UtterNewb

There were some great suggestions, thank you gentlemen,. He sold his baby, his good boat, but he still has a boat, and a has access to a really nice boat that belongs to a friend that happens to be a guide. He mentioned he wanted a fishing bow, but he likes top of the line stuff, beyond my budget, and his grandfather owns a bow shop, so he already has a connection. I asked him if he had a dream fish, and he said, "no, I catch 'em all". @dinkwhisperer I love your suggestion, about spending time fishing with him. He feels quite passionately about waiting until there are perfect conditions for someone's first trip out on the water because he wants it to be fun, and a very pleasant experience, you know, to get them hooked :). He's had quite a lot of success with that technique. I'll go out in the woods in the winter because I can stay warm moving around, but he knows I'd freeze my bum off sitting still waiting for a fish to bite, and that would significantly reduce my enjoyment. But I'm more than happy to spend time with him out on the water. Some of his favorite fishing spots also happen to be some of my favorite bird watching spots, so it's a double win for both of us. @LionHeart I'm surprised you lived to tell the tale. I actually really do get excited about stuff like that too. I loved researching and thoroughly looking into my options before getting my hiking boots and raincoat. Ohh and the new convection toaster oven I got had me so excited I talked about for days before and after it's arrival. But unless I specifically ask for that, it is NOT the present I want from the man in my life. I was just talking about this today. One of the many differences between men and women is that men love gifts that are practical, and women specifically love gifts that have no practical value, or are pretty and practical (a new saddle would be a good example). If she kept you around she must have seen the value in your thoughtfulness and effort though. It's way better than exercise equipment. Holy Toledo! @CroakHunter @Bassin' Brad @RedlinerobertI think you are right, men just want respect and affection. Oh, and food. Some good food, a nice libation and an early bedtime is called "Saturday night". He wouldn't know it was a special thank you lol. I already brought out my nice paper and fountain pen and wrote him a thank you letter. The response was very positive. As far as time goes...we are juggling four kids (three are his), two jobs, his is more than full time and he works until 10-11pm 5-7 nights a week, and has his kids every other weekend. On his non-kid weekends he tries to arrange to go in early so he can leave early, which is very considerate of him. We live nearly 40 miles from each other, and knowing the burden he bears I usually drive to him. He makes it apparent how much he appreciates my effort. So you can see how I'm stuck trying to find a way to show my appreciation. We are both already inclined to do the suggested things. You know, one of the benefits of us both having been in a very long term relationships with people that were not engaging or inclined to make much of an effort, is that we both deeply appreciate consideration and exertion, and we both enjoy giving it. @jbsoonerfan That's not goofy at all. Thank y'all!

I like that idea Dink Whisperer, but do you think someone that revels in taking others to special spots to catch the biggest fish of their lives would appreciate it? Or is it too commercial? I have no idea what guided trips are like.

I didn't see anything in the rules saying this type of post is inappropriate, I apologize if it is. I need help getting a great gift for a man I'm seeing. I think men are really hard to shop for anyways, they want such specific things, and if you ask, then it ruins the surprise. And as he says "we just buy ourselves whatever we want, so we already have it". I've been dating a guy for a couple of months and got him a knife for Christmas. It's useful, and something even I would appreciate getting. It seemed practical and reasonable. We enjoy drinking whiskey together. When I picked up the present he gave me, it was obviously a really nice bottle of whiskey that we had recently enjoyed together, until I started to peel back the wrapping paper and the liquid was clear. He had wrapped a necklace around the neck of the bottle, a sapphire and diamond necklace set in 14k white gold to compliment my grandmother's ring, which both contains my birthstone, and is the only jewelry I wear every day. Now Valentines Day is coming up...His first love is bass fishing. He has giant boxes full of tackle and such. He makes his own lures, has a subscription to his favorite magazines, has all the rods he needs. He had a really nice boat, but sold it buy a house this year. What can I possibly get this man that he doesn't already have? I would be so grateful for suggestions. I'm a single mom paying my daughter's private school tuition on her own. My budget is fairly tight, so ideally I get him something really thoughtful, even hard to find, but not more than a couple hundred bucks at most. Thank you in advance, and I wish everyone a most pleasant day.