Fox Rage Side Cutters

Nobody heads out pike fishing hoping to get the hook cutters involved. You want a clean take, a controlled scrap and a fish that goes back with as little fuss as possible. But trebles don't always land somewhere convenient, especially when a lively predator and a lure with several hook points are involved. The Fox Rage Side Cutters are there for that awkward bit. They're a dedicated backup for situations where saving the hook matters far less than getting the fish sorted promptly and carefully.

This is the NTL039 model, measuring 28cm, or 11 inches, overall. That's a proper-sized tool, not a little pair of snips to chuck in your float box. The construction is CRV steel, with a gunmetal grey metal finish and ergonomic hard-plastic handles in bright red and black. Those are the useful basics. Fox Rage positions them for awkwardly hooked predators, particularly when treble hooks are used, so their job is clear without pretending they're some magical do-everything addition to your tackle bag.

The main attraction is having a different way out when normal unhooking gets fiddly. Suitable long pliers remain part of the kit, but continuing to twist or pull at a troublesome treble isn't automatically the right answer. Cutting a hook can allow its parts to be dealt with separately, depending on how it's lodged. That doesn't make cutters a shortcut around learning safe predator handling. It makes them one part of being prepared, alongside an appropriate net, an unhooking mat and the confidence to recognise when you need help.

At 28cm, these cutters give you a longer tool to work with than a pocket-sized pair. Longer handles can offer useful leverage, which is welcome when you're trying to keep a job controlled rather than turning it into a wrestling match. Still, overall length isn't a promise that they'll chop through every treble in the shop. There's no confirmed maximum cutting capacity in the details here. If your fishing involves particularly heavy hook wire, establish suitability beforehand rather than finding the limit with a fish on the mat.

The handle colours are a small detail with a practical point. Predator fishing often means a spread of dark kit, wet grass and a bite-time that arrives just as the light starts dropping. A flash of bright red gives you something easier to pick out than another all-black tool. That's dead handy, but visibility only helps if you've put the cutters somewhere sensible. Set them beside your unhooking kit before fishing, safely out of the way but immediately accessible. Under three lure boxes and a spare jumper isn't ready.

Those ergonomic handles are hard plastic, so don't read that as a promise of a soft, padded grip. Handle shape and handle cushioning are different things. Likewise, the gunmetal grey finish tells you how the metal is finished, not that you can leave the tool wet indefinitely. Give it a clean after use, dry it properly and follow any supplied care guidance. A cutter doing occasional backup duty still deserves a regular look over; sitting forgotten in a damp bag isn't doing a steel tool any favours.

For a deadbait angler using treble-hook traces, the fit is obvious. It's also a sensible role alongside the pliers in a lure angler's kit, particularly with plugs carrying multiple trebles. The trade-off is packing space. If you're roving with a tiny shoulder bag, 28cm needs planning around. That's not a reason to leave necessary fish-care gear behind; it's a reason to choose a carry setup that accommodates it. For ordinary carp rigs, feeder hooklengths or trimming float-fishing line, though, these are the wrong sort of cutter.

The buying decision comes down to that clear, fairly narrow job. You're getting a full-sized CRV steel cutting tool with easy-to-spot handles, intended to help with awkward predator hook-ups. You're not getting a confirmed all-hooks cutting guarantee, and you still need your normal unhooking tools and sound handling skills. If trebles feature regularly in your fishing, that backup role makes good sense. It's the sort of kit you want organised before the rods are out, not something you wish you'd remembered when a straightforward unhooking suddenly isn't.