A clipper for cutting and severing a portion of bait material preventing direct contact of a user with the former. The two elongated pivotally mounted members include cutting assemblies ends that cooperate to come towards each other in a substantially parallel fashion. Peripheral walls with distal sharpened edges have to cut into a bait severing a portion that is lodged between complementing cavities formed by the peripheral walls. Slots in the base plates extend towards their respective centers upon which the peripheral wall are perpendicularly mounted permit a user to manipulate a fishing hook. The hook is removed through one of the cutouts in the peripheral walls that coincide with the entrance to the slots. A user can then hold the bait portion with one hand while safely manipulating the hook with the other hand to set his/her fishing bait.