Ho, Ho, Ho and away we go!

It’s that time of year again. A time to enjoy with family and friends. It’s a joyous, happy time that many look forward to.

As well, Christmas/New Years is a time to reflect on your past season’s “fishing” success, whether that be good, bad, or indifferent. If you are at all like us, those reflections come with possible fixes. Those fixes often require a change in gear, or tools, or simply put, stuff!

What better time to look into that stuff, make a Christmas list, and (hopefully) be the recipient of said “stuff”.

By the way, we highly recommend that the “angler” of the house quickly and happily sends this link to their significant other when it comes to that “I need some gift suggestions from you for Christmas so you better hurry up…” time of the year.

In no particular order, here are 10 suggestions.

01 – Fish Finder

Although this may be an extremely hard gift to take a shot at with a “guess”, it surely will be a home run if you are looking for a “the skies the limit” present for the ultimate angler who seems to have everything. 

You can spend as little as a few hundred bucks and all the way into the thousands… “come on honey, PLEASE, PLEASE????”

Garmin offers an array of chartplotters & fishfinders to suit every angler’s needs. Starting with the Striker units, then moving to the EchoMap units, and finally, all the way up to the GPSMAP series.

If you want a touch and feel look at what you’re purchasing, check out our buddies at Radioworld; they know all things Garmin.

Can you say “the ultimate Christmas gift???”

02 – Fishing Trip Of A Lifetime

Has your fishing “person” always wanted, desired, or simply talked about a fishing lodge trip? Could you imagine the look on their face on Christmas morning when they open this single, plain white envelope with just their name written on it, and inside that envelope is an official certificate showing them a trip to their “fishing holy-grail”.

Your plan as the person giving out this gift is to find what your angler likes. Are they a Walleye person? Does Pike get them going? Are they all about Brook Trout? Maybe they are a Muskie maniac? Finding their desired species is a great start.

Remember, not all good fishing trips entail the fly-in aspect. If price is an issue, there are many drive-to fishing locations throughout the country that offer fantastic fishing. If you can afford to purchase a fly-in trip, then maybe your giftee prefers an outpost trip vs. a fishing lodge trip.

A great idea is to call up their best fishing buddy and tell them what you are up to. Ask them where your fishing freak would love to go. Maybe even suggest that the best fishing buddy goes along on the trip (at their expense of course). That way, included in that plain white envelope are the words “Trip for Two” and the bud as well as your fishing-freak are looking forward to the most awesome fishing gift idea ever!

Some Resource Ideas: Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, BC, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, Newfoundland/Labrador, Yukon, North West Territories, Nunavut

03 – Sleeping At The Boat Launch

Does that avid angling hubby (or dad or wife/mom or anyone else that’s seemingly crazy) of yours get up at ungodly hours to be at the lake or river just as the sun rises? Do you inadvertently hear the chiming of their 3:30am phone alarm dinging annoyingly on a Saturday or Sunday morning? Or are you that perfect couple who fishes and hunts together on a regular basis and simply wants to save time?

We’ll bet if those fishaholics stayed a bit closer to their fishing destination, it would be better for all parties!

How about one of the most unique camping ideas ever to come along? 

A company called Napier Outdoors has taken camping to a futuristic level. Essentially they have converted pickup trucks and SUV’s into a handy little campsite all without changing the look of your vehicle to an ungodly appearance.

This is such a cool idea and would make an awesome Christmas gift!

04 – Line Em’ Up

The one constant that you can bet on in an angler’s life is fishing line. No matter what species they’re after, they (we) all use fishing line, and we need to update it on a regular basis. 

Again, with some investigation, you can sneak into the fishing storage area of your home or cottage and see what type of line(s) your angler likes to use. Or, by asking a fishing buddy who intimately knows your angler, you’ll hopefully get a straight answer. 

Do they love the lack of stretch of braid? Do they desire the invisibility of fluorocarbon? How about a line made up with a combination of materials like a Hybrid that molecularly bonds nylon and fluorocarbon during the extrusion. Or… maybe they’re an ice fishing fanatic?

You can’t go wrong… if you get the right line.

05 – Fillet Knife

If your angler loves the odd feed of fresh fish, then they really do need a good filleting knife. This is a crucial tool to get the job done as neatly, efficiently, and quickly as possible.

The most widely available brand is Rapala. They have a huge lineup of good knives. Two others that are quite popular in today’s filleting world are Cuda and Bubba Blade.

If you want to dig a bit deeper and get them something different than the norm (i.e. a high-quality piece with the best available steel), look into a Buck, or a Gerber. 

For the ultimate in craftsmanship, a Wusthof… guaranteed to get the job done in style!

06 – Mapping/Chart SD Card

Every good angler can turn into an even better angler if they incorporate quality fishing maps into their GPS units. These are technically called Bathymetric maps and they show even the most minute details in lake bottoms. One-foot increments in contour lines are now the norm. A must-have and a great gift or the ultimate stocking stuffer.

In the Garmin world, they are known as LakeVu g3 maps for the freshwater angler and BlueChart g3 for the coastal angler.

If you need a bit of help as to which lakes in your area are charted, Garmin has a great web page dedicated to helping you out.

07 – Good Rain Gear

A tried and true, dedicated angler would never let the rain stop them from a day on the water. However, in order to succeed on that day, they need proper rain gear. This is one of those no-brainer purchases that guys like Ang and Pete have no problem spending a bit of extra coin. Believe it or not, there are many products out there that claim to be “waterproof” but by day’s end of a long fishing outing, the undergarments that this said rain gear is protecting, are soaked.

If your budget can’t handle the full pop, then a gift certificate that can be used towards such an essential fishing item will go a long way.

08 – Portable Ice Hut

Again, we’re going big with this one and guess what, Christmas brings it to ice anglers JUST IN TIME!

If your fisher-of-all-fishers is a loner then a one-person hut is all they need. If they’re a bit of a socialite, then a multi-person is the ticket.

Companies like Clam, Frabill, Otter and Eskimo all have great units.

And if you are looking for the ultimate in ice shelters, then you might want to check out Ice Shacks by Canadian Fabrication.

09 – Good Tackle Box(s)

Nothing says “keep your stuff organized” better than a good tackle storage system. Not only do you need ample room but your tackle’s steel components need to be rust-free while sitting for long periods between use. Plano’s Edge lineup might just be what you are looking for. With technology like Dri-Loc®, WaterWick™ and Rustrictor™, you can count on a trustworthy tackle storage system. 

Of course, if you want to keep the rust off of your existing tackle collection, you can buy inserts by Zerust that accomplish similar anti-rust technology.

10 – Yo-Zuri Lure Kit

Do you want a few fishing lure suggestions from our own Pete & Ang? 

We knew you did!

“We have always been big fans of the Yo-Zuri lure company,” says Pete, “they build high-quality, freshwater Japanese hard baits at an extraordinary price point!”

“Reno and I brought baits like the Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow into our fishing retail operation (Barklays) many years ago” continues Ang “and they were an easy sell… they looked great and worked even better”.

Here’s a list of “some” suggestions (the sky’s the limit with their full lineup):

Walleye – 3DB Jerkbait, 3DB Shad, 3DS Shad MR, Crystal Minnow Freshwater and the Crystal Minnow Deep Diver Walleye.

Smallmouth Bass – 3DB Jerkbait 110, 3DB Jerkbait 110 Deep, 3DB 1.5 MR, 3DB 1.5 Squarebill, 3DB Pencil, 3DB Popper, 3DB Deep Crank, Hardcore Vibe 75, 3D Inshore Pencil, and the PINS Minnow Floating and/or Sinking.

Largemouth Bass – 3DB Jerkbait 110, 3DB Jerkbait 110 Deep, 3DB 1.5 MR, 3DB 1.5 Squarebill, 3DB Pencil, 3DB Popper, 3DB Deep Crank, 3DB Prop, 3DB Pencil Popper 

Pike & Muskie – Crystal Minnow (all larger versions in both fresh and saltwater), Bull Popper, 3DB Pencil Popper, 3DB Pencil, Surface Cruiser, 3D Magnum DD, 

Trout & Salmon – PINS Minnow (Floating and Sinking), Snap Beans, L-Minnow, Crystal Minnow Freshwater (¼ & ½ oz), and Crystal Minnow Deep Diver Walleye ⅞ oz (trolling for Chinook Salmon).

With these suggestions, we wish you all the best during the holiday season and hopefully, your “fishing stocking” is stuffed to the gills, and there’s a bevy of some of the above suggestions under your tree.

If you want more Christmas ideas, then check out our 2020 wish list.