Abstract: A fish holding tool for safe and secure holding of a caught fish for purposes such as removing a hook from its mouth. The fish holding tool operates as a pliers having a planar four-bar toggle linkage, where the upper jaw of the upper member remains stationary and the lower jaw is opened and closed by manipulation of the lower handle. The fish holding tool is made of a lightweight, buoyant material, and allows stability by the positioning of a lower-jaw tab into an upper-jaw slot and by a toggle linkage having a toggle-linkage bumper. The fish holding tool provides a tapered extending tip on the forward end of the upper jaw, which facilitates the opening of the mouth of the caught fish even where the fish forcefully holds its mouth closed in reaction to having been hooked.

Abstract: Fishing floats are provided with a buoyant float body, an elongate support spindle having proximal and distal ends, and a fletching member attached to the proximal end of the float body. The float body is connected to the support spindle to allow reciprocal rectilinear movements of the float body along the support spindle between the proximal and distal ends thereof. The support spindle is of a length such that the fletching member is positioned in spaced and abutted relationships relative to the float body in response to the reciprocal rectilinear movements of the float body between the proximal and distal ends of the support spindle. In such a manner, the float body may be stabilized during casting as well as providing a visual strike indication.