1. The number one best piece of advice I can offer is get professional help. No, not that kind of professional help, but the assistance of a sales associate that at the very least has been fishing once or twice in their life. While it is possible you might find such a person at a big box retailer, it's essentially a crap shoot. I have overheard some extraordinarily bad advice doled out by the employees of a large store chain whose name starts with a "W," ends with a "T" and has a logo resembling a big asterisk. The best advice can typically be found at a small, locally-owned fishing or outdoor sports stores, but big box sporting-goods retailers like Dicks, Cabela's and Bass Pro generally have someone manning the counter in the fishing department who has at least a decent knowledge of the sport. If you describe the type of fishing your friend or loved one does or at least where they fish and the type of fish they catch, a reasonably sharp person can probably point you in the right direction.
2. Unless the gift recipient has provided you with a very specific description -- and we're talking manufacturer and model number -- of what they're looking for it is best to leave rods and reels alone. There are too many options, too many variations and too much personal preference involved. And, of course, any fishermen worth his salt already has a nice collection of rods and reels, so even the most knowledgeable salesperson would have difficulty anticipating what they have, don't have and would be likely to need. Plus, a rod and reel that's going to be of any value to an enthusiast is going to be a relatively expensive item and one that you really don't want to make a mistake with. The caveat is a custom-built rod. This is something that you can give as a gift certificate which allows the recipient to get exactly the sort of rod he/she wants, built from scratch to meet their exact requirements. You can find a local custom rod maker by Googling "custom fishing rod." However, keep in mind that custom rods are not inexpensive and if you are used to seeing the $39.95 rods sold at the big box stores there's probably going to be a touch of sticker shock when you find out that even a modestly priced custom rod is going to run upwards of $300.
3. Clothing makes a good gift for the angler, and if you happen to be married to or living in proximity to that angler you have a pretty good idea what they already own in terms of fishing clothing. Personal tastes vary significantly, of course, but we know very few fishermen who would not enjoy a good quality fishing shirt like the Columbia PFG series or the Under Armour Flats Guide series. These are light weight, well-ventilated apparel designed specifically for fishermen. A logo tee or cap from a favorite brand or location is also a good bet.
4. Lures and other tackle make great Christmas gifts and stocking-stuffers. Even though you run some of that same risk of not getting precisely the right thing, the price point for these items is such that it's not going to be a major issue. Again, your best bet is to seek advice from a local store on exactly what type of lures are most commonly used in the area for the type of fishing your friend or loved one does. Lures are categorized into major groupings like spinners, buzz baits, crank baits, soft plastics, and the like, and within each of these there are a variety of variations, sizes and colors. There is no way I can possibly bring you up to date on the literally thousands of options available in the lure aisle(s) of even a small sporting goods store, but a good bet for general-purpose stocking-stuffer is a French spinner. The most popular brand of this type of lure is called a Mepps, although several other manufacturers produce their own variations on this theme. The size of the lure corresponds vaguely to the type of fishing setup the angler is using; from #0 or #1 ultra-light spinners, which weigh a 10th of an ounce or less, all the way up to a #7 which is used for large freshwater fish like muskie and pike. A good middle ground is the #3. These tend to run about 1/4 ounce and, while generally used on a light to medium rig, they are at the very extreme top end of what can be effectively cast with an ultra-light setup and can be used with heavier equipment, as well. There are a couple of different philosophies as far as colors go; there's a school of thought that says that lure colors are essentially meaningless and more important for the angler than they ever would be for the fish, but there's another school of thought that says fish really do respond differently to different colors under different conditions. I tend to side a bit more with the first camp (although I keep an open mind) and as a result tend to go with fairly basic colors and patterns. Having said that, if you like the brightly colored or intricately detailed designs, knock yourself out.
I hope this brief guide has been of some help. If you have any questions or if I can offer more specific assistance, please drop me a line at John@WynfieldCreekHomestead.com.
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