Christmas Wish List
By Mark Fike

At right: Bait for Christmas.

Back by popular demand is our annual Christmas Wish List. In keeping with the trend we started last year coupled with the economic times I plan on keeping the list affordable while offering suggestions for gifts that anyone would either use and appreciate or cherish forever.

A Book
First on my list this year is a book titled Chasing the Hunter’s Dream by Jeffrey Engel, Sherol Engel, and James A. Swan, Ph.D. This book lists for $19.95. A book you say? Read on. It is a paperback book that is just what the title claims. If you have ever had a dream of going somewhere “exotic” to hunt whether it is within the states, on the other side of the globe or somewhere in between you can bet the info will be included. There are over 1,000 hunts listed, advice on equipment, necessary clothing, weather, outfitters, safety tips, recipes for game, trophy care and more. The tips section is invaluable and the short write-ups on the experiences of the authors on selected hunts are very interesting and told in a very upfront yet well written style. The destinations include private outfitters and land as well as notes on good public lands to take advantage of. The book is a real dream for the guy or gal on a budget looking for a dream hunt and yet still very useful to the person looking to hit a resort, bag a trophy and live it up without a lot of regard for money. I found myself reading about hunts I would never be interested in taking and actually becoming interested! The ISBN for the book is 978-0-06-134382-7/

Fishing licenses
We mentioned it in the past but a guy or gal cannot go wrong in getting that special person the new season’s fishing license. Find out what license your special angler uses and then purchase it for them. Licenses range from prices below $20 to $30 for pleasure boat licenses such as the Potomac River Fisheries Commission Pleasure Boat license. A fishing license or boat license is one gift that is greatly appreciated. Many can be purchased online or the application can be done online.

Bait
You may think I am crazy about suggesting you purchase bait for someone at this time of year but there is one bait that has really taken hold in our area in both salt and freshwater the last few years. You really cannot go wrong with getting an angler a few bags of Fishbites. There are so many flavors for many species of fish from flounder to largemouth bass. I have tried many of them myself and always make sure I have plenty well before I leave the house. The cool thing about Fishbites is that they don’t spoil and don’t need refrigerated. Keep them dry and out of the sun for long periods of time and they will be usable for a long, long time. The old standby bites in bloodworm and the YehMonn catfish baits are great. But, don’t overlook the jerkbaits or other flavors either.
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their knifes take serious abuse, they are well made right here in the United States and the scabbards or sheaths that come with them are not some cheesy or flimsy import quality. Knives of Alaska makes a number of styles from hunting combos including my personal favorite Brown Bear Combo to awesome fishing filet knives. These are the knives you want to depend on when taking a serious trip when you cannot afford to have a blade not hold up. They can be a bit pricey but from personal experience (I am not rolling in the money either) they are well worth the money and when I recently lost my Brown Bear Combo I sucked it up and did a few extra jobs to get a new one right away. Check out www.knivesofalaska.com

A gift from the heart to cherish
If you want to make a huge impact but don’t have a lot of funds to use consider the following. Gather the best fishing or hunting photos (either digital or print) together. Get the prints made from any digital images. Be sure to include photos of friends and particularly spouses and kids with the gift receiver. Next, purchase a plain large frame of at least 11X14. Make a large collage of the photos effectively creating a memory photo of the best times the person has had on the field and or the water. I can tell you that this is a gift from the heart and will be greatly appreciated and will also be the topic of conversation when guests come over.

The easiest gift to give this Christmas
Probably the easiest gift to give someone this Christmas from an outdoorsman or woman is the gift of love, thought or caring. Specifically I mean sharing your time and bounty with someone who is unable to get their own these days. We all know someone who cannot get around easily anymore. How many of us know someone that was or is a neighbor or a mentor to us that would love to just visit and relive those outdoor memories? Take the time to enjoy their company and take a piece of fish or game with you on that visit. I can tell you that I often practice this and I don’t wait until Christmas to do it either. I ALWAYS leave the person’s home more blessed than when I arrived. The fresh fish or game is a bonus they enjoy as much or more than we might.

We greatly appreciate you reading Chesapeake Angler Magazine this past year. We truly wish you the most blessed Christmas you have ever had. May God bless you and yours.