Essentials

Fishing accessories at Charlie's Fishing: pliers, gloves, tackle boxes, bags and leader systems

Lures catch the fish, but the right fishing accessories decide how smooth the rest of the session goes: unhooking a pike safely, changing a treble on the bank, finding the right lure in your box, or tying a fresh leader in the wind. On this page you find the fishing accessories we stock: fishing pliers and split ring pliers from Rapala and SPRO, fishing gloves, Rapala tackle trays, bags and backpacks, rod protection, Stroft leader spools and a few useful extras for the boat and the wall. Below we explain what each item is for and which one suits your fishing.

Fishing pliers: unhooking and changing hooks

A good pair of fishing pliers is the first accessory every predator angler needs. Choose the length by the fish you catch and where the hooks end up.

For pike, length is safety. With a 28 cm plier your hand stays away from teeth and trebles, and you reach a lure that sits deep in the mouth. The SPRO Extra Long Nose Pliers 28 cm are made of 420 stainless steel with a PTFE coating and a PVC handle, and work in fresh and salt water. The SPRO Pistol Grip Pliers 28 cm have the same length with a carbon steel body, a PTFE coating and a pistol grip that gives a firm hold with wet hands. The Rapala Plier Longnose Plier 28 cm is made of nickel plated carbon steel with co-moulded handles, for deep-set trebles, jigheads and lures.

For perch, zander and sea bass a shorter plier is handier and fits in your pocket. The Rapala Mag Spring Plier (15 cm) has the Mag-Spring system that keeps the jaws open and ready, an offset design, serrated jaws and a line cutter, in 420 stainless steel with tin-nickel plating. The Rapala Super Stainless Steel Pliers come in 16.5 cm and 21.5 cm, with an internal jaw spring for one-handed use, a grooved nose for hooks and for tuning a crankbait so it runs straight, and a side cutter for line and leader. The longer 21.5 cm version gives extra reach when a pike or sea bass has taken the lure a little deeper.

To change trebles, snaps or rigs you need split ring pliers. The Rapala Split Ring Plier has a shaped tip that slides into the ring and holds it open, plus the Mag-Spring, a line cutter and 420 stainless steel. The Rapala Mini Split Ring Plier is only 7 cm long, opens small split rings, cuts mono and most braided lines and has a bottle opener. See all Rapala tools on the Rapala page and the SPRO range on the SPRO page.

Fishing gloves for safe fish handling

Pike have sharp teeth and gill rakers, and perch, zander and sea bass have spines. A fishing glove lets you hold the fish firmly while you unhook it, and keeps fish smell off your hands. The Charlie's Fishing Glove is our own glove: a reinforced pair for the left and right hand with a magnetic clip, so you clip it to your bag or trousers and pull it off when you land a fish. It comes in S to XXL; measure your hand from the crease of the wrist to the tip of your middle finger (17 to 21 cm) and pick the matching size. The FishXplorer Glove Gant Brocator works with a magnetic "brocator" system: you slip it on and off with one hand, while your other hand keeps control of the rod. See the Fishxplorer page. Use a glove together with a landing net with a fish friendly mesh from our Fishing Nets collection.

Tackle boxes, bags and backpacks

The Rapala Tackle Tray is the base of a tidy tackle system. It comes in three sizes: 276 (27.6 x 18.0 x 4.3 cm), 356 (35.6 x 22.7 x 4.8 cm) and 356 Deep (35.6 x 22.7 x 8.2 cm). The rigid dividers move to fit hardbaits, softbaits and small parts, the Quick Latch opens with one hand, and the trays stack on integrated feet with re-writable labels. Sort them by technique or species, for example one tray with jigheads and shads for zander and one with crankbaits for perch.

The Rapala bags are built around those trays:

• Rapala Countdown Hip Bag: a 32 x 18 x 12 cm waist bag for two 3500-size tackle boxes, with a plier holder, removable side pockets and a leg strap for wading
• Rapala Countdown Sling Bag: a 24 x 42 x 13 cm sling bag with room for two tackle boxes, a plier holster, a phone pocket and straps for a rod and a landing net
• Rapala Countdown Backpack: a 46 x 30 x 13 cm backpack for 2 Rapala 356 trays, with a plier holster, a chest belt and straps for rods and a landing net
• Rapala Hydro Premium Tackle Bag: a waterproof bag with a 1.5 mm shell for up to five 356 trays (size 3700), an inner drawer and a lid that doubles as a table, for the boat

Choose the hip bag or sling bag for short street fishing and canal sessions, the backpack for a long day on foot, and the Hydro bag when your tackle travels by boat. For lures that stay rigged on the rod, the Rapala Rap Wrap has a clear, hook-resistant PVC window and a hook-and-loop closure, in Small (15.2 x 7.6 cm), Medium (20.3 x 11.4 cm) and Large (27.9 x 14 cm). It keeps trebles out of your net, bag and other rods during transport.

Rod protection and storage

The Rod Crab is a small spring clamp that holds the sections of a multi-piece rod together during transport and storage, with a loop to hook your lure. The Soft version has a gentle spring for light perch and zander rods, the Standard version a strong spring for heavier pike, carp and catfish rods. Read more in Meet the Rod Crab and see the Rod Crab page. The BKK Mister Stretch Rod Wrap is an elastic rod wrap, 2 per pack, in S (18 x 2 cm), M (25 x 3 cm) and L (32 x 3.8 cm), that holds sections together without marking the blank. At home or in the boat, the Rapala Lock 'n Hold Rod Rack is a wall-mountable rod rack with a locking system and non-marking inserts. New rods and reels are in Rods and Reels.

Leader systems, snaps and repairs

With Stroft you always have the right fluorocarbon at hand. The Stroft Leader Spool System holds 3 or 5 Stroft leader spools up to 0.35 mm in one holder, with cutter rings, a short strap and stickers to label the lines; the line itself is not included. The Stroft Spool Leader System Ready To Fish is the complete set: the holder for 3 spools plus Stroft FC2 in 0.20 mm (3.4 kg), 0.25 mm (5.3 kg) and 0.30 mm (7.1 kg), 25 m each. The Stroft Cutter Rings clip onto a single spool, hold the line end and cut it with a Solingen stainless steel blade with titanium nitride coating. For perch and zander leaders these diameters cover most situations; for pike you add a wire or titanium trace from Lines and Leaders. See the Stroft page.

The VMC Crankbait Snap 360 is a round snap with a built-in rolling swivel, 10 per pack. It lets the lure move freely and reduces line twist with spinners, spoons, lipless crankbaits and chatterbaits. More snaps, swivels and split rings are in Small fishing tackle and Terminal Tackle. The Savage Gear Mono Spinnerbait is a spinnerbait arm with stainless steel blades and needle snaps: clip on a swimbait, swim jig, glidebait or crankbait for extra flash and vibration. The 11 cm suits a small lure such as the BIM Tackle Crazy Rabbit JNR, the 21 cm a big one such as the Crazy Rabbit. Fiiish the Glue (10 g) fixes a softbait body to its head, for example on a Fiiish Black Minnow, and repairs small tears; read our Fiiish Black Minnow guide. Spare tails and bodies are in Spare Parts.

On the water, in the boat and at home

The Rapala Polarized Sunglasses (Sunfish Black Green Mirror) have polarized TAC lenses that cut surface glare and 100% UVA and UVB protection. You see weed edges, drop-offs and following fish much better in shallow and clear water. Boat anglers who fish salt or brackish water can fit the Outboard Flush Quick Connect by Flush-M: it replaces the original flush plug on Mercury, Yamaha and Suzuki outboards (see the product page for the exact models), so you connect a garden hose and flush the cooling system in 5 to 10 minutes. For the fishing room or the shop, the Rapala Giant is an 80 cm Rapala Original Floater built for display only.

Gifts for anglers

Not sure what a fishing friend needs? With the Charlie's Fishing Giftcard they choose themselves from the whole shop. The Charlie's Fishing Giftbox is a ready-made gift box; read more about it in The Perfect Fishing Gift. A cap or tee from Fishing Clothing also makes an easy present, and all our own products are on the Charlie's Fishing page.

Which fishing accessory for which situation

• Unhooking pike with trebles: SPRO Extra Long Nose Pliers 28 cm or Rapala Plier Longnose Plier 28 cm, together with the Charlie's Fishing Glove
• Unhooking perch, zander and sea bass: Rapala Mag Spring Plier or Rapala Super Stainless Steel Pliers
• Changing trebles and split rings: Rapala Split Ring Plier or the small Rapala Mini Split Ring Plier
• Street fishing with little gear: Rapala Countdown Hip Bag or Rapala Countdown Sling Bag with a Rapala Tackle Tray
• A long day on foot: Rapala Countdown Backpack
• Boat fishing in wet weather: Rapala Hydro Premium Tackle Bag
• Transporting rigged rods: Rod Crab, BKK Mister Stretch Rod Wrap and Rapala Rap Wrap
• Tying fresh fluorocarbon leaders on the water: Stroft Spool Leader System Ready To Fish
• Spinners and chatterbaits without line twist: VMC Crankbait Snap 360
• Bright sun and shallow water: Rapala Polarized Sunglasses

Find the lures that go with them on our Pike, Zander, Perch and Seabass pages.

Why buy fishing accessories at Charlie's Fishing

We picked accessories that make a fishing session easier and safer, from pliers and gloves to tackle trays and leader spools, next to the lures and terminal tackle they belong with. Everything ships from our stock in the Netherlands, with fast delivery across Europe. Not sure which plier length, glove size or tray fits your bag? Send us a message and we will help you choose.

Which pliers do I need for pike fishing?

Use a long plier of about 28 cm, such as the SPRO Extra Long Nose Pliers or the Rapala Long Nose Plier. The length keeps your hand away from teeth and trebles and lets you reach a lure deep in the mouth. A shorter 15 to 21.5 cm plier is handier for perch, zander and sea bass.

Do I need a glove for pike fishing?

A glove is not required, but it helps a lot. It protects your hand from teeth and gill rakers when you hold a pike to unhook it, and gives a firmer grip on a slippery fish. Measure your hand length from the wrist crease to the tip of your middle finger to choose the size of the Charlie's Fishing Glove.

Which tackle box fits the Rapala bags?

The Rapala Countdown Backpack takes 2 Rapala 356 tackle trays and the Hydro Premium Tackle Bag up to five 356 trays. The Countdown Hip Bag takes two 3500-size tackle boxes. Check the product page of each bag for the exact tray size before you order.