By Steve Chaconas

Fishing for Holiday Gifts?

Shopping for anglers is frustrating; but for the person on the receiving end, there’s a guaranteed stint in the return line! Choose gifts for on and off the water.

TEVA’s OMNIUM unites sandal comfort with shoe stability and foot protection! On deck, in the water, or on the street, these all weather sport sandals can be worn with comfort even with socks! Microban® zinc-based anti-microbial treatment keeps them fresh! Rubber bumpers protect toes. A Shoc Pad™ maintains comfort. Spider Original Rubber outsole keeps OMNIUM from losing its grip. Teva.com

Award winning outdoors writer, with 50 plus years experience, Keith “Catfish” Sutton brings one of America’s most popular fish to the pages of his latest book. “Hardcore Catfishing” is packed with details Sutton gathers from recognized cat experts on every known conceivable fishing method and bait. Fishing for fun, food or trophies, Sutton also reveals his succulent catfish recipes. For autographed copies, visit catfishsutton.com

Who doesn’t need another pair of jeans? Wrangler takes the heat out of classic American blue jeans. New Premium Performance Cool Vantage Cowboy Cut Regular Fit breathable jeans are perfect for cool mornings becoming warm afternoons. Breakthrough sweat-control technology wicks sweat five times faster than other jeans by pulling moisture to the outside where it dries faster. Cool Vantage jeans keep you on the move, leaving you cool, calm and unrestricted by sticky pants! wrangler.com

Tubular bandanas are versatile. Flying Fisherman Sunbandits are the perfect unisex stocking stuffer, providing neck, head and ear sun protection. Award-winning Sunbandits are constructed from breathable, lightweight 100% microfiber polyester, wicking moisture and drying quickly. Cool in summer and warm in winter, they offer protection from wind and sun. One size fits all in dozens of cool patterns. flyingfisherman.com

Smartphones ring and the gloves come off. Not anymore! NEW Tap-KnitTM Technology from HANZ Extremity Wear, known for waterproof socks and gloves, answers the call with a grip on smart phones. NEW HANZ WATERPROOF TAP-KNIT TOUCHSCREEN GLOVES also work with touchscreen fishing depth finders! In addition, functional gripper dots facilitate grip. Comfortable and breathable, HANZ gloves are ideal for fishing, golf or everyday wear! hanzusa.com

Fishing clothing maker AFTCO introduces a NEW Samurai hooded performance long sleeve fishing sun shirt! 100% polyester breathable stretch fabric is QuickDry and blocks 98% of UV rays. The hood allows more or less sun protection, depending on the weather. AFTCO’s Brush logo on the front chest adds to its good looks. Comfort in any outdoors activity! aftco.com

Don’t reflect upon the suns glare! World famous Maui Jim Polarized Plus sunglasses are available with Blue Flash mirror coating
. Blue Hawaii capitalizes on recent marketplace fashion trends with a premium, polarized Maui Jim lens combining blue flash and glare protection. Available in frames for any activity Blue Hawaii Maui Jims are the clear style and UV protection choice. mauijim.com

On the go doesn’t mean packing a cold lunch! Klean Kanteen double-wall vacuum insulated canisters keep food hot up to 4 hours, and cold to 12. Dry goods remain fresh. Food-grade stainless steel doesn’t absorb flavors or odors. Reusable canisters are good for the environment. Healthy alternative to plastic! Co-branding available! kleankanteen.com
Working up a sweat stinks. Sitka Gear airs out their apparel utilizing Polygiene® Odor Control Technology to permanently stop odor-causing bacteria. Sitka’s CORE Lightweight long sleeve low profile crewneck breathes comfortably and wicks moisture away from skin for extended outings. Textiles treated with Polygiene don’t need to be washed as often, saving water, energy, time and money. Better for the environment. Fewer washings also mean longer lasting materials. sitkagear.com

Providing comfort and sure-footedness on city streets or country roads, CHACO JAEGER boots unite city style and country function with a premium waterproof full-grain leather upper, woven textile lining around collar and tongue, and easy on/off leather pull tab. Additionally Jaeger features a removable, knit-lined LUVSEAT™ polyurethene footbed for arch support. A non-marking EcoTread™ light rubber outsole contains 15% recycled content with 3.5mm lug depth for traction. chacos.com

Nothing soft about cold-hearted soft-sided YETI HOPPER coolers. The easy carry HOPPER 30 holds 24 beverage cans or 26 pounds of ice. Others are softies compared the nearly indestructible and over-engineered Hopper that keeps ice for days. YETI asserts this is the first 100% leak-proof portable cooler. Tough materials, used for hazmat suits and high performance whitewater rafts, allow HOPPERs to take the heat and keep their cool. Backed with YETI’s 3-year warranty. yeticoolers.com

Gift certificates are great. Online, catalog and brick and mortar stores are loaded with outdoors gifts. But the best gift of all is time on the water. Find a buddy, a spouse and especially a child, and go fish!

Potomac River Bassing in DECEMBER

Target hard cover near drops as fish prepare to stay in winter holes. Use spinning rods and downsize to GAMMA 6-pound test Edge fluorocarbon either as a main line or use 15-pound test GAMMA Torque braid with 6-pound test leader. Reels with smooth drags are important, like the Quantum EXO.

Drop shot, shaky head, and split shot are the best bets. Use a Mustad 1/0 Mega Bite hook along with a 3/16-ounce Water Gremlin BullShot weight for drop shots and split shots. MIZMO makes a BarbWire head that keeps baits in place and increases hooks ups with 5-inch Doodle worms. MIZMO also makes great 3-inch grubs and tubes. Use 1/8-ounce heads for both. Use slow horizontal presentations.

Also time to break out Silver Buddy lures. Use ½ ounce on 10-pound test GAMMA EDGE on casting reels like very light QUANTUM EXOs on KVD Quantum spinnerbait rods with enough tip flex for casting and hook-setting backbone.

Mann’s Loudmouth II cranks on 10-pound test EDGE work along warmed surfaces. Go deeper with Lucky Craft LC RTO 1.5 DD. Use shad patterns in clearer water or sunny days, craws otherwise.

Author Capt. Steve Chaconas is Potomac bass fishing guide & contributing writer for BoatU.S. (BoatUS.com) Potomac River reports: nationalbass.com. Book trips/purchase gift certificates: info@NationalBass.com.