Gift ideas for your favorite outdoorsman

This week’s report was supposed to be a riveting tale of my latest adventure on the bounding seas aboard the Angler out of Ocean City, Md., that was scheduled for last Tuesday. All week long the weather forecast was for winds out of the north at 10 knots with seas of 2 feet or less. Then on Monday, the good folks at NOAA changed the forecast to northwest at 10 to 15 going northeast with gusts to 20 and, believe it or not, those same 2-foot seas. I didn’t believe it and neither did the captain of the Angler. He canceled the trip, and I am now on the docket for Monday, Dec. 20.

This turn of events has led me to move my usual Christmas gift ideas up one week.

Those of us who spend a lot of time outdoors fishing or hunting, or doing both have certain needs that folks who pursue other activities do not have. We require clothing that is warm in the winter, cool in the summer and will shed sweat and rain with equal effectiveness. Fortunately, there are several clothing companies that cater to the outdoorsman or woman and produce clothing that can perform well in even the harshest conditions.

Folsom, Helly Hanson, Aftco, L.L. Bean, Bimini Bay and Grunden are among the better-known brands. I have used products from all of the above and found them to be more than satisfactory.

When purchasing a gift for a hunter or fisherman, you can’t go wrong when buying something from any one of these brands. Who would turn down a wool shirt from L.L. Bean? Or a set of foul-weather gear from Helly Hanson or Grunden?

Another good idea for the fisherman on your list is to gather up his or her reels and take them to the local tackle shop to have the line replaced. If they have only a few reels, this won’t break the bank.  However, if they have reels for everything from the surf to the canyons, you may want to just select out a few of the favorites to respool.

A lot of fishermen have boats, and boats need cleaning every time they get wet. A gift idea would be a nice 5-gallon bucket. YETI makes a good one, filled with boat-cleaning products. This can be anything from soap to wax to teak cleaner to sponges and brushes to towels to shammies. Many years ago, I had a captain who always told me, “A clean boat is a happy boat.” As I slaved away under a hot sun after a long day on the deck helping our party bring in big bluefish.

A good filet knife and a good bait knife also make great gifts. These should always be two separate items. Using one knife for both jobs is not wise, and it will, sooner or later, result in loss of blood if not the loss of a digit or two.

A filet knife should be flexible and able to follow along the bone of the fish to remove as much meat as possible. A bait knife should be thicker and heavier, able to cut through skin and bone without collapsing. Most manufacturers will label their products as to their intended purpose. 

Almost every boat on the water has a VHF radio. A good gift idea is a handheld VHF radio for a backup.

I have a Standard Horizon floating VHF portable radio. I keep it at my house on its recharging dock so it is always ready when I go fishing, and in the event that we lose power at the house. You should be able to buy one for less than $200, which may seem a bit expensive, but think of the peace of mind you will have knowing that your family has the added safety of a backup VHF radio. 

On the less expensive side are the stocking stuffers: The new Tsunami Forktail Candy metal jigs that come with a single hook as standard and a treble in the package if you want to change. A plastic tackle tray or two is always appreciated. No fisherman ever has enough storage for his tackle, and if he ever has too much storage, that’s a good excuse to buys more tackle. A pair of split-ring pliers is something you don’t need until you do. I changed all the trebles on my metal jigs to single hooks, and without my split-ring pliers I would still be at it.

And then there is my continuing wish that I ask Santa for every year. A 73-foot Spencer with three VOLVO IPS drives. He claims he can’t get it down the chimney. I told him to just tie it up at my dock in front of my humble home in Palm Beach, Fla.