The Rising fishing tools worth carrying are the Brookie Net (16.5-inch hoop, 1.10 pounds) for trout water, the Lunker Net for big fish, the Travel and Boat Nets for fly-in trips and drift boats, the Work 6" and Ultralight pliers, the Bob's Tactical Crocodile, Nippas, the Diamond File, Mickey's Tippet Leash and the Lippa4Life for toothy fish.
I like gear that explains itself. Pick up a Rising plier and you can see the internal spring, the jaw shape and the reason the handles are shaped the way they are. Pick up a Rising net and you notice the hoop, handle and rubber bag are separate parts that bolt together, so a broken piece is a part order instead of a new net.
This list is Rising only, pulled from the Rising collection in the FFIP shop. I kept it to the eleven pieces that earn a spot on a lanyard, in a sling or across the gunwale, with the specs that matter and who each one is for.
- Best all-around trout net: Rising Brookie Net, the lightest, most compact net Rising makes.
- Best for big fish: Rising Lunker Net, a 22-inch hoop for big browns, carp and redfish.
- Best plier for nymph and streamer anglers: Work 6" Pliers, built to pull split shot and open split rings.
- Best multi-tool: Bob's Tactical Crocodile, which cuts, crimps, de-barbs and releases fish.
- Best small upgrade: Rising Diamond File, the cheapest way to land more fish.
How Did We Pick These Rising Fishing Tools?
Every product here is a current Rising Fishing item in the FFIP shop, and the details come from Rising's own specs and descriptions, not from guesswork. I picked tools that solve a specific on-the-water problem: landing a fish fast, keeping it wet, getting a hook out cleanly, cutting tippet and keeping hooks sharp.
Which Rising Landing Net Should You Carry?
Rising nets share one idea: a hard-anodized aluminum frame, a rubber bag and modular parts. Choose by hoop size first, then handle length, because where you carry the net decides whether a short or long handle makes sense.
Rising Brookie Net
The Brookie is Rising's smallest and lightest net: a 16.5-inch hoop, an 11-inch-deep rubber bag and a weight of 1.10 pounds with the 10-inch handle, per Rising's spec sheet. The 6000 series aluminum frame shrugs off rocks, and the rubber bag is gentle on slime and does not grab hooks. Handle choices are 10, 16 or 24 inches, so it fits a sling or a longer reach. Rising also says the Brookie can double as a wading staff in a pinch.
Starting from $159 Shop Now
Rising Lunker Net
The Lunker steps up to a 22-inch hoop on the same 11-inch bag depth, at 1.34 pounds with the 10-inch handle. Rising built the Lunker for the fish that make you nervous: big browns, grass carp and redfish. If you have ever watched a tail hang over the back of a small hoop, this is the fix.
Starting from $179 Shop Now
Rising Travel Net
The Travel Net uses a custom hoop that breaks down into two pieces for packing, while keeping the same dimensions as the Lunker. That makes the Travel Net the one to throw in a duffel for a lodge week or a long drive, when a full-size hoop will not fit in the bag.
$279 Shop Now
Rising Boat Net
The Boat Net pairs the Lunker hoop with a deeper 16-inch bag and Rising's longest handle at 38 inches. The extra reach lets the rower or the angler net a fish from the seat without leaning over the gunwale, and the deep bag lets a big trout settle upright in the water while you get the camera ready.
$259 Shop Now
Because the parts are modular, Rising sells replacement rubber net bags and separate net handles up to 38 inches. If you want the long story on fish care and handle length, read our Rising Brookie Net review and the Rising Lunker Net review.
On a short Fly Fishing Insider Podcast episode, I walk through netting habits that keep big trout, bass and musky from coming off at the last second. Pair those habits with the right hoop and the net stops being where fish get lost. Episode page.
What Are the Best Rising Pliers and Multi-Tools?
Rising pliers are known for internal springs. An exposed spring is the part that snags line and rusts, so moving it inside the handle is a small engineering decision you notice every day on the water.
Rising Work 6" Pliers
Rising introduced the Work 6" in 2008 and added the internal spring in 2010. The jaws are built to pinch on and pull off split shot and to open split rings, which is why nymph and streamer anglers who fish weight all day reach for this plier first. Red or black handles.
$22 Shop Now
Rising Ultralight Pliers
The Ultralight has been in the lineup since 2006 and got an internal spring and stronger operating tension in 2010. Rising calls it an angler favorite for steelhead and for cold days when you are wearing gloves, because the spring tension and handle shape still work when your fingers are clumsy.
$22 Shop Now
Rising Bob's Tactical Crocodile
The Bob's Tactical Crocodile combines cutting, crimping, de-barbing and fish release in Rising's scissor-style Bob's Tactical handles. The Crocodile jaw is shaped for grabbing a hook and backing it out without handling the fish. If you only carry one tool on your lanyard, make it a Crocodile.
$20 Shop Now
Pinch your barbs and stay off the bank. Author Mark Kurlansky made the case on episode 105 that barbless hooks and wild, untrampled riverbanks are two of the simplest things any trout angler controls. You might lose a few more fish, but the ones you release go back with less handling, which is exactly the job a Crocodile or a pair of Work pliers is built for.
Which Small Rising Tools Earn a Spot on Your Lanyard?
These are the cheap, easy-to-lose items that make the biggest difference in a day. Rising designed each one around a small annoyance most anglers just tolerate.
Rising Nippas
Rising wasn't happy with standard line cutters, so it focused on blade quality and dipped the Nippa in rubber for grip and easy spotting. The bright colors matter more than they sound when you drop a nipper on a gravel bar. Sold as a single pair in assorted colors, with bulk packs for clubs and lodges.
Starting from $7 Shop Now
Rising Diamond File
The Diamond File has fine and medium grit sides, with two diamond-grit grooves on the medium side because grooves sharpen hook points best. Rising rounded both ends so the file does not tear pockets and added a bright leash so you can find it in a boat box. A sharp hook is the difference between a hookup and a long-distance release.
$10 Shop Now
Rising Mickey's Tippet Leash
Rising credits this design to Salt Lake City angler Mickey Anderson, who wanted tippet spools riding horizontally instead of stacked vertically. Laid out side by side, each spool feeds without fighting the others, so you spend less time untangling on the bank and more time fishing. It clips on with a D-ring.
$15 Shop Now
Which Rising Tool Is Best for Toothy Fish?
Rising Special Blend Lippa4Life
The Lippa4Life is a plier-style lip grip built to control and release toothy fish. Rising left a 1/8-inch gap between the closed jaws so they are gentler on a fish's jaw, and the plier shape lets you hold a fish horizontally in the water for the release. The Special Blend is molded from nylon and fiberglass that stays strong in any temperature, with a little flex; for fish over roughly 12 to 15 pounds, Rising suggests the stiffer aluminum version.
Starting from $32 Shop Now
Want a bigger picture than one brand? Our sibling list of the best fly fishing nets compares hoop shapes and bag materials across makers, and the classic 15 essential fly fishing accessories list fills in the rest of the vest. If a long handle is going to pull double duty in fast water, read our wading safety tips first.
Ready to build your kit? Shop the full Rising lineup, or browse every landing net in the FFIP shop and the tools collection for nippers, pliers and forceps.
- Rising Brookie Net Review: for the full spec sheet and on-the-water notes
- Rising Lunker Net Review: for the bigger hoop
- The Best Fly Fishing Nets: across brands and budgets
- Keep Fish Wet: Three Rules for Catch and Release
- The FFIP Tips Library: with 364 tips from podcast guests
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Rising net for trout?
The Rising Brookie Net is the best Rising net for most trout fishing. It has Rising's smallest and lightest hoop at 16.5 inches, an 11-inch rubber bag and a weight of 1.10 pounds with the 10-inch handle, which makes it easy to carry on a sling or pack.
What is the difference between the Rising Brookie and Lunker nets?
The Rising Lunker Net has a 22-inch hoop versus the Brookie's 16.5 inches, with the same 11-inch bag depth. The Lunker weighs 1.34 pounds with a 10-inch handle and is meant for big browns, carp and redfish, while the Brookie is lighter and more compact.
Why do Rising pliers have an internal spring?
Rising moved the spring inside the handle on its Work and Ultralight pliers in 2010. An internal spring does not snag fly line or tippet the way an exposed spring can, and it is protected from the knocks and grit that wear out external springs.
Can you replace parts on a Rising net?
Yes. Rising nets are modular, so the bag, handle and hardware can be swapped. The FFIP shop carries Rising replacement rubber net bags, net handles from 10 to 38 inches, couplers and replacement bolts.
Which Rising tool is best for removing hooks?
The Bob's Tactical Crocodile is Rising's dedicated release tool, with a crocodile-style jaw for gripping and backing out hooks plus cutting, crimping and de-barbing functions. The Work 6" pliers are the better choice when you also need to remove split shot.
Tight lines, everyone!
Carry the right net and a few smart tools, and you will land more fish and release them faster, so you can catch any fish, any time, and anywhere.
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