for many years and love it for its versatility - one tool that handles multiple tasks. When I was guiding in Alaska we tied nail knots to keep the bead off the hook, and having this nail knot tyer was super handy for doing these all day. The file was nice to touch up a hook that needed some attention, and of course I always used the eye cleaner for flies where the fly tyer had gotten overzealous with head cement.” - Erik Argotti (Travel Associate)

• Razor sharp monofilament clipper
• Handy needle knot tool
• In-the-field hook sharpening file (not included on the Magnum version)
• Needle point for cleaning hook eyes

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Rising Nippa (little brother to the Fat Boy)

A simple, lightweight nipper with a cushioned grip and a recessed needle to clean the junk from the eye of your fly.

This Rising tool has been a go-to for years here at The Fly Shop® and our best selling nipper for most of those years. The Rising Nippa is inexpensive, and most of our guides and staff have multiple pairs of these in their boats, gear bags and pockets. Throw it on a lanyard or keep it in your pocket for easy access. These are throw away nippers — use it until it’s dull, recycle it and get another pair out and start nipping.

• 0.30 ounces
• Assorted colors (choose the one you like)
• 2.25" L x 0.5" W x 0.5" D

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Dr. Slick Offset Nipper/Hook File

Innovative slanted blade face is designed to work in tight to flies, snipping tag ends of tippet without cutting hackles or materials.

“I’ve been using this little nipper since it first hit the market, and it has never let me down. I tend to be a bit of a minimalist (except for flies), and the small size and razor sharp blades are perfect for my use, attached to my hip pack with a retractable lanyard. The slanted jaws allow me to effortlessly reach into tight spaces on small spring creek dries, clipping the tippet and nothing else. And it works fine on larger flies and tippet, as well, up to the 20#

Maxima I use when fishing kings in Alaska. I don’t like carrying a separate hook sharpening tool, so the small file on the side of these nippers works perfectly for me, especially on flies in the #8-#20 range.” - Mike Mercer (Travel Associate)

• Super handy diamond grit hook hone
• Clips like a ball point pen to any pocket
• Works well on hooks sized 4 to 22

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Loon Nip n’ Sip 2.0

A nipper and beer bottle opener combined in one perfect tool. The Nip n' Sip 2.0 now includes a heavy duty lanyard keeping your indispensable tools even closer. The nippers are designed with removable stainless steel cutting jaws capable of cutting even the heaviest line. Machined pads for secure grip, an eye cleaning needle, with a built in, ever handy bottle opener makes these nippers a go to.

This is a great option and the closest thing to an Abel nipper with a lanyard, at a reasonable price. This Loon product has all of the features including the lanyard, but the added bonus of a bottle opener. Many of us have this baby attached right to our coolers in our boats or vehicles.

• Removable stainless steel blades
• Bottle opener
• Extra wide thumb pads
• Eye cleaning needle
• Lanyard included