Gift ideas for the outdoorsman in your family

No matter which holiday you celebrate, there are gifts involved. If you are an outdoors person you probably have a pretty good idea of what to give the other hunters and fishermen on your list. Those who do not participate in these pursuits could be at a loss for gift ideas.

The gift-giving process can be complicated if you only know the person from work, church or if they are a distant relative. Since you are not in constant contact with them beyond this relationship, you may be aware that they hunt and fish, but have no idea what type of gift they may need or appreciate. To play it safe, there are a few ideas that don’t exceed a modest budget and are always welcome.

I mention this product every year, but the Boomerang Snip tool is the greatest invention for fishermen since monofilament line. It attaches to a belt loop or fishing vest and is always ready to cut line or leader. Now in three sizes, the Snip can be used for any type of fishing from dry fly to offshore trolling.

If your budget is a bit higher, a pair of fishing pliers or Leatherman tool is extremely useful. Both of these products come in different sizes and construction. I can promise you an inexpensive product will not hold up well and will soon be useless.

One good way to avoid shoddy goods is to purchase your gifts from a local tackle shop. While all shops stock an inexpensive line for the summer tourist who will only use the equipment for a few days before heading back home, they also carry a line of quality products and can recommend the best item for your purpose.

If your gift recipient has dropped a few subtle hints as to what he or she would like, once again a local tackle shop or gun dealer is your best bet. The people there can direct you to the right product and will stand behind the sale.

Every year I ask Santa for a 73-foot Spencer with three Volvo IPS drives and a new red Corvette Z06 so I can get from my beachfront Mc Mansion to the marina quickly, plus a few million dollars so I can keep the boat, car, house and me in a manner to which I would like to become accustomed. Every Christmas morning I am once again disappointed. But like Linus and his Great Pumpkin, I continue to keep the faith.

Fishing report

Sea bass and tog action is good when the boats can sail. Limits of sea bass are the norm over structure beyond the 20-Fathom Line. Tog limits have been taken over inshore wrecks and reefs. Green crab, sand fleas or white legger crabs have worked on the tog. Just about anything will catch a sea bass, but recent reports indicate jigs produce a larger class of fish.

I am sorry to say the rockfish have not arrived in numbers at the rips between Cape May and Cape Henlopen. A few have been caught by trollers, but most of the big rock have been taken from the ocean off of Wildwood, New Jersey. Here too trolling is the top technique. The weather for the weekend looks promising, so boats should be able to continue the search.

A few keeper rockfish have been caught from the surf, but these have been small fish in the 30-inch class. New Jersey has seen some very good surf fishing for both rockfish and big blues. My son Roger fished Long Beach Island and said the schools of bait and rockfish were about two and a half casts from shore. Boat fishermen were having a great time while those on the sand picked up a few stragglers.

I know some of you fish out of Cape Charles where the eel bite has been hot. I have seen rockfish over 60 pounds caught in the past few weeks, so if you want in on the action now is the time to go. The structure at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel is giving up a few fish, but not the quantity or quality of the channel off of Cape Charles.

When traveling down to Cape Charles, I always purchase my eels before the trip. Chris’ Tackle is the only shop in the area, and on a busy day she can run out of bait.

The best technique is to find the fleet and set out at least three eel rigs. Put one on the bottom, one under a bobber about halfway down and one swimming without bobber or sinker. Put your circle hook up through the jaw and out the top of the mouth. Place the rod in a holder and wait until it bends over.

Eric Burnley is a Delaware native who has fished and hunted the state from an early age.  Since 1978 he has written countless articles about hunting and fishing in Delaware and elsewhere along the Atlantic Coast. He was the founding editor of the Mid-Atlantic Fisherman magazine. He and his wife Barbara live near Milton, Delaware. Eric can be reached at Eburnle@aol.com.