Last Minute Christmas Gifts

It’s hard to believe Christmas is only a little over 2 weeks away! Since I received good feedback on the original post – Christmas Ideas for Fly Fishers and Fly Tyers, I thought I’d provide some last minute Christmas gifts for the panicked shopper!

Remember, I’ll be drawing one name from my Subscriber list next week for their chance to win 1 dozen Custom River or Lake flies. If you aren’t a Subscriber, just fill the pertinent information on the top right of each page under the heading – Receive Latest Blog Post from RiverKeeper Flies.

So here’s the additional list of gift ideas:

Custom RiveKeeper Flies ($50) – Your choice of a dozen Custom River or Lake flies with a fly box included. Or contact me by leaving a Comment below to order other Custom RiverKeeper Flies.

Rio Products Tippet Rings (Retail $10) – I use tippet rings to quickly change flies, especially when fishing lakes and want to attach a pre-tied 2-fly chironomid rig.

Tippet spool holder (Retail $16) – This is a great way to manage several spools of tippet and keep them all in one place.

Buff or Neck Gator (Retail $25) – If you haven’t seen these, Buffs (a specific brand name) and Neck Gators (generic term) are breathable, wick moisture, and dry quickly. They are available in many colors and patterns. They can be used during scorching days to protect neck, face, and ears. Dunk it in the water to cool you down. In winter, it keeps you warm and prevents cool breezes from going down your neck. 

CFR Neck Gator (Retail $20) – If you want a Casting for Recovery neck gator, let me know through a Comment below. This is a way to help support Casting for Recovery!

Cigar humidor (Retail $50) – For the fly fisher who has everything…if they smoke cigars. These humidors come in a variety of colors.

Flask (Retail $20 – 30) – Perhaps the flask is an add-on with the humidor for some fly fishers! Or you might just need one to toast the fish gods when you land a fish…it’s up to you!

Cold weather fishing gloves (Retail $45) – These gloves are fleece-lined neoprene, with finger slits on the thumb and first finger to assist with dexterity.

Infrared thermometer by William Joseph (Retail $40) – This is a great thermometer my wife carries with her at all times. Always interesting to know what the water temp is.

Ketchum hook release (Retail $20) – This simple tool allows the fly fisher to quickly remove the hook from a fish. 

Simms Windstopper Guide Beanie (Retail $25) – Here’s a solution to keep your head warm. I borrowed one of these on a guided trip several years ago when I only had a baseball cap during a sub-freezing morning of steelhead fishing. I bought one shortly after!

Wader bag (Retail $160) – Wader bags are a wonderful way to store and keep track of waders, boots, and other fishing gear. There are a variety of bags (and price points) and this one does it all. Find one with a bottom vented compartment for wader storage allowing air to circulate in order to avoid mold. Some bags include a changing mat that folds out for you to stand on and not get holes in the wader feet.

Classic Steelhead Flies by John Shewey (Retail $40) – John’s newest book about older steelhead flies. If you are looking for a book, be sure to check this one out.

North Country Flies by Robert L Smith (Retail $50) – This is a wonderful book on the history of soft hackles…a must book for your library. Robert is an English author, but the book can be purchased in the US from An Angler’s Bookcase website. It’s on my list!

Gift certificate for fishing license – This gift is priceless! A fishing license is a gift that keeps on giving every day of the year. A great stocking stuffer!

Dr. Slick Hair Stacker (Retail $18) – These are used to even the tips of different types of hair…deer…elk…etc. Many tiers have the medium size, but if you tie a lot of small flies below #16, I like to use the small version as the hair doesn’t seem to get lost. It’s a brass finish in small (1.75″), medium (2″), large (2.75″) sizes.

Bobbin holder (Retail $15) – Seems like you can never have enough bobbin holders. I have several, but still change out spools for the right color for the fly I’m tying.

Spirit River Brite Beads (Retail $3 – $6.75) – These are the best beads to use in my opinion if you don’t want the extra expense of tungsten ($3/ per 25 beads vs. $6.75 per 20 beads). A standard 2.3 mm (5/64) will work for size #14 – 16 hooks or 2.0 mm (5/64) will work for size #16 – 18 hooks. Check out my Bead Conversion Table found in the Resources tab.

Fishing the Crooked River  – This book is from John Anderson, a Bend resident, and can be found at many of the local fly shops here in Central Oregon. Give them a call to pick one up. If you fly fisher fishes the Crooked River a lot, they may learn a tip or two to increase their success. (I understand demand is high and availability is limited.)

Sushi roll from Fish Pond (Retail $25 – $40) – These handy little fly wallets hold streamers, both large and small and are designed to allow air to dry the flies. It saves your hooks from rusting! 

Beadmaster Tool (Retail $23) – Here’s a handy tool to help the fly tyer place beads on a hook. Ever heard “dropped another bead”? I might be guilty of that. A magnet on the other end picks up the hook.

New Zealand Strike Indicator  (Retail $16) – This strike indicator is very sensitive when nymph fishing. I’ve been using Thingamabobbers, but need to change…it’s on my Christmas list!

I hope this list helps with a few Christmas ideas for your fly fisher or fly tyer!

Enjoy…go fish!

And Merry Christmas!

(John Kreft is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.)