Abstract: A fish holding device of the pliers type having longitudinally curved jaws with well rounded transversely extending grooves providing broad teeth having rounded surfaces to engage and hold a fish without seriously injuring the fish or piercing the scales or skin of the fish. The device has two identical jaw and handle members pivoted together between the jaw and handle members and yieldingly urged to the open or operative position. The jaws are relatively narrow, of the order of one half inch so that one of the jaw elements can be projected into the mouth of a fish and the other jaw element can engage the exterior of the fish's lower jaw so that the fish can be safely manipulated.