2023 Holiday Gift Guide

Wondering what to get your favorite angler this holiday season? Salt Water Sportsman has you covered with a variety of angling-related gear they will love to get.
Santa fishing
Even Santa likes to fish. Adobe Stock

Wondering what to get your favorite angler this holiday season? Salt Water Sportsman has you covered with a variety of angling-related gear they will love to get. So you can rest assured there will be smiles when they get anything off this list.

Shimano Teramar NE Spinning Rod

Shimano Teramar NE Spinning Rod
Shimano Teramar NE Spinning Rod Courtesy Shimano

Despite its light weight, Shimano’s Teramar NE Spinning rod offers plenty of backbone. I used one this fall to throw poppers and tins to striped bass off Long Island, landing fish to 48 inches, and it quickly became a favorite. I even used it to snag bunker, which it did quite well, despite the responsive tip section. Shimano designed the Teramar NE for inshore and nearshore action in the Northeast, with TC4 rod technology, a Seaguide guide train, Fuij reel seats and lightweight EVA grips. Use this one for soft plastics, jigs, and everything in between.

Costa King Tide

Costa King Tide 8 Sunglasses
Costa King Tide 8 Sunglasses Courtesy Costa

Costa created the ideal blend of performance and fashion with the King Tide. The new sunglasses, available in form-fitting 8-base curve or flatter 6-base, feature removable side shields that block stray light. The full coverage afforded by the side shields also helps block wind, an important consideration with the rise of the fast offshore center console. Back at that dock, remove the side shields and have a fashionable pair of glasses. Thoughtful features like shark-inspired sweat channels built into the temples minimize perspiration, and a rubberized top keep them from sliding when you place them down.

Yeti M20 Backpack Soft Cooler

Yeti M20 Backpack Soft Cooler
Yeti M20 Backpack Soft Cooler Courtesy Yeti

Many boats feature built-in coolers or fish boxes, which are great. But you still have to get your food or beverages onboard. Enter the Yeti M20 Backpack Soft Cooler, which lets you tote up to 36 cans of your favorite beverage or a full boat’s worth of lunches hands-free. The wide-mouth top with magnetic closure makes loading and unloading easy. Not going on the boat? No problem, the M20 is perfect for wade fishing, a day at the beach, or a tailgate. And it will keep your items cold longer than you’d ever expect a soft cooler to.

Toadfish Travel Spinning Rod & Spinning Reel

Toadfish Travel Spinning Rod
Toadfish Travel Spinning Rod Courtesy Toadfish

Fishing and travel go hand in hand. Give your favorite Traveling Angler Toadfish’s Travel Spinning Rod and make their journey easier. The 3-section rod comes with 5 interchangeable pieces: 2 interchangeable mid-sections, 2 interchangeable tip-sections, and an ergonomic handle. This allows you to create 4 unique rods with different actions; I was able to tailor the rod to throw light soft plastics to stripers cruising the beach after dark and change it up for heavier swimming plugs the next morning. In all configurations, it cast well and easily beat stripers to 36 inches. The rod stashes in a heavy-duty aluminum tube that can stand up to the bumps and bruises of life on the road, and pairs well with one of Toadfish’s Elite Carbon Series spinning reels. Plus, Toadfish will replant oyster beds to help clean coastal waters for each rod sold.

GoPro Hero 10 Black

GoPro Hero 10 Black
GoPro Hero 10 Black Courtesy GoPro

One of the perks of the digital age is the ability to share all the action with family and friends that couldn’t join you on the water. The Hero 10 Black from GoPro makes it easy to document each catch, with waterproof construction and a variety of mounts—I attached mine to the rail on my boat’s console and recorded some quality footage of my little guy catching some stripers. It’s easy to use, even for someone as technologically challenged as myself, via app or push-button. A high-performance GP2 processor delivers enhanced low-light performance, excellent quality 5.3K video with high frame rates, and HyperSmooth 4.0 video stabilization ensuring smooth, shake-free video.

Simms ProDry Fishing Jacket and Bibs

Simms ProDry Jacket
Simms ProDry Jacket Courtesy Simms

Simms’ ProDry fishing jacket and bibs is a versatile outerwear set that excels in a wide variety of conditions. I’ve been using this high-performing outerwear combo for about a year now, wearing it everywhere from the hardwater for ice fishing and on the Atlantic coast for striped bass and cod. I even wore it a weeks-long Alaskan excursion, keeping me bone-dry in driving rain and while running to the outer reaches of Prince William Sound. Anglers will appreciate thoughtful features like the reinforced pliers’ pocket and the D-ring for kill switch or tool lanyards. Articulated arms and legs provide plenty of freedom of movement, and the bib’s zippers allow you to easily get them on, even over clunky deck boots.

Shimano Miravel Spinning Reel

Shimano Miravel Spinning Reel
Shimano Miravel Spinning Reel Courtesy Shimano

When I first picked up one of Shimano’s Miravel 4000-series spinning reels, I was amazed at how light it was. I’ll admit I had my doubts about the 8.6-ounce reel’s ability to hold up to big stripers, but after landing countless fish in the 40 to 48-inch range I can say those were unfounded. With 24 pounds of drag pressure, it was able to put the brakes on big fish easily and functioned very smoothly even under pressure. The Miravel comes in 1000, 2500, 3000, 4000, and 5000 sizes for a variety of species, and each holds an impressive amount of braid.

Power Pro Braided Line

Power Pro Braided Line
Power Pro Braided Line Courtesy Power Pro

Winter is the perfect time to re-spool your reels. Give your favorite angler reliable braided line for the coming season with a spool of Power Pro. I’ve been using Power Pro for everything from ice fishing for perch to deep dropping for cod for over a decade now. Power Pro’s low-stretch properties provide excellent feel and hook-setting abilities, and the line seems to retain its shape and color very well. Available in a variety of colors including moss green, white, vermillion red, and hi-vis yellow in pound-tests from 5 to 250.

SeaTow Membership

SeaTow boat Courtesy SeaTow

Give the boating anglers in your life the gift of peace of mind with a SeaTow membership. As a member, they can call on SeaTow’s network of local captains for assistance when things go wrong, 24/7. Membership includes tows, fuel delivery, jump starts, prop disentanglements (no diver), parts delivery, and even un-groundings in some circumstances. The helpful local captains will even offer navigational assistance and advice on tides and weather. Those boating along the coast will likely benefit the most from the Gold Package, which covers anglers fishing in saltwater and fresh. You can add coverage for incidents that occur when trailering the boat for a little bit more.

Ignik Multi-Use Hand Warmers

Ignik Multi-Use Hand Warmers
Ignik Multi-Use Hand Warmers. Courtesy Ignik

Fishing through the winter can mean cold hands. Give the gift of warmth this holiday season with Ignik’s Multi-Use Hand Warmers. A pair of hand warmers kept my son’s hands warm through a cold November tide, and were able to be used again the next day thanks to the resealable pouch. Each packet provides up to 10 hours of heat, and Ignik says you can store unused open warmers for up to 72 hours. Plus, the contents are safe, all-natural, and biodegradable.