Gifts for Outdoor Folks

Let’s assume that you have a spouse or loved one who is an avid hunter or fisher (or both). You need to find a gift that will delight the person, but you know little about these outdoor sports. This week’s column offers suggestions that may help.

Let’s call the object of your affection the “sport”. Unless your sport is a loner, he/she may have a buddy who may be helpful in choosing a gift. Specialty hunting or fishing shops can often assist you, taking the time to learn as much as possible about your sport’s preferences before discussing appropriate gift ideas. Specialty stores must stress customer service to make sure customers are satisfied and become regular customers (and tell their friends). Big box stores generally can’t help much because staffs is often not very knowledgeable (or helpful). For mail order to work, you often make contact through a call centre, so you must know exactly what you want. Mail order returns are a real pain, especially for international orders. A gift certificate from the sport’s favourite store can work well. A certificate is flexible – it can be used to buy inexpensive items or to help pay for expensive items.

Another possibility is to choose a gift that can be used to support most outdoor activities. An example is a good pair of polarized sunglasses ($25 - $60) – useful for hunting, fishing, driving, skiing etc. A good quality cap or hat is another general-purpose outdoor gift. Then there’s bear spray and insect repellent. A pocket flashlight, pocket GPS, or compass are others. Sets of small jewellery screwdrivers or Allen wrenches are very useful for regular maintenance of hunting and fishing equipment. Another useful service item is a can of 3-in-1 oil, as is 5-minute epoxy. These gifts will almost surely bring a smile to the face of your sport, and a stocking stuffed with all of them, plus a can of large cashews, will be a huge hit.

Now, here are some gift suggestions specifically for a fly fisher:

Under $10         Leader straightener - to take the kinks or curls out of a monofilament leader

                        Spool of leader tippet – most useful sizes are 4, 6 & 8 lb.

                        Dry fly floatant

                        Plier/forceps tool for flattening hook barbs or removing hooks

                        Gift-packaged fishing fly

                        Good quality clippers

                        Hook sharpener

                        Retractable vest-reel

                        Plier/forcep tool

                        5-minute epoxy

                        Tapered leader – mono or braided mono (floating or sinking)

                        Braided mono leader loops

                        Fly line backing (100 yd spool)

                        Fly box

                        Line splicing tool

Under $20         Line/leader wallet

                        Gift-packaged fishing fly hatpin

                        Floating fine-mesh trout net

Under $60         Fly line, sized for fly rod, double taper or WF taper, floating, sinking, or sink tip

                        Fly box with 1 – 2 dozen flies, depending on type

                        Polarized sunglasses

                        High-quality fly box

                        Fishing vest

                        Hip waders

                        Fly fishing or tying book or video

Under $100        Inexpensive fly reel or rod

                        Fly reel spare spool

Please stay on the line …