This summer, many of you probably have children in your families who had the great fortune of experiencing the excitement of fishing for the first time and were instantly hooked. If these up and coming anglers displayed an enthusiasm and yearning to continue the sport when spring rolls around, then what better way to prepare them to so do by picking up a few pieces of tackle this holiday season?
There are hundreds of premade rod and reel combos on the market today, the variety of which appeals to several different styles and levels of experience. Younger children will require a smaller combo, whereas the older kids will be able to handle something a little larger. Premade combos from companies like Zebco, Shakespeare, Berkley, and Pflueger are great options.
Now you can’t have a rod and reel without a tackle box, can you? A great gift idea this year would be to pick up a hard tackle box (Plano’s two or three-tray boxes are good options) and fill it with the basic tackle for a day on the water. Bobbers, plastic baits, hooks, and sinkers can all be placed in the tackle box.
If you’re in a region where the winter keeps you indoors, it might also be fun to be able to enjoy the excitement of fishing without actually being on the water. There are several fishing video games available today (The Strike, Rapala Tournament Fishing, SEGA Bass Fishing), all of which utilize technology designed to engage the user in the physical movements associated with fishing.
One last gift idea that would bring instant joy and pride to any young fisherman is a fiberglass replica of their first big fish. If your angler caught a big one this past season, and you have plenty of pictures to document it, purchasing a wall-mounted replica would be a great way to preserve the memory and maintain that excitement for years.
