Fishpond's Piopod Trash Holder is a Great Gift - Fishpond
Fishing fanatics love to get tackle and gear for the holidays - a new lure or gadget is better than any tie or cookbook - and these gifts all cost $25 or less:
- The Piopod mini trash container from Fishpond gives your angler an easy place to stow all the trash of fishing, such as pieces of line, lure packages and food wrappers. The Piopod clips to a fishing vest, belt or suspender straps. It's also good for the environment. The Piopod sells for $12.95.
- The original Rapala Floating Minnow is one of the best lures to ever plop into water. Rapalas have caught hundreds of world-record fish - from panfish to trout to bass - and every spin or casting angler needs a few. This lure sells for $5 to $8 at just about every tackle store on the planet.
- A new spool of line. Every angler should change the line in their reels at least once a year, and winter is the best time for the job. A new spool of top-quality monofilment line, such as Stren or Trilene, starts at about $6.
- How about a new cap that repels mosquitos, ticks and other nasty, biting bugs? Caps treated with Buzz Off - a natural chemical that bugs can't stand - will keep pests at bay. These caps run from $20 to $25.
It's easy to spend more money - lots more money - on fishing gifts this holiday season, but just about every angler can use these simple, inexpensive gifts:
- Every angler should slather on sunscreen to prevent painful sunburn and dangerous skin cancer. Anglers are vulnerable to skin cancers, as they fish on and on under the broiling sun. Banana Boat's Sport sunscreens are easy to apply, are waterproof and come in SPF levels 15 to 80. A three-ounce tube, which fits in a vest pocket or tacklebox, sells for about $5 in drugstores.
- Peanut butter snack crackers are sold at just about every supermarket, and you can get eight packages that each contain six or so bite-sized snacks for about $5. These little crackers are just the thing to keep starvation at bay while fishing. The wrapped crackers stay dry and fit into a pocket.
- One-gallon food storage bags that have waterproof seals. These bags are in every grocery store, and they're perfect for keeping water off batteries, cell phones and even small cameras. They're also great for storing fishing leaders, soft plastic lures and, yes, food. These bags are less than $7.
- Roostertail spinners are go-to lures when all else fails - especially for trout, bass and panfish anglers. These lures have hooked fish for decades, and they're about $2 apiece at any tackle store.
- Older anglers don't want to admit it, but they probably need a set of magnifying glasses that clip to the brim of their caps and folds away when they're done threading a two-pound-test leader into the eye of a tiny dry fly. These gizmos run from $18 to $25 and are available at most tackle shops and outdoor stores.
- A pair of top-notch, high-tech wool socks. Ties are bad gifts for anglers, but a good pair of socks, such as SmartWool, keep their feet dry and comfortable throughout the year - especially if they're wearing waders. SmartWool socks run from $14 to $18 a pair, and they protect feet for years.
A Final Idea
There is one thing that comes in handy for every angler - a roll of duct tape.
Copyright Chester Allen. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
Chester Allen - Chester Allen has never been able to understand why anyone would live or vacation in a dry, gritty desert. Water -- whether it's salty ...
