GIFT SUGGESTIONS FOR CHRISTMAS BY JOHN BERRY

When I sat down to write this column today, I glanced at my watch and noted that we just had a few days till Christmas. I have a calendar feature on my watch. I suddenly realized that I was nowhere near finished with my shopping and did not have a clue of what I needed to purchase. I know that there are others in this predicament so I decided to share my thoughts. Since I manage Blue Ribbon Fly Shop, my first thought was to go through the shop and identify items that would be great Christmas presents. 

I recently wrote about the Nomad Net by Fish Pond. It is light weight, nearly indestructible and has a rubber bag that doesn’t grab flies. I gave my wife, Lori, a boat net last year but it is time to give her a smaller one to carry with her, when she has wading guide trips. I know she will love it because I see the way she looks at mine, when we are wade fishing on the Norfork.

I have a niece that is fairly new to fly fishing. I was thinking about giving her a fly rod. The perfect choice would be the Redington Path fly fishing outfit. This includes a nine foot four piece rod, the reel, backing, line and leader. There is even a case to put all of this stuff in. All of this is only $189. This is our best selling rod and it comes with a lifetime guarantee. I have cast them and really like the way they cast.

My brother in law is an avid fly fisher but is not a fly tyer. As a result, I give him a box of my hand tied flies every year. If there is someone on your list like that, it makes a great gift. If you don’t tie flies yourself, you can buy locally tied flies. This is very flexible because you can buy as many or as few flies, as you like. 

If you know someone, who is thinking about learning to tie flies, a fly tying kit would be the perfect choice. Wapsi, the largest wholesaler of fly fishing materials in the world, is located locally. They make a fly tying kit that includes all of the tools and materials to tie ten different flies. There is even an instructional DVD to show you how to easily tie those flies and it only cost $79.95.

My sister doesn’t fish much anymore but she does enjoy an occasional glass of wine. I was thinking about some nice big red wine glasses with trout etched on them. It sounds like a nice addition to the Christmas place settings, to me. They are only $20.00 per stem.

I also thought about stocking stuffers. The Montana Fly Company fishing flask is a great gift for $29.95. The Dr. Slick prismatic forceps have a gorgeous blue and pink mottled finish. They are not only pleasant to look at but easy to find if you happen to drop them in the water.

There are plenty of fishing related items that can be found here in Mountain Home. Good shopping and Merry Christmas.