Shopping for the Sportsman or Woman on Your List
Christmas shopping for a dedicated angler is tough.
As editor Sandra Martin wrote a couple weeks back, “Sporting Life columnist Dennis Doyle regularly warns against giving tackle to anglers. Why? Because unless you’re as expert as they are, you’re vulnerable to making a choice they’ll scorn.”
It’s true. Usually, and unfortunately, the shopper has little to no knowledge of the needs or desires of the sporting fanatic, and for good reason. Serious anglers have generally abandoned logic and reason.
Over the years I have gotten well-intentioned sporting gifts that I not only had no use for but also had no intention of being seen with. Some that come to mind are the TV-hyped Pocket Fisherman, though that might have been an ideal gift for a six-year-old — once they’ve had the hooks removed.
Also avoid any number of “magical lures” also widely advertised on TV, especially those involving battery power. They have as much chance of catching a fish as using a Christmas tree ornament with a hook attached.
However, I have found some items recently that are worth considering and even a few that most sportspeople might not have noticed.
The first is a rather common-sense solution to on- and off-season tackle storage. With vertical holders for up to 12 rods plus shelving for spare reels and multiple boxes of lures, the Tackle Station is the ultimate garage-, basement- or mud-room storage unit.
The next is a rather recent addition to the casting-reel category, a unit that has perfected ease of use. The new Shimano low-profile Curado DC 150 reel has integrated a computer chip that pretty much puts an end to the bird’s nests and line tangles that plague that reel type. If you know an angler who has been struggling with these complicated and difficult-to-use reels, giving this new model may just make you a hero overnight. They make that much of a difference.
My next suggestion may seem minor until you understand the problem it solved. For years I have attempted to find an effective facial sunblock. Having tried many national brands advertised as waterproof, tearproof, sunproof and greasy-feel-free, I had consistently been disappointed in all categories, especially sunburn. Quite by accident last season, I came upon a small container of Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Weightless Sunscreen that my Florida-based oldest son had left behind. After initially dismissing it as a Miami fashion statement, I tried it. Its effectiveness shocked me. With one application on a 90-degree-plus Bay day, full sun, on the water sans shade and with only a ball cap for protection, I was unscathed at day’s end. What’s more, my face felt grease- and ointment-free.
