Top Gifts for Traveling Anglers -- Under a Hundred Bucks
If you’re like me, you enjoy being generous this time of year, providing the people who make your life better with items that will improve their angling experience. Unfortunately, most of us don’t have unlimited budgets, so we struggle to get everyone something that’s truly useful. I find that I often need multiple gifts in the $75-100 range. Here are a few that have really impressed me this year.
AFTCO’s Tactical Shorts were one of the first items we inducted in to the HPFC Hall of Fame, and I still wear them often, but since getting these back in May I’ve worn them every bit as much. They look good, their stain resistant and the slightly elastic waistband is critical for days when I eat a bit too much.
Yes, I’ve gained a little bit of weight in the past year, and while my post-retirement plan to get in shape is heavy on exercise and light on calories, I’ve also vowed to drink more water. That’ll be made easier by this bulletproof vessel which I can place in the bottom of the boat or on my desktop to keep me away from more caloric or sugary beverages.
I saw several people at September’s Yeti Open on Table Rock who were wearing Poncho button downs and I was impressed by how crisp they remained through the hot day, and when I saw that they have a new “Tuff-Thread” technology I knew they’d be perfect for me – because I struggle to keep my gear unwrinkled and in working condition.
I got these back in February, right before the Bassmaster Classic, and I’ve been wearing them ever since – from the convention center floor, to running the trolling motor, to Cabo and even just for running errands around town. They require no care it seems, and provide more support than regular boat shoes.
If your head gets cold, the rest of the body follows, but I’ve always had trouble finding the right hat for cold weather fishing. If they blocked out the sun, they didn’t keep my ears warm, and vice versa. This hat solves that problem and it’s adjustable, which makes it comfortable whether you have a melon head or a pencil neck.
And if you’re willing to spend a little more, here are a couple of items I’ve been testing that’ll come in just under $200 – and seem to be worth that little bit extra.
I’ve been wearing the sub-$100 Island Optics glasses for a year now, but in the fall I added their Noord Frames with the OX2™ mineral glass lenses. I didn’t know that there was anything wrong with the old lenses – they performed as well as those in shades costing several times as much – but these are purportedly even clearer. I’ve been impressed.
Having dropped a few pairs of pliers overboard in the course of my fishing career, I hesitated to spend more than the bare minimum, but as we increase our global travel and angling endeavors, I needed a true tool, one with a quality line cutter and that’s built so it won’t corrode when we fish in the salt – and yet they’re still lightweight for packing.
