By Captain David Lifka
mail@floridanewsline.com
Once again it’s the time of year to find the perfect gift for the fishing people in your life this holiday season. When shopping there is always that little bit of uncertainty as to whether the gifts you buy are actually something they need or will even use. Your goal is to find the perfect gift, but your confidence to do so just isn’t quite there. Here are a few ideas that will hopefully make this year’s shopping a little easier:
If money is not an object, then definitely a new fishing boat is the way to go. Ranging in price from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars, this is an idea that probably will not be on too many people’s shopping lists; however, a fishing kayak is a different story.
Kayaks provide a fishing platform capable of chasing down multiple species of fresh and saltwater fish. From rivers, to creeks, lakes, ponds, marshes, and even the ocean, one could expect a kayak to provide the access required to catch bream and bass on one day, trout, reds, and flounder on another and even kingfish and cobia on yet another day. Because of their relatively low costs to purchase (usually a few hundred dollars up to a couple thousand), and little to no cost to own after purchase (no gas, no maintenance, no registration fees), a fishing kayak really could make a great gift for someone wanting to take their fishing talents to another level.
For the new or established fishing person you may be shopping for, there are still many more gift ideas that won’t put as big of a dent in the wallet. Here are a few more ideas:
Wearable inflatable life vests, additional life jackets, proper Coast Guard equipment, first aid box, and any other items that might relate to the safety of a fishing trip. Fishing tools, such as bait knives, filet knives, and fishing pliers. New generation coolers, which can hold ice and cool contents for days instead of hours. Additional tackle boxes or trays to increase tackle storage. New marine electronics such as GPS, sonar, and marine radios, and finally something really easy: clothing. Not just shirts and shorts, but also the products that are designed to protect against UV rays including sunglasses and hats.
Fishing Report: Speckled perch, also known as Crappie, should be turning on in area creeks and lakes during cooler weather periods with live minnows for bait. On the warmer days, switch to worms for bait and a possible shellcracker bite.
Whether you catch one, some or none, the family time spent fishing will last a lifetime.
