It’s that time of year again where we talk about Christmas gifts for your favorite fishing person. This time I thought we would talk about inexpensive gifts – those that will cost less than $40; in fact, most will be around $19.95. I have learned over the years that the more I learn about fishing, the less I know about fishing. Becoming a good fisherman is a learning process that never ends, so my first choices of gifts are learning tools. “In-Fisherman” makes a great set of DVDs about every facet of fishing and they cost less than $15 each. I really like the DVD that covers beginning fishing, because it is 45 minutes of really great information for those just getting into fishing. They also have DVDs about almost every species of fish you can imagine; my personal library has 20 plus of “In-Fishermen” DVDs and tapes. They are available on line @ In-Fisherman.com.
If you were thinking about giving a rod and reel for Christmas for that beginning angler, both Cabela’s and Dick’s have really good deals on spin casting combinations. They have their own in-store brands as well as one’s from Zebco that sell for $19.99 to $29.95. These combinations are better made and will last longer than a “Snoopy” or “Princess” model and are only a few dollars more.
I usually advise against buying fishing lures, but at this time of year, they have special packages available that make it worthwhile. Cabela’s has a floating minnow kit with 12 crank baits in 6 colors/2 sizes for $17.99, and a plastic walleye grub kit with 100 pieces for $14.99. Almost every fisherman out there would be happy to get either of these as a gift. These multipacks are usually available only online at Cabelas.com.
If you buy new fishing lures, you might want to consider a new tackle bag. I prefer a soft tackle bag with multiple plastic boxes inside, because you can change the boxes with the type of fish you will be fishing for and only have to carry one bag. The smaller bags, with three or four plastic boxes inside, start at about $19.95.
I hope this helps a little with your Christmas shopping. Next time we’ll talk about some other Christmas gifts that will be a little more expensive, and targeted for the more experienced fishermen. Until then, keep a tight line.
Visit Dick at hookedonfishing@comcast.net.