Great gift ideas for fishermen, hunters

By Roger Aziz
Correspondent

Fishermen and hunters are easy to buy gifts for. There are so many items available, such as rods and reels for fishermen, gun-cleaning kits and gun cases for hunters, and clothing made of modern, lightweight materials to keep everyone warm and dry.

Buying guns for hunters is not a good idea. In some cases it would be illegal, but mainly, the reason to avoid such a gift is that hunters know what they want in a gun. And unless they pick it out themselves, such a gift would not be that well accepted.

Fishermen, on the other hand, are easier to accommodate when it comes to Christmas gifts. If the fisherman is a fly-fishing purist, chances are good that buying him or her a peripheral-type gift will please him more than a rod or reel. Veteran fly fishermen, like hunters, prefer to buy their own rods and reels.

However, if the recipient of your gift is a novice at fly fishing, a nine-foot graphite rod rated for five- or six-weight line is a good way to get started. A single-action reel with a forward-weight, floating fly line is a good match. These can be purchased starting at $60.

Most spin fishermen, however, would be glad to receive a new rod and reel for Christmas. A good guideline when buying freshwater tackle is to buy an all-around combination. A seven-foot, medium-action, two-piece spinning rod with a medium-sized reel capable of holding 200 yards of six-pound test line is a good bet for any fisherman. Such a rod can be used for trout, bass and shad fishing. Spinning-rod combinations start as low as $30, but fairly good ones will begin at $60.

Smaller gifts are always welcome by fishermen and hunters. For fishermen, tackle bags with plastic box inserts are handy for storing fishing flies, lures and miscellaneous items. Many of these range from $10 to $15. Hard tackle boxes begin at $15 with larger ones $40.

Fishing tackle such as line clippers, a digital scale and sets of lure packages are all great stocking stuffers. Many of these cost under $10.

For hunters, a good compass always helps, while the more expensive global positioning systems range from $99 to $500. And any expendable items such as small, throwaway ponchos and pocket-sized first aid kits are good stocking stuffers.

All outdoors folks, whether they hunt or fish, can use winter underwear. A good set of polypropylene underwear is important in the outdoors scheme of things in winter. Both ice fishermen and hunters need to stay warm when afield.