after years of not wearing said shirts and years of spending $$$ on fishing stuff, my in-laws finally came around on the last go-round and caved in on the gift card to BPS!  call it a lazy gift if you'd like, but i prefer it....

It's been 6 years now, I've got to be getting close to that point. 

It's been 6 years now, I've got to be getting close to that point. 

took me 8.5 years man, be patient!!

One item I am never without is a lip gripper, kind of boring, but I have only gotten hooked once by a very enthusiastic bass when I didn't use it!

A good all around and somewhat forgotten bait would be a 5" kalins grub, durable and the tail moves with the slowest of retrieves. Personally I like slider heads for most of my fishing, they work great especially if you change baits a lot, I even use a snap with them.

Also a bandit 100 or three, great baits in shallower water along with some hollow bodied frogs when the top water bite is on.

Any gift card is fine with me. Easy on the giver and makes me happy, a win win situation. I like the Visa cards. You can use them anywhere.

Boomerang Snip Tool...can't go fishing without it.

Has Christmas come to the point that you can specify what different people in your gifting circle can give you?   I don't think you should expect those folks to fund your addiction.  A large part of the Christmas gifting process is to find something that you think the other person will like.   I'm in the club with the aforementioned relatives who believe that a gift card is "lazy".  I did that one year and my older sister (who knows everything) told me it was lazy.

 

If you were a junkie, would you expect people in your gifting circle to only give you good drugs?    I think for the most part that you are responsible for funding your own addiction.    Now, if you are in the habit of "dropping hints" and you are a bank fisherman, the best piece of tackle you can have, one what you will use EVERY time you go, is a good set of hip waders.

Has Christmas come to the point that you can specify what different people in your gifting circle can give you?   I don't think you should expect those folks to fund your addiction.  A large part of the Christmas gifting process is to find something that you think the other person will like.   I'm in the club with the aforementioned relatives who believe that a gift card is "lazy".  I did that one year and my older sister (who knows everything) told me it was lazy.

 

If you were a junkie, would you expect people in your gifting circle to only give you good drugs?    I think for the most part that you are responsible for funding your own addiction.    Now, if you are in the habit of "dropping hints" and you are a bank fisherman, the best piece of tackle you can have, one what you will use EVERY time you go, is a good set of hip waders.

Well what do you recommend, scrap the WISHLIST?

I always go for at least one fun item a year, although gift cards are awesome. New rain gear, a go pro, that certain rod or reel you've been eyeing but haven't pulled the trigger because you don't "need" it. Performance long sleeve shirts or a buff/neck gaiter, sun protection is always good. Any kind of tackle. Also nicer polarized sunglasses are a good purchase especially in the spring when the ice goes away! A nice pair of needle nose or multitool is always something you use. Sorry, I went for more of a fun wish list more than practical but hey, even one of those things is an awesome gift. Oh and a headlamp, crucial for rigging up at night or in the early morning. 

I always go for at least one fun item a year, although gift cards are awesome. New rain gear, a go pro, that certain rod or reel you've been eyeing but haven't pulled the trigger because you don't "need" it. Performance long sleeve shirts or a buff/neck gaiter, sun protection is always good. Any kind of tackle. Also nicer polarized sunglasses are a good purchase especially in the spring when the ice goes away! A nice pair of needle nose or multitool is always something you use. Sorry, I went for more of a fun wish list more than practical but hey, even one of those things is an awesome gift. Oh and a headlamp, crucial for rigging up at night or in the early morning. 

Thanks dude, helps alot!

I think the best gifts are things that the receiver would not buy for themselves.  So in that vein, I think the digital scales proposed by others are good, but there is another that I think is great.  Ceramix braid scissors.  I wouldn't pay $20 for braid scissors for me, but I did for my son.