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USSFN:  11/29/02 - In the frenzy of holiday shopping, it's important to keep a few things in mind when shopping for fishing gifts intended for younger anglers.  Traditionally, the day after Thanksgiving marks the start of the Christmas shopping season.  However, we all know that retailers have been trying for years to extend this buying window earlier and earlier in the year.  It's common now to see Christmas departments in some stores as early as July.  There are even some retailers that sell nothing but Christmas goods.  Amazingly, these merry merchandisers seem to thrive, too.  Whoever said that they'd like to see Christmas all year had their wish granted with these stores. 

In a recent poll among young people regarding leisure time activities, it was determined that there was a slight drop (4 %) in the number of kids participating in fishing.  There are several reasons for this especially when new cyber interests are considered.  However sad this might be, there still are a large number of kids that love the sport and an even larger number that have never been exposed to it.  That's where we can help Santa out with some of his tasks.  By giving fishing gifts, followed up with active mentoring in the sport, we not only preserve fishing, but expand the recipients interests and appreciation for the outdoors.

There are few general rules to follow though in selecting merchandise.  If it seems like the young person on your list is joined at the hip to a computer, you might first try buying fishing related DVD's or CD ROM games such as the Trophy Bass 4 CD-Rom Game.  This can spawn new interest during the off season that can carry over until the weather breaks.  There are even multi-player sites available and online fishing clinics (see Jim Bess's post in the Sportfishing Forum).  Other platforms such as Playstation 2, Gameboy, and more are supported as well.  You can find both new and used games in the Outdoor Games section of the Tackle Shopping section of this site.  Even more can be found in the Video Games section of the Online Shopping Marketplace here at USSFN.

Above all, it's a good "rule of thumb" not to buy anything for a young angler that you wouldn't use yourself.  I can't stress this point enough.  For example, it's a common mistake for people to "under-buy" when choosing a rod & reel combination for a junior fisherman.  Unless this is a very young child, try to steer clear of the "cartoon type" of packaged combos.  While appealing to the eye, most of these spincast kits do not have a pin pickup reel which can result in numerous headaches and "bird's nests" (when the line gets all tangled up inside the reel) for everyone.  The drag has to almost be maxed out for them to pick up the line.  Anything less often results in a reel that does nothing more than creates "line curl".   When upgrading a youth from spincast to spinning reels, it's a good idea to make sure that the new reel is reversible (left or right hand retrieve).  Some fishermen go their whole life without switching over to the other hand.  If taking the big step to a baitcasting reel, it's advisable to opt for an anti-backlash model for obvious reasons.

In conclusion, your gift choices now could theoretically determine whether you're nurturing a future tournament pro or turning a kid off to this great sport.  I only hope that you choose wisely.  - Jim