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The morning is quiet; a thin layer of mist still hangs over the water, the sun slowly tries to break through, and somewhere among the reeds, you hear the first birds. Your rod is ready, coffee within reach, and for now, nothing else really matters.
This is why you come to the waterside. Peace, being outdoors, focusing solely on your hobby, and that next bite. Until the float shoots away.
You grab the rod, feel resistance, and after a good fight, the fish is before you. Now you want only one thing: to remove the hook quickly, safely, and controlled.
You reach for your disgorger, but where is it again?
Next to your tackle box? In your jacket pocket? In the grass? Or did you put it on the jetty after the last fish? A fishing plier or disgorger might only be a small part of your fishing equipment, but at this moment, it's indispensable.
A small fishing plier is surprisingly easy to lose
Almost every angler knows it: you use a plier, put it down for a few minutes, and then it seems to have disappeared.
A silver-colored artery clamp is barely noticeable among stones or grass. A dark fishing plier easily vanishes under a bag. From a boat or kayak, one wrong move can be enough to lose it in the water forever.
While wading, the risk increases even more. You only have two hands and are simultaneously busy with your rod, the fish, and your own stability.
Of course, you can attach a cord to your pliers. That prevents loss, but a loose line has other disadvantages. It constantly hangs around your equipment, can get caught on something, and needs to be put away after use.
A Gear Keeper fishing plier retractor therefore combines securing your tool with automatic cable management.
Your pliers remain attached to your equipment and automatically return to their fixed position.
Gear Keeper fishing plier retractor: grab, use, and release
A Gear Keeper actually works very simply. You attach the retractor to a suitable spot on your fishing vest, jacket, waders, belt, bag, fishing chair, kayak, or boat. On the other side, you attach your fishing pliers. Do you need the pliers? Then you pull them towards you.
You unhook the fish, and as soon as you're done, you release the pliers. The line is automatically retracted. No loose cord hanging around, no pliers you constantly have to put down somewhere. And most importantly: no search when you need them again.
Gear Keeper actually makes a special Fishing Pliers Retractor for this purpose. The manufacturer positions it for keeping fishing pliers secured and directly accessible while fishing. The current version combines a retractable line with a construction designed for intensive use around water.
Less attention to your gear, more attention to fishing
That might be the biggest advantage. A good Gear Keeper shouldn't constantly demand your attention. It should do the opposite.
Your disgorger is in its fixed place. You grab it without thinking, use it, and after you're done, you let it go, and it automatically rolls back into the housing of your retractor. This keeps your attention on what's important at that moment: the fish.
Then there's time to weigh and measure your catch, and of course, capture that beautiful moment with your smartphone or camera. After that, you carefully release the fish back into the water. Watch it swim away and disappear beneath the surface. A beautiful moment to enjoy. The rod can be ready for the next catch.
The best equipment is sometimes the equipment you barely have to think about while using it.
Disgorger, unhooking pliers, artery clamps, or fishing pliers?
Anyone looking for suitable pliers will encounter different names.
A disgorger or unhooking pliers are specifically used for removing a fish hook.
An artery clamp, also called an artery forceps, forceps, or hemostat, is a long and relatively narrow model that can often be locked. This allows you to firmly grip a hook without having to continuously apply pressure to the handle.
In addition, there are multifunctional fishing pliers, often referred to as fishing pliers. Depending on the design, you can use these for example for:
- Unhooking
- Cutting fishing line
- Opening split rings
- Gripping hooks
- Working on leaders or wire traces
For heavy hooks and trebles, there are also special hook cutters, cutting pliers, and compact bolt cutters.
Which pliers you need largely depends on how you fish.
Which disgorger suits you?
A coarse angler has different requirements for pliers than someone who specifically fishes for pike.
Coarse fishing and trout fishing
For roach, bream, tench, and trout, smaller hooks are often used. A fine artery clamp or compact disgorger is then pleasant because you can work precisely without handling a small fish with large, heavy pliers.
These are often light pliers that can be excellently combined with a light retractor.
Predator fishing for pike, zander, and perch
When predator fishing, reach becomes more important. Especially with pike, you don't want to unnecessarily get your fingers too close to the teeth. A long straight or curved disgorger therefore provides more distance and control. In addition, many serious predator fishing outfits include good cutting pliers or a hook cutter.
If a treble hook is unluckily stuck, controlled cutting can sometimes be much better than prolonged pulling and prying.
Carp fishing
When carp fishing, the hook is often relatively accessible in the mouth. Compact but sturdy pliers can be useful when a hook is still quite stuck.
Sea fishing
Saltwater places extra demands. Not only on your retractor, but also on your pliers.
Good saltwater fishing pliers are typically made of corrosion-resistant materials and must be able to withstand regular contact with salt and moisture. Here too, cleaning after use remains important.
Well-known brands of fishing pliers and cutting pliers
Within angling, there are several well-known brands for disgorgers, forceps, and heavy-duty cutting pliers. For artery clamps and disgorgers, you will encounter models from Albatros, NGT, and Savage Gear, for example.
For heavier work in predator fishing, Rozemeijer is known for special Hook Cutters. Some experienced predator anglers also use professional compact bolt cutters such as the Knipex CoBolt®.
These tools differ considerably in size and weight. And that is precisely important when choosing a Gear Keeper. A light forceps weighing a few tens of grams requires a very different retraction force than a heavy stainless steel hook cutter.
Therefore, do not automatically choose the strongest Gear Keeper, but choose the retractor whose pulling force matches the weight of your tool.
Why a Gear Keeper instead of a simple zinger?
For a very light tool, a simple zinger can work perfectly. But not every retractor is the same. A Gear Keeper is developed as an actual retractable gear attachment system: a system to keep equipment secured and usable. You especially notice the difference when you use material intensively.
A suitable Gear Keeper offers:
- Your tool automatically retracts after use and hangs again at the bottom of the retractor.
- The line does not hang loosely around your equipment.
- Different retraction forces available.
You can adjust the retractor to the weight of your fishing pliers or other tool. Different attachment options. Handy because the ideal attachment for a fly fisherman can be very different from someone fishing from a kayak.
Developed for outdoor use - Water, sand, dirt, and salt are part of angling.
How to keep your Gear Keeper smooth and reliable
Gear Keeper retractors are easy to clean. Hold the retractor with both hands submerged in a basin of lukewarm water and then gently pull the line out completely several times and let it roll up again. This way, dirt, sand, and other debris that has accumulated between the line and in the housing can be rinsed away.
Regular cleaning helps the retractor function smoothly and contributes to a longer lifespan, especially with intensive use at the waterside or in saltwater conditions.
On our 'Cleaning Retractor' page, you will also find a clear video explaining how to do this step-by-step.
Fly fishing: everything in its fixed place
A fly fisherman often has several small tools directly on the vest or chest pack.
- Forceps
- Nippers
- Line cutter
- Other small tools
When all those items are loose in different pockets, you are constantly searching. With retractors, you can give your most used tools a fixed position. You pull the tool towards you, use it, and then let it return. This provides peace of mind, especially when wading. You don't have to be in the middle of the river with open pockets or loose items.
Kayak fishing: what isn't secured can go overboard
From a kayak, the problem becomes even clearer. Your available workspace is small. A rod, paddle, landing net, tackle, fishing pliers, and perhaps electronic equipment are all close together. Very little needs to happen. A fish moves unexpectedly, the kayak tilts slightly, you just put the pliers down next to you... Splash!
Therefore, securing equipment when kayak fishing is not only useful for pliers. Other essential tools can also be protected against loss with a suitable tether or retractor.
Sea fishing: salt, sand, and gear that needs to withstand a beating
On or around the sea, your equipment takes a lot of punishment.
- Saltwater
- Sand
- Splashing water
- Damp storage
A cheap retractor primarily intended for an office access card is not comparable to a system designed for outdoor and maritime use.
Gear Keeper also originated in applications related to SCUBA diving and developed systems where contamination can be rinsed out of the retractor. This still makes good maintenance necessary.
After a day of saltwater fishing, we recommend rinsing a Gear Keeper with clean fresh water according to the Flushing instructions. This removes salt, sand, and dirt from the mechanism and helps preserve the retractor's lifespan.
Also for wading staffs and other fishing equipment
The application doesn't stop with a Gear Keeper fishing plier retractor. The principle is also interesting for other equipment that you regularly need but don't want to hold permanently in your hands.
Think, for example, of:
- Wading staff or wading stick
- Landing net
- Scissors
- Lip grip
- Measuring tape
- Light GPS equipment
- Camera
- Smartphone
- Other compact tools
For a wading staff, the required retractor is obviously very different from that for small disgorging pliers. That's why Gear Keeper has different pulling forces, line lengths, and attachment options.
Which Gear Keeper suits my fishing pliers?
Start with three things:
- What do the fishing pliers weigh? Weigh the pliers including any accessories or attachment rings.
- How far do you need to be able to extend them? Pliers hanging on your chest may require a different line length than pliers attached to a kayak.
- Where do you want to attach the retractor? Consider a fishing vest, waders, belt, bag, boat, kayak, or seat box.
Then choose a retractor with a suitable retraction force and attachment.
Are you unsure which Gear Keeper best suits your fishing pliers or fishing equipment? Then use our selection guide to find the right model. Do you want to know more about how it works and the possibilities? Then read What is a retractor? or discover practical tips, explanations, and background information in our knowledge base.
Ultimately, it's about peace of mind
The sun is now above the water, the morning mist has disappeared, and the water lies almost mirror-smooth before you.
You hear a bird from the reeds, you look at your rod tip, and next to you, the disgorger hangs exactly where it should.
You don't have to think about it, no searching in the grass, no gear lying at the bottom of the water, no loose cord constantly getting in the way.
Just fishing.
Perhaps that is ultimately the greatest strength of a Gear Keeper. Not adding more technology to your fishing day, but rather something you don't have to worry about. Your fishing pliers are securely in place and within reach as soon as you need them. This way, your attention remains where it belongs: on fishing, the tranquility by the water, the weather, the view, and that one moment when your rod tip suddenly moves. Just enjoying being outdoors — without worrying about your equipment.
Your fishing pliers securely fastened, your attention on fishing
Good fishing pliers deserve a fixed place within reach. With a suitable Gear Keeper fishing plier retractor, your disgorger or other fishing tool remains secured to your equipment, while you maintain enough freedom of movement to use it directly.
Check out GearKeeperShop.com to see which Gear Keeper suits your fishing pliers and fishing style. Grab it. Use it. Let it go - the Gear Keeper does the rest.
