I’ve been doing my scouting, prepping my weapon, and sharpening my skinnin’ knife. I even made an appointment at the taxidermist. Now I just need to set up my blind…on the roof. Oh yea, I drew the elusive reindeer tag and word has it a dozen or so nice bucks are on the way!

OK, so I didn’t really draw a reindeer tag, and we won’t be stalking Santa’s crew, but the jolly fella is on the way so it’s time to do some shopping. If you’re reading this, chances are pretty good that you have a fisher-person or two on your list, so rather than talking smack about hunting antlered creatures of holiday lore, perhaps I ought to suggest a few things to help make your shopping a little easier on you, and Christmas morning a highlight for those on your list.

Personally, gift giving is all about the kids, so let’s start with them. The first thing I’m going to tell you is don’t buy them a two foot “snoopy pole”, which is exactly what lots of people do. After all, it’s cute, right? Well, yes, until you try to actually catch fish with one.  If you think I’m kidding, try to catch a trout in open water with your ice rod.
If your kids are old enough to even remotely consider casting and hooking fish without your physical assistance, get them a rod at least 4.5 feet long – and 5 feet is better. The extra length may seem slightly unmanageable at first, but they’ll quickly get used to it and it provides critical leverage for casting, hook-setting and general line control. Besides, it’s way more like “Dad’s pole”, automatically earning it coolness points. Honest, I heard that from a 7-year-old in Sportsman’s Warehouse one day.

For kids, it’s very hard to beat an Ugly Stick. Yes, they cost a little more, but when Junior gets bored with your fishing spot and starts swatting grasshoppers with it, it won’t break. If your kid breaks an Ugly Stick, wean them from the Wheaties.

Having taught a zillion kids to fish over the last dozen years, I can also say that the best reel is an “underspin” style rather than a thumb button like many of us learned on. The underspin has the same internal workings, but uses the index finger on a trigger to actuate casting in much the same fashion as an open face spinning reel. They’re as tangle free as a push button model, but more natural to use, and they make the step up to an open face reel very easy. A bonus is that you again gain coolness points for it being like Dad’s. A double bonus is that, since you bought the longer and more durable Ugly Stick, it will last long enough to step up to a spinning reel when it’s time, which can then go on the same rod.

Great stocking stuffers for kids include a cheap and heavy crankbait with the hooks removed to be used as a casting plug (more points for being like Dad’s, instead of a generic rubber casting plug), a small tackle box with some basics in it (which will help keep the kids out of your huge and expensive tackle box), and a stringer which builds hope and is a great way to start teaching about selective harvest and the circle of life.

Let’s say you’re now buying for a lady angler; this is easy. Don’t buy tackle, don’t buy gadgets, and definitely don’t buy waders or vests (trust me on this one). The operative term for selecting great gifts for the ladies is comfort. The best gifts for her are the things that will make the time in the boat or on the riverbank more pleasant. Since you can’t buy yourself patience to be used on outings with her (hint, hint), the next best thing is comfy stuff. Buy her SmartWool socks, poly long underwear, nice sun shirts, good polarized glasses, or even good wet wading shoes or sandals. In short, anything that makes her time around the water nicer. Us manly men have to catch fish at all costs; she just has to have a good time trying. ‘Nuff said.

Speaking of manly men, what do you get for the hardcore angler that has everything, especially when you have no idea exactly what they have or even what they fish for? I used to love it when a wife would walk up to the fishing counter and ask me what she should get for her for husband, to which I would reply “what kind of fishing does he do?” The answer was usually something like “mostly lakes, but sometimes rivers”, or “trout, bass, walleye…you know, fish”. Great, but that doesn’t help me pick tackle intelligently. And please don’t buy him a fish tie or other cheesy stuff. Instead, consider getting him something like a multi-piece pack rod that he can keep in the truck, thereby making him fish-ready at all times. St. Croix makes a 5-piece Triumph spinning rod perfect for just that. It fishes well, is affordable, and is infinitely mobile. Nothing says “love” like giving him the opportunity to fish more!

Another great gift is his annual fishing license, parks pass, or whatever permit is required for him to access his beloved home waters. Nobody likes to buy this stuff, and it’ll really show that you were thinking. Put it in the stocking or a card along with a Sportsman’s Warehouse gift card; he’ll be thrilled. Maps of fishing access areas are great too, because, though we don’t follow directions well, we do like maps. A hand held GPS with a chip for your state that shows landowner and access info is at the top of my personal wish list.

So, while I jest about hunting sleigh draggers, I am serious about fishing gifts for outdoorsmen and women, and especially the up-and-comers on your list. It shows that we appreciate the passion that everyone that enjoys the outdoors possesses, and that we encourage participation.  What could possibly be a better gift than that?