Pro-Recommended Holiday Gifts
Check out these holiday gift ideas for the angler in your life – or yourself
Professional anglers know a thing or two about catching fish. They also know all about the best products that can aid in the cause.
From maintaining gear to staying safe and efficient on the water to catching fish (and keeping warm and dry in the process), these FLW pros’ holiday gift recommendations are perfect for just about everyone.
If you’re looking for the perfect stocking stuffer, a bigger gift for a lucky angler or just something for yourself that can help bag some hawgs all year long, look no further.
James Niggemeyer – Cabela’s Guidewear
I’m always thinking about what I can use to make my day on the water more comfortable. Generally, coming out of winter, it’s always clothing. Most people don’t go out and just buy a new rain suit as a gift; it’s kind of a large ask. But the bibs or pants or rain jacket, especially a nice high-quality one like the Cabela’s Guidewear, is something every fisherman would absolutely love.
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James Niggemeyer – T-H Marine G-Juice
T-H Marine’s got a little bottle of G-Juice that’d make a perfect little stocking stuffer. It seems like you never have enough of that stuff when you’re trying to keep your catch alive and in the best health that you can.
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Bryan Schmitt – Fitzgerald Rods Bryan Schmitt Signature Swim Jig Rod
We just came out with my signature series swim jig rod with Fitzgerald Rods. We tried to make a lightweight rod with a shorter butt, so we cut 2 inches off the butt. It doesn’t restrict your forearm area if you want to work the jig, almost like you would do with a jerkbait. It’s also good for a vibrating jig, and you could throw a spinnerbait on it, too. The cool thing about it is it’s tough enough that you could put braid on it, but you could definitely go with fluoro, too.
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Dylan Hays – Mustad Extra Long Reach Heavy-Duty Fishing Pliers
These are a must-have in the boat in my opinion. A good pair of long needle-nose pliers makes life much easier. I use them for fish that are hooked deep, especially smallmouths. They are also great on fish with teeth or just for hard-to-reach places in the boat.
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Greg Bohannan – Lew’s Speed Beam Culling System
I love the speed clips on this culling system. They’re much easier and faster to use than others out there.
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Grae Buck – T-H Marine Tackle Titan Lure Hangar
It’s a magnetic strip with five magnets on it. You can stick it to the side of your boat, and you can hang your extra lures that would otherwise be on the floor on it and let them dry off. That’s one thing I really enjoyed having last season.
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Joey Cifuentes – Lucas Oil Fishing Reel Oil
You need it because you might possibly get a reel for Christmas, and you’ve got to take care of it and keep it lubed. I oil my reels just one time usually all year during the season, but I know I should probably do it more than that.
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Joey Cifuentes – Berkley Line Stripper or Line Stripper Max
These are pretty cool for removing line and re-spooling a lot faster.
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Alex Davis – T-H Marine G-Force Troll Jacket
It’s a neoprene sleeve that goes over the wires that come out of the trolling motor, from the trolling motor head to the pedal, so you don’t have black zip ties or electrical tape everywhere. It straps around the wires so if you have to work on one you just undo it, open it up and you don’t have to use 38 zip ties or seven rolls of electrical tape to put it back together.
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Josh Douglas – Simms Challenger Suit (Jacket and Bibs)
With all the guiding I do, I always make sure my guys are wearing it. It’s a little bit lighter suit, and it keeps me absolutely bone dry, which is especially nice at the price point where they’re selling it. You get all you’re used to with Simms as a maker of high-end, quality gear, but it’s only $400 for the set (jacket and bibs).
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Cody Hahner – GO PUCK
It’s a battery pack for your GoPro so you can have it running all the time. That was a really helpful tool for me last season.
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Brian Latimer – Mustang Taku Suit (Jacket and Bibs)
Right off the bat, one great gift is a rain suit. I used to struggle with that all the time, because rain suits are real expensive. I always wanted for someone to buy me a rain suit. It’s kind of a big investment that nobody wants to spend the money on, but if someone can buy it for you that’s amazing. The one I wear now is a Mustang Taku; they’re a sponsor of mine, but if they weren’t I’d still want one.
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Bradford Beavers – LED Headlight
I think a cheap headlight is a really good, practical gift. I use it for fishing in the morning – every boat has a courtesy light, but it’s hard to tie knots with just that. I use them to hunt ducks and deer. I’ve kinda got one everywhere. If you have to work on something in the shop or on a boat or something it’s a lot easier to have one on than to hold a light. It’s practical, even if you don’t hunt or fish. Almost anybody could use a headlight. I get a bunch of cheap ones; they’re like $20 dollars apiece. There are some real expensive ones, but the way I am I know I’m going to break them or lose them.
Larry Nixon – 3-inch Cuda Titanium Bonded Braid and Mono Scissor
The little scissors they’ve got are only about $4 a pair, but they’re incredible. You can throw a pair or two here or there in your boat and truck, and they’re awesome. That’s one of the handiest little presents you can get anybody, and they’re not expensive. They cut braid, fluorocarbon, anything. They last a long time, and they’re cheap.
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Buddy Gross – HotHands Body and Hand Super Warmers
I don’t live without HotHands in the cold weather. They last 18 hours. I put them in my Phantom hoodie in the little pocket where your hands go. I put them there, and it keeps your whole body warm. Then I put two in my jacket. On cold, damp days it keeps my whole body warm and keeps me out there on the water longer.
Kyle Cortiana – Seirus Softshell Gloves
I like a good pair of fishing gloves. I know a few other anglers on the Tour that use this exact pair just for cold-weather fishing, but they’re pretty thin so they keep you warm, and they don’t inhibit your ability to use your hands and fingers. I’ve used a bunch of different ones. Most people aren’t comfortable using a baitcaster with gloves with a big thumb. I like these because it feels like I’ve still got my actual hands. They’re thin around my finger, but they’re still really warm. They’re good for gripping, and you don’t lose any mobility.
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Cody Hahner – Lake X Lures Dr. Evil
Basically, it’s a larger-style plopper bait. It’s the most popular plopper bait in the muskie industry, which is where the whole plopper craze kind of started. I’m a huge muskie fisherman, and I don’t know of anyone that throws a “tail bait” other than the Lake X. It’s a larger size and something that’s fun to throw around for bass. It’s relatively inexpensive too.
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John Cox – Bass Mafia Money Bag
These bags are super durable. You can’t tear them, plus they have a zipper to seal them, so it keeps whatever you put in there protected from moisture. I keep all my plastics in them, jigs with trailers in one, ChatterBaits with trailers in another, and they hardly take up any space. It’s also nice that they are clear so you can see in them really easy. My kids even use them to take their lunches to school.
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Sheldon Collings – Floor Jack
My dad actually got me a two-ton hydraulic trolley jack before I went to Florida last year, and thankfully I haven’t had to use it yet, but I guarantee it will save my butt someday. It’s really simple to use and store in the back of my truck, and it’s big enough to hold the trailer up with a boat on it.
Bryan Thrift – Solar Battery Charger
I think one of the neatest things I travel with is a little solar-powered battery charger. I also take a portable battery pack with me, but that solar charger can charge my phone and that battery pack. You just never know when you might not have any power but still need to charge your phone. It’ll work anywhere you get sunshine, and you could even take it out hunting with you. The one I have has a USB port, so it’ll charge most small electronics.
Luke Dunkin – T-H Marine Hydrowave
A T-H Marine Hydrowave, that’s something that would be a cool Christmas gift. Truly, it’s just a tool you need on your boat, like a depth finder or a jack plate or anything else. It actually causes fish to bite. It gets you extra bites. I’ve seen it work over and over and over. Anything that might get me an extra bite or two, I want it on the boat.
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