The holiday season is right around the corner, and if you need some last minute gift ideas for the angler in the family we're here to help. Here are our top five picks from all the cool hot new gear we've tested in the past year.
Shimano Stradic 3000 Spinning Reel
This fishing reel is sure to generate smiles, as it's one of the top spinning reels offered by Shimano yet it still comes in at a reasonably mild price-point (around $200). “I utterly love the feel and performance of the C3000,” said FishTalk Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow. “But the old Stradic FJ was such a workhorse, so bulletproof, that honestly I was a bit worried the C3000 wouldn’t hold up quite as well. I’ll stipulate that my FJ went through eight years of heavy-duty use (seriously heavy-duty) on the Chesapeake before it needed any repair whatsoever (the line roller bearing finally fried) and is still in service today. The C3000’s on my boat have only been in service for one season. So far, so good! For more on this reel, check out our Fishing Gear Review of the Shimano Stradic C3000.
Sealime Fishing Lures
We first spotted these lures at the Miami International Boat Show, where they won an Innovation Award, and then this one popped up in our New Fishing Gear, June 2017 round-up.Unlike other lures, which cut or swim through the water, the Sealime lets the water pass right through its open mouth. Yes, mouth. The lure consists of a plastic rectangle with tiny wings. The wings give it stabilization as it runs through the water, and water goes right through the open rectangle. Attached to the back is a two-piece Mylar “fish”, with a hook rigged through the middle. Net result? Water running through the plastic rectangle—the fish’s “mouth”—causes the Mylar body to swim like crazy.
Grundens Deck Boss Boots
We've now been testing these boots for an entire season, and can give them a solid thumbs-up. The Deck Boss is über-comfy, and is designed to keep you that way when the deck’s awash. A soft upper insole “deck” is perforated so it can drain down into the boot’s “bilge,” where water is channeled away from your feet via “scuppers” around the lower deck’s “pilings”. (Think these folks have boats on their minds?) The boots come with silicon bands that fit around a one-inch groove in the boot’s uppers, which can be used to secure your pants leg so water doesn’t get in the boots even if it over-tops their 15” height. And the “Herkules Grip” rubber gives awesome traction, even on slick surfaces.
Seigler Reels
Prepare yourself for the unexpected: these conventional reels are made in America, in Burgess Virginia. They're crafted of machined aluminum and stainless-steel. They carry a lifetime warranty. Yet they're really not any more expensive than most reels of comparative quality found on the market. Shocking? Youbetcha. Learn more by checking out our Seigler Reels video preview.
Cooler Insert
We hate throwing away ice at the end of the day. We hate soggy sandwiches. And we hate sticking our hands into icy-cold water to find a drink. That's why we loved the Cooler Insert, and we think your favorite angler would love to unwrap one this holiday season. The Cooler Insert (which made our list of Hot New Fishing Gear, October 2017) is a molded plastic insert made to be filled and frozen (or filled with ice water) and then placed in your cooler instead of ice. The design creates convection, circulating ice-cold air around the cooler’s contents without the usual melt-off issues of ice, like getting your food wet and having to dig through ice-water to find a frosty can. Added bonus: no more buying ice.
Looking for more ideas, click here for some other great gifts for anglers!