Reviewed by: CAPT. MIKE SCHOONVELD
I only used this name because the first day I had the Cuda 5.25” Titanium Bonded Mini-Snips on the boat, the first thing they were used for was to decapitate a sea lamprey that came aboard on one of the fish we caught. Also, I called them lamprey cutters because the long name given this tool by Cuda seemed a bit cumbersome.
When I first saw the cutters, using them to cut monofilament or fluorocarbon line didn’t pop into my head, either. What I thought of was that they’d make a perfect tool to snip the gills in the fish I planned to keep just after I caught them so the fish would bleed out as it died. Fish treated that way taste better in the long run, partly because they don’t have any blood coagulating in the meat and partly because the fish don’t have to be rinsed as thoroughly after being filleted. Bleeding the fish also makes clean-up at the fish cleaning station much easier.
A pair of sturdy scissors is often the tool of choice for me and other anglers to cut through the gills but it takes a pretty hard squeeze to make the snip with most scissors. Notice how on the “lamprey cutters” the handles are large-hand-sized and the blades on cutters are relatively short. That delivers more power with less grip-strength needed. In use, (whether on the gills of a walleye, salmon or when beheading a lamprey) and easy squeeze does the job.
They also do a perfect job of cutting mono and fluorocarbon line (and do a pretty good job cutting braid, as well.)
All the Cuda-brand tools I’ve ever used were well built and so are these. Cuda says the stainless steel parts of the tool are titanium bonded with zirconium blades. That means they are tough and sharp and will stay that way through many lamprey beheadings, gill clippings and years of cutting fishing line.
Cuda’s 5.25 Mini-Snips are widely available in retailers’ fishing tools sections, at online sellers or direct from Cuda at www.cudabrand.com.
FISHING TOYS 