Gift ideas for the outdoors enthusiasts on your list

You may be wondering what to give the outdoors person on your Christmas list. I may have a few ideas.

This year, for the first time, I suffered from skin cancer. In spite of slathering myself with SPF 30 sunscreen every day I am afield, a bump appeared on my left cheek. At first, I thought was a pimple, then an ingrown hair. Finally, my dermatologist discovered it was a melanoma. That scared the hell out of me.

As luck would have it, the good people at Fieldsheer offered to send me a hooded shirt and a face mask that help protect the wearer from the harmful rays of the sun. I explained to them my current situation and gratefully accepted their offer. This all happened in the late fall, so I have not had a chance to try out the shirt and mask, but they seem to be very lightweight and should be quite comfortable in the hottest weather. 

If you have a special person who spends a great deal of time outdoors in the sun, I can’t think of a better gift than a Fieldsheer shirt. Fishing, surfing, hiking, playing tennis or any outdoor activity in the sun deserves this type of protection from skin cancer.

My next idea is a tackle bag. Last year for my 80th birthday, my lovely sister gave me $80. It took me a few weeks to find something to buy with her gift, but then I saw a tackle bag and, boy, did it turn out to be money well spent.

The bag I chose is a KastKing that has more storage than even I can use. The construction is solid, with strong zippers and tabs on the ends so you can find them easily. The insides of the pockets are smooth and will not grab hooks, and there is a holder for your fishing pliers on the outside so they are right where you need them.  

I can think of no better gift than a book to read and learn from during these cold winter days and nights. As you may have guessed, I have a few suggestions. 

“Surf Fishing the Atlantic Coast” by yours truly is a good read with lots of information you can use if and when we get some fish back along the beaches in Delaware. Another of my books, “Ultimate Guide to Striped Bass Fishing,” was titled by the publisher. There is no ultimate guide to any fish. What I tried to do was give the reader good information on where and how to catch striped bass. Right now, they are in North Jersey in numbers we never saw when this book was written. “Fishing Saltwater Baits” is exactly what it says: how to buy, cut, hook and fish a wide variety of baits used in saltwater fishing. Finally, a good word for my son Ric’s book, “The Complete Kayak Fisherman.” Ric is the editor of Kayak Angler Magazine and fishes from his kayak almost every day. He knows of what he writes, and if you know a kayak angler on your gift list, this is the book for him or her. 

Whenever possible, try to shop local. The tackle shops are well stocked. And if they don’t have what you are looking for, they may be able to order the item. The books were available in the local bookstores, but not the last time I checked. Once again, ask them to order a copy or, if all else fails, they are available from Amazon.

Fishing report

I got a firsthand report from my friend Keith Kaufman. His son Cody heard about the striped bass run off the Delaware coast and came down last Thursday with his girlfriend Jayde Tyson. On Friday, they all went out of Indian River Inlet on Keith’s boat and trolled CD-30 Bomber plugs. They caught and released a 47- and a 37-inch striped bass inside the Three-Mile Limit.

Other successful striped bass anglers include Frank Tucker, who fished from his own boat after being laid up for most of the season. 

There may have been more bluefin tuna caught Friday and Saturday, but if so, I did not get the report. It will take a few days for things to settle down after the passage of the most recent cold front last Sunday. I had 2.5 inches of rain at my house, and that will mess up the fishing in Delaware Bay and Indian River Inlet. I believe the striped bass will stick around so long as the water temperature remains above 48 degrees and the menhaden are still here.