More Essential Christmas Gift Ideas
These last-minute gift ideas are the best you’ll ever see
One of the highlights of the Christmas season is gift giving. If you’re struggling with what to ask for or how to shop for the bass angler in your life some or all of the following might be the ticket. If none of the below trips your trigger, then you may want to check out part one of our Christmas list extravaganza.
$28.99 – $99.99 – PowerPro Maxcuatro braided line
The original PowerPro has been the standard for braid for a long time – PowerPro Maxcuatro is the latest and greatest. Born of a fiber that other companies aren’t using yet, the line is 25 percent thinner than regular PowerPro. That means you can pack way more 80-pound-test onto a reel for long range frogging or stick 20-pound-test on a spinning rod and get the performance of 15-pound-test. There’s really no downside to thinner and stronger line, plus braid lasts forever. If you buy it, it’s almost a guarantee that the person you’re shopping for will need it at some point.
$4.99 – Dirty Jigs Scott Canterbury Flippin’ Jig
Used in part to win at Beaver Lake this year, the Scott Canterbury Flippin’ Jig is a truly excellent bait. There’s not an angler in the world with too many jigs, and these are applicable anywhere there’s a dock, some grass, a laydown or anything else to flip (and they don’t swim half bad either). They come in plenty of colors and sizes, but brown, green pumpkin or black and blue in a 1/2-ounce model is a good way to hit the mark wherever you are.
$7.49 – Strike King Hack Attack Heavy Cover Flipping Hooks
Despite Strike King not being known for hooks, the Hack Attack Heavy Cover Flipping Hooks are pretty great. They’re extremely stout, the bait keeper is well built and they have a ton of gap. The eye isn’t welded, but it is either sealed or crimped so tightly that it won’t let braid slip through, so you’re good to go on that front as well. The 4/0 or 5/0 size will take care of most flipping baits and should help put more fish in the boat.
$4.99 – $7.99 – Stick Jacket Fishing Rod Covers
A good fishing rod is a big investment and it’s never a bad idea to protect it. For that, a Stick Jacket in the casting or spinning model is a great way to go. Even if you have so many rods that you don’t care if one breaks Stick Jackets make sense – mesh rod covers make disorganized rod lockers a thing of the past. Good rod covers are great for co-anglers too, at the least, they make getting into the boat a lot more organized in the morning.
$49.95 – Simms Exstream Half Finger Glove
Winter fishing calls for a good pair of fingerless glove and Simms makes some of the best. The Exstream Half Finger is one of the best options. You’ll still need a pair of full gloves or mittens for running, but these gloves are warm, dry quick and fish great once you’re actually casting.
$9.99 – The 2017 FLW Calendar
This might come as a shock, but 2017 is just around the corner. If you’re an FLW Member you just got an FLW Calendar in the mail, but if you aren’t, or know someone who isn’t, the calendar makes a great gift. Not only does it have all the regular holidays on it, but it’s got great photos from our web and magazine team and lists all the 2017 FLW tournaments.
$6.49 – Yamamoto Zako Swimbait
After a long time with the Lake Fork Live Magic Shad dominating the vibrating jig trailer scene, there’s been a flurry of new trailers in recent years. The newest of the bunch is the Yamamoto Zako. It’s already getting a lot of buzz and Mr. ChatterBait – aka Brett Hite – has already had tournament success with it. Built of a little more durable plastic than a Senko, the Zako is a nice size for a trailer and comes in all the right colors.
$229.99 – Shimano Stradic CI4+
Getting a baitcasting reel for someone can be a little tricky – you need to know what hand they want to reel with and select the correct gear ratio. Getting a spinning reel is a lot easier – the 3000 size Stradic CI4+ is arguably the best reel on the market and has been for a while. Butter smooth, light and sporting a time-tested drag, the CI4+ is one of the most popular reels among tournament anglers and something that many willingly spend their own money on. There’s no way anyone could be disappointed with such a kingly gift.
$4.99 – Blade Runner Screw Lock Spintrix Underspin
Under spins area great for the winter, weather you stick a Fluke or a swimbait on it, they seem to always tempt deep wintertime bass. The new Screw Lock Spintrix Underspin is a dynamite option, and the screw lock keeper is a great addition – add a dab of Super Glue and you’ll keep baits on longer than ever. Just going with a 1/4-ounce size is good, but they come all the way to 3/4-ounce to fit any style of fishing.
$6.07 – Super Glue
Super Glue is an essential when fishing soft plastics on jig heads. In the long run, it’ll save you money and make fishing a lot more successful. The best stuff is the ULTRA Gel Control from Loctite. It comes in a really good bottle, applies easily, usually doesn’t spill in storage and nobody ever has enough of it. It’s unexciting, but even if you already have three bottles, you’ll accidentally run out without replenishing at some point.