Top 5 Holiday Gifts for Anglers 2019

Courtesy WildOutdoor Media Have a fisherman in your life and don't know what to get as a gift? Here are the top 5 gifts you can give that angler who seems to have everything.

Fishing Line

Every angler needs more fishing line. Line comes in three basic categories: monofilament, fluorocarbon and braided. Eric Rybak has a rundown on the differences in his article at Freshwater Fishing Advice. Most anglers have an assortment of all three lines. The type of fish targeted and fishing conditions determine what line is used. When buying spools of line, get at least 200 yards to the spool. Larger reels can hold that much. That much line will fill two small reels. Fishing line is graded by strength measured in pounds, called test. For instance, 30-pound test has a breaking strength close to 30 pounds. Here is a guide for what line to buy based on where the person fishes. • Cold water trout: Fly line tippets. Two- to eight-pound monofilament and fluorocarbon line for the rod and reel angler. • Other freshwater fish: Six- to 30-pound line in all three categories. What line is used depends on the fish and the conditions. • Saltwater fish: If the angler fishes inshore, then all three lines in 10- to 30-pound test. If he fishes offshore, 30- to 80-pound line in all three. A subset of fishing line is leader material. For the fly fishing crowd that is a tippet. For everyone else, it is a leader. Leaders can be monofilament, fluorocarbon, braid or wire. Wire leaders are used when chasing fish with sharp teeth like shark, barracuda and giant pike and musky. Leaders come pre-made or on spools that let the angler make the leader as long or short as he wants.

Bream Fishing Pole

A bream fishing pole can be a simple cane pole to a collapsible pole with . Sitting on a pond or river bank with a pole, line and a can of bait is one of the great pleasures in life. It is also an excellent way to introduce kids to fishing and get a mess of fish for supper. Bream poles are used to catch all kinds of fish, not just panfish. Some offshore saltwater guides use these poles to catch anchovies and sardines at the surface for use as live bait.

Favorite Lures

Lures wear out. They get chewed up. They break off. Every angler wants more of his favorite lures. Deciding what to buy is easy. Just look in the most-used tackle box. See what the fisherman leaves tied to the end of the line on the rod. Take pictures of the lures if you are not sure what you are looking at. Take the pictures to a good sporting goods store and ask for help. Also, ask the sporting goods store employees what lures are hot for the fish your angler chases. Fish can be particular about what they hit. When in doubt, get an assortment of colors.

Cooler

A good cooler is an investment. However, coolers will wear out even when treated with the utmost care. Coolers run from about $25 at discount stores to more than $300 for the top-of-the-line heavy-duty coolers. The very biggest take two people to carry and hold a lot of ice, beverages, food and fish. Reserve these for the angler with a big boat. Smaller coolers with a handle and wheels are ideal for the casual fisherman who likes to sit on a dock, the bank or in a jon boat or canoe. Mid-sized coolers are best for bass boat-sized boats.

FishAnywhere Gift Card

This is truly a . If your angler is drooling over thoughts of tarpon in the Florida Keys, monster tuna on the Outer Banks, salmon in the Pacific Northwest or walleye in the Great Lakes, FishAnywhere can make that happen. Gift cards come in $25, $50, $100 and $200 increments. Visit the website, fill out the gift card information and pay for it using our secure server. We'll send the gift card via email to the email you set. You can send it to yourself, print the certificate and wrap it up or have it sent directly to the lucky angler.

Runners up

Other choices that are always needed but won't break the bank are: • Hooks • Sinkers and weights • Tackle boxes, especially flat trays with customizable compartments • Needle-nose fishing pliers • Rain gear