Product Review: Vimov Saltwater Fishing Pliers

Company Description:  Vimov Saltwater Fishing Pliers (2 Pack), Stainless Steel Titanium Plated Multi Tool 

Multiple Function: The fishing hook cutter can remove and repair hooks, cut steel leaders, hold tiny line and open split rings. The pliers are also capable of cutting, stripping, pulling and crimping as well. With the Vimov pliers you have the option to change treble hooks on crankbaits or clamp sinkers. Besides this these pliers can be a backup for a knife in case of fishing line entanglement when scuba diving. 

• The titanium plating process makes these fishing pliers corrosion resistant, colorfast, UV resistant under use in saltwater and other harsh environments.
• Small Jaws of the split ring pliers are designed to hold the tiny hooks and grip thin fishing lines firmly. 
• Hard and solid line fishing hook cutter is sharp enough to cut braid, mono filament, fluorocarbon, fly line and nanofil.
• Portable and lightweight: This fishing tackle is only 5 inch long, you can put it in pocket conveniently. Split ring pliers fishing is much more suitable for anglers with small hands, like female or teenagers.
• Fine Hand Feeling: Ergonomical molded grip handle make the fly fishing pliers very handy to carry and make you work efficient and freely.

Features:
Titanium Plating Process: This fishing multitool is corrosion-proof, corrosion-proof and high hardness. It doesn't matter if you're fishing in saltwater or in a pond the Vimov fishing pliers are a handy tool to have with you.

Lightweight: At just over 2 ounces, they can be conveniently taken anywhere.

Comfortable Handle allows for use without fatigue or slipping.


Specs:
Color: Black
Material: Stainless Steel& Plastic
Length: 5 Inch
Craftmanship: Plating fishing pliers titanium
Weight:2.11 oz
Package Include: 2*(Fishing Pliers+Nylon fishing pliers sheath)

Price: 16.99 for 2 Pack

How I used: Initially I purchased the Vimov pliers to check out their qualiy.  As well as to see how they would hold up to everyday usage. However when I received the pliers I noticed that they are much smaller than a normal pair of fishing pliers at only 5 inches in length. Which in turn limited the scope of their use in my eyes. 

Normally I carry two pair of needle nose pliers with me in case I need to remove hooks from fish or anything else.  One pair is a simple pair of hemostats and the other is heavier pair of needle nose pliers. The Vimov pliers have taken the place of my smaller hemostats as they are small enough to serve the same purpose with a few extra benefits. 

The Vimov pliers are small enough get hooks from deep within the throats of small panfish.  While also picking up some extra duties throughout the day.  The line cutter sharp and efficient enough to cut braid, mono and flourocarbon with no problems.  I didn't have a reason to try out the hook cutter on the pliers but from what i can tell it will do fine cutting light wire hooks but not thicker hooks that you may use for saltwater or bigger catfish. 

The split ring pliers works great on the small split rings that standard pliers tend to be too big for. While the split shot closers are perfect for small size 00 split shot used for fly fishing. And what's better? They come in a two pack so I can keep one on me and the other in the kayak as a part of my kayak tool kit. 

Overall the Vimov pliers have surpassed my expectations when it comes to functionality and coming in a set of two. However there is one thing I've found to be a problem with the Vimov fishing pliers that is they're fragile based on their design. Most multipurpose fishing piers have one thing in common and that is they all have a triangular shape. As a result most plier manufactures leave no empty space between the fulcrum and tip of the jaws which causes the two sides to rest flush atop of each other when the pliers are closed.  This simple design was missed with the vimov fishing pliers leaving a weak spot where the pliers don't meet.  As a result if gripped too tightly you'll get stress breaks in this spot.  In fact if I squeeze them too tight I can see the metal bend just a bit. 


Review: I would definitely recommend the Vimov fishing pliers to anyone who ask.  However I would recommend them as a back up tool rather than a primary pair of pliers.  This is due to the size which makes them uniquely agile when it comes to unhooking smaller fish but they don't offer the length needed to unhook a deeply hooked larger fish. 

The multitool functions of the pliers are awesome giving you one more reason you'd be happy with this pair of pliers on your hip.  All of the tools function as needed which will only make fishing easier. 

I haven't had any issues with corrosion as of yet so I can not speak to how corrosion resistant they are. However I try to keep all of my fishing tools clean at all times. So I believe they'll hold up great for me under normal usage.

The overall strength of the product is the only aspect of the Vimov pliers that I call into question. So if you do purchase a pair make sure you try not to be too heavy handed with the pliers.

Pros: Corrosion resistant, lightweight, small enough for small hands, multifunction; small enough for removing hooks from the mouths of smaller fish; a good backup pair for larger pliers

Cons:  Not very strong can break when used with too much force.

How to Tie a Basic Marabou Jig

In every anglers tackle box you'll have tackle that is species specific.  Then again there are those baits that you believe are species specific but the reality is they are not.  The marabou jig one of those baits thats often prejudged as being only for crappie.  When in fact marabou jigs are often used for other species like white bass, hybrid striper, walleye and smallmouth bass. Because they are so versatile i've taken the time to learn how to tie my own marabou jigs and below is a quick overview of how you can tie your own.

Tools you'll need:

Vice: Pretty much any fly tying vice will work.  You don't have to invest in anything expensive to tie jigs of any kind. You just need a vice that will hold the jig heads tight enough for you to wrap in your materials. 

Bobbin& Thread: The next tool you'll need to tie your own jigs will be a bobbin a color and thickness thread of your choosing.  A simply a tool designed to hold thread while wrapping thread onto your hooks or jigs. 

Whip Finish Tool: A whip finish tool is what you'll need to tie your finishing knots to complete your jigs.  If you don't know how to use a whip finish tool there are plenty of videos on youtube that will give you a quick tutorial. 

Once you have your tools assembled the fun begins. Because this is the point at which you pick your materials and color patterns for your marabou jigs.  In this case I used chartreuse, black and pink. Below is the list of materials I used but you're not limited to my list.

Thread:  The thread is used to tie in each of your materials on to you jigs.  I personally use 210 flatwax denier for tying jigs as its thin enough to not make small jigs too bulky and strong enough to tie larger jigs from striper and walleye.  I pick my colors solely based on what patterns I'm tying.

Jig heads: The jig head you choose is also gonna be based which pattern you're tying.  For basic marabou jig patterns a collarless round head jig sizes from 1/80oz and up will work great.  However for smaller sizes like 1/64oz and 1/80oz you'll want to use a thinner diameter thread like a 140 denier.

Chenille:

Marabou:

Flashabou:

Hard as Nails: 

1. Place jig head in the vise

2. Starting at the base of the jig head wrap thread over itself back to a point just above or before the hook point. 

3.Measure your marabou tips to match the length of the jig head. Then wrap that portion into the jig head by wrapping thread up the shank of the hook then back down in order to smooth out the body. 

4. Wrap in 3 or 4 strands of flashabou up one side of the hook shank then wrap it around the other side making a loop which will hold the flashabou in tightly along each side of the tail.

5. Pull some of the chenille fibers off of the holding thread and wrap the holding thread on to the hook shank, wrapping the thread up to the jig head. 

6. Wrap the chenille up the hook shank in the opposite direction of what the thread has been wrapped. 

7. Once the chenille is wrapped to the jig head, cut off the tag end and wrap down the chenille with about 4 wraps. 

8. Finish up your tie with 3 whip finish knots. 

9. Finally use a straightened paperclip to adhere Sally Hansen Hard As Nails to the thread knots in order to harden them and further strengthen your knots. 

This is probably the easiest jig to tie for multi-species fishing.  Comment below if you have any experience with fishing with marabou jigs for crappie or any other fish.