SANTA WILL MAKE outdoorsmen happy by including any of the items in this article in their Christmas stocking.

SANTA WILL MAKE outdoorsmen happy by including any of the items in this article in their Christmas stocking.

Has your outdoorsman been naughty or nice?

Either way, he'll appreciate these timely Christmas stocking stuffers

The idea behind this list of Christmas stocking stuffers is that there are a huge number of suitable gifts you can give a fisher and hunter that are not overly expensive, but can be most useful and appreciated. In making this list I went to several stores, rounded the numbers to even dollars and capped the maximum cost at $10.

1. Frameable posters with serious and humourous sayings for the fisher or hunter who has everything – $5 to $10.

2. Berkley Worm Blower 9 (seriously, this device makes small worms larger) – $4.

3. LED flashlights (pkg. of four) – $6.

4. Camouflage Band-Aids in a small tin – $5.

5. Individual hand warmers – $2.

6. Simms Chap stick SPF 30 – $4.

7. Small guidebooks on tying fishing knots two types – $5 to $8.

8. Gloves for filleting, pulling prawn traps,  or opening oysters – $2 to $10.

9. Locally made Buzz Bombs – $4 to $7, Zzingers – $4 to $7.

10. Locally made Zelda Jigs – $7, Spinnows – $7.

11, Gibbs Bottomfish and Halibut Bait rigs – $4 to $7.

12. Wide variety of trolling spoons, some made in B.C. They make great stocking stuffers for salmon trollers – $5 to $9.

13. Playing cards with animals or fish on the back – $5 to $8.

14. Rapala Filleting Knife – $10.

15. Diamond Knife Sharpener, Eze Lap – $6.

16. Sedge Fly Boxes plus many other brands – $7 to $10.

17. Mustard Fly Hooks for fly tiers (fly tiers can’t have too many, check sizes for recipients fishing style; pkg. of 25) – $5 to $9.

18. Reel oil and grease; also note suitable oil for firearms – $3 to $9.

19. Prawn and crab trap line weights. Very important to sink lines below floats – $8 to $9.

20. Real buy if any left –  Travel Knife (8-in-1) – $1.

21. Slingshot for pests and weekend campers – $10.

22. Rag wool gloves for cold weather fishing and hunting – $9.

23. Handy shotgun shell holder for gun butt – $5.

24. Polar Bear Minnow Bucktails for salmon fishing – $8.

25. Anchovy heads for herring and anchovy baitfish; great variety of choice –  $5 to $10.

26. There is a huge variety of hoochies, depending on target species and time of the year – $4 to $9 per package.

27. A neat glow-in-the dark fish whacker – $8.

28. Flatfish are among the oldest lures for freshwater species. They vary in size from fly rod types to large lake troll types – $8 to $10+.

29. Gibbs made-in-B.C. willow leaf trolls is one of the most economical – $9.

30. Plastic-cased hand warmers for people with cold hands – $2.

31. Simms Sunscreen for fly fishers – $10.

32. Flashers are generally quite expensive but the Hot Spot Flasher sells for $10.

33. SS Snaps and supply your own weights for prawn and crab traps line – $3.

34. Baitrix Artificial anchovies various sizes – $5 to $9.

35. Camouflage duct tape – $8.

36. Round plastic sinker selector holders – $4.

37. Weighted spinners come in a wide variety of colours and weights. Great for beginners with spinning outfits for easy casting – $4 to $6.

38. Adjusta Bubble for ease of casting with spinning outfits, especially useful in shore fishing situations – $4.

39. There is a wide variety of floats for bait fishing depending on species such as trout and steelhead – $1 to $4.

40. Adjustable Rod Raps. These simple devices can save a rod from being damaged while being transported – $4.

41. Tackle box – $9.

42. Stainless steel water bottle – $8.

43. One of the most useful gifts a fly fisher can get is a Pin Wheel and Clipper for their shirt or vest, Dragon Fly – $4.

44. Coghlands Snaplight Lightsticks are great for campers (pkg. of two) – $5.

45. Hoppe’s Silicone Cloth for wiping down guns – $5.

46. Hunters Flex Form camouflage face masks (several types) – $5.

47. Coghlands Mosquito Coils (pkg. of  10, these are great for campers) – $3.

48. Cannonball snubbers for downrigger trollers, two types – $7 to $10.

 

Ralph Shaw is a master fly fisherman who was awarded the Order of Canada in 1984 for his conservation efforts. In 20 years of writing a column in the Comox Valley Record it has won several awards.

 

 

Comox Valley Record