Staff Picks for Holiday Gifts
Suggestions for the angler in your life
With Christmas just around the corner, perhaps you could use some help with your shopping. Whether you’re looking for the perfect gift for an angler or thinking of what to put on your own list for Santa to deliver, Christmas shopping can be a daunting task. Luckily our staff of elves has some pretty good suggestions to cover just about any taste or budget.
Stocking Stuffers
Jethro Baits Stop-itz – $2.99 – $13.49
Perfect for stocking stuffers, the Jethro Baits Stop-itz should be in every angler’s tackle box. No reds or yellows, just black rubber stoppers for Texas rigs, Carolina rigs, punching rigs and any other uses a fisherman might come up for these handy pieces of rubber. And let’s be honest, no angler can ever have too many tackle accessories.
Stop-itz are also easy on the wallet, retailing for $2.99 for 18 stoppers or $13.49 for 90.
More info at Jethro Baits.
Revenge Swimbait Hedz XL – $5.89
Choose from among 14 detailed color patterns that match the shade of your favorite swimbait. Better stock up now, because these heads get scarce when swimbait season rolls around.
The Hedz XL come in a two-pack that sells for $5.89.
Purchase here.
Roboworm Fat Straight Tail Worms – $3.49 – $3.59
Roboworms are among the most popular finesse baits out there, so they make the perfect gift for anglers of all skill levels. Buy your favorite fishermen a few different packs in several different color options to cover every water condition and baitfish.
When it comes to colors, green pumpkin and watermelon are safe bets, but don’t overlook the more offbeat colors such as Aaron’s Morning Dawn, Aaron’s Magic, and Oxblood Red Flake. Picking out a few different colors will help build a better finesse fishing arsenal.
Purchase here.
Megabass Spark Shad – $6.99 – $9.99
If you’re shopping for the angler who has everything, get him a few Megabass Spark Shad Swimbaits. The innovative dorsal fin keeps the lure swimming upright and the paddle tail gives it some erratic action.
Megabass Spark Shads are a bit on the expensive side for a five-pack, but any angler would be grateful to have them. The Spark Shad is available in three different sizes with prices ranging from $6.99 to $9.99, depending on the model. Each size is offered in a variety of fish-catching colors.
Purchase here.
Super Glue
This miracle concoction flies under just about everybody’s radar, but it’s a tool that has myriad uses. From repairing plastic baits, rods or boat hardware, super glue (it has many names, but let’s use the generic title) can save the day. Heck, some anglers even use it to close up small cuts in their fingers so they can keep fishing without annoying pain.
Most super glues are fairly inexpensive and all do the same thing; some brands such as Loctite or Scotch are marketed in handy dispensing bottles that make using it a lot easier.
Big-Ticket Items
Triton Mike Buca Bull Shad – $50 – $90
Hard swimbaits don’t get a lot of love from tournament anglers east of the Great Plains. Maybe they’ll be more open-minded this holiday season if they receive one of the best tournament-grade hard swimbaits hard-earned money can buy: the Bull Shad.
This jointed gizzard shad imitator might look a little like a middle school craft project, what with its rough surface finish and fanned paintbrush-like tail, but in the water it looks darn close to the real deal.
The Bull Shad is about as versatile as hard swimbaits come, too. It can be fished all over the water column and around most any cover. It also makes a dynamite search bait when simply cast out and retrieved like a spinnerbait.
The bigger sizes are probably best reserved for toad hunting. The smaller sizes will catch pigs and piglets just the same, so if you’re shopping for an angler who hasn’t shown much interest in hopping on the big-bait bandwagon, give him a 5-inch Bull Shad, and by next Christmas he’ll probably have a full-on swimbait addiction.
The Bull Shad comes in fast-sinking, slow-sinking (a good all-around choice) and floating models, in several sizes from “average” to “holy cow, that’s big.” The price varies quite a bit by model too – from about $50 to $90.
Learn more at BullShad.com
Purchase here.
iRod Genesis II Andy’s Light Flipping/Junk Rod – $149.99
The beauty of this rod as a gift is that is can do a little of everything – there’s almost no chance that the recipient won’t find a way to incorporate it into his fishing.
Designed by Andy Morgan (yeah, the Andy Morgan of back-to-back AOY titles) for skipping and flipping jigs and other stuff up shallow, this rod does a lot more too. It’s a slick rod for light frogging, medium swimbaits, biggish topwaters, Texas rigs and just plain catching bigguns.
Check it out at iRodFishing.com
Purchase here.
No. 8 Tackle BlackOut – $79.99 – $84.99
If the BlackOut is the most expensive rod you own, you’re sure to fall in love with it. If it isn’t, you’ll still probably like it a whole lot. Associate Editor Jody White has used the 7-3, medium-heavy power, extra-fast action model and it’s for sure a workhorse mid- to light-duty baitcaster. If Jody had to guess, the 7-4 heavy and the 7-6 medium-heavy models would also be really good sticks.
For the angler looking to get their first nice rod, or someone trying to expand their collection without breaking the bank, the BlackOut will do the job pretty handily.
To learn more, visit No8Tackle.com
Purchase here.
Lew’s Team Pro Magnesium Speed Spool ACB – $279.99
If that special someone in your life has been on the “nice” list this season, then show you care with a new Lew’s Pro Magnesium baitcaster. Sure, it’s a little pricey, but the years of joy it will provide makes it totally worth it.
For starters, this reel looks super awesome. There isn’t an angler on the planet that wouldn’t want to unwrap this bad boy. On top of the cool styling, the Pro Magnesium is extremely lightweight and functional – basically meaning this is one reel a fisherman won’t want to take out of his hands.
Lew’s just released this reel so you can be fairly certain the angler on your list doesn’t have one. It’s offered in both left and right hand retrieves to accommodate any preference.
To read more about the details of the reel, go to Lews.com
Purchase here.
Shimano Casitas – $119.99
Here’s another new release for 2015: the Shimano Casitas.
The $119.99 retail price makes it appealing to those who want to add another baitcaster to their lineup or newbies simply looking to purchase their first reel. Shimano has long been known for the durability and dependability of its reels and the Casitas is a worthy addition to that legacy.
This reel offers some features of the high-end Shimano baitcasters while sporting a sleek, clean look. It comes in two different gear ratios (6.3:1 and 7.2:1) to cover almost any technique out there.
See more at ShimanoFish.com
Purchase here.
Costa Del Mar Rooster – $169 – $249
If you glance around your local tackle shop or tournament weigh-in, odds are good that you’ll see a bunch of people wearing Costa Del Mar sunglasses – and for good reason. Costa has long been leading the way with its polarized glasses and offer dozens of frame styles to accommodate just about anyone.
The Rooster, which is designed for larger faces, is the newest addition to the Costa lineup. Choose among seven different lens colors (as well as a prescription option) and four different frame colors. If gas station specials are the only sunglasses you’ve ever worn, then you owe it to yourself to try a pair of Costas. You won’t believe the difference.
Check out the whole lineup at CostaDelMar.com
Purchase here.