7 very different Christmas gift ideas for boat-based anglers

Whatever you do, don’t give them another voucher for a chain store.

With a little bit of thought, it can be easy to get them something they can use and appreciate each time they head out on the water.

Here are a few alternative ideas that show you care much more.

A good mate is never going to ask you to put your hand in your pocket to pay for fuel for the boat. It’s sort of one of those unwritten rules of fishing where payment can often be in kind; say a few coldies, or a decent lunch.

But paying for a share of the fuel burned on fishing expeditions will always strengthen the relationship, and keep you at the front of your mate’s mind the next time he starts thinking of heading down to the boat ramp or the marina.

The easiest way to pay for fuel is to give your mate a fuel card. Several fuel retailers sell gift cards that can also be used to grab a cold drink or a hot pie.

Scratch around the internet and they’re readily available from several fuel retailers. Alternatively, finance groups such as Visa or Eftpos provide gift cards that can be used to buy anything from fuel to bait.

A number of tackle shops, particularly ones near boat ramps, offer an annual ice club membership.

Basically, an ice club membership allows any member to fill up an icebox anytime they’re heading past to hit the boat ramp.

A good ice slurry is an important part of keeping the fish you catch in tip-top condition for the table.

Ask what type of ice is on offer; blocks are good if you’re keeping food cool for extended periods, ice cubes are good for cooling drinks, while shaved ice makes for the best fish-keeping slurry once you mix it with a bit of clean saltwater.

One of the worst things on a boat is unlabelled switches. Think about it; in an emergency, how is anyone going to know which switch is the bilge pump if there’s a bank of switches that all look the same?

Laser-etched stick-on labels made from either stainless steel or plastic are cheap, easy to use and entirely customisable. And they look cool.

Think beyond just the switchgear; how about adding a label with the boat’s registration details near the radio so that in an emergency, no one has to ask what is the boat’s rego when calling for help?

If your boating buddy is a little more traditional, you can even get etched brass plates that can be screwed into timber.

Okay, it sounds stupid, but removing canvas covers from a boat is often an exercise deeply seated in frustration.

The problem is that the canvas will expand when it is wet, and shrink when it is dry. That can make undoing the snaps a huge chore, especially if the sun’s warmth has made them tight.

The risk is that you put so much force on the canvas to unclip it that you end up with a rip.

That’s where a canvas snap tool is a handy accessory. These tools are designed to lever up the snap without putting any pressure on the canvas, making the entire exercise fuss-free.

Fishing and boating is all about information. For some of us, that information goes in one ear and then slips right out the other.

It’s where the act of writing it all down can pay big dividends the next time you head out.

A logbook doesn’t have to be fancy, but given the environment it has to deal with, it will need to be durable. 

Look for something like a traveller’s notebook with a leather cover that can be treated to keep it at least splashproof, and inserts so that as the pages fill the owner can replace them before the booklet falls apart.

It’s also a handy place to write down serial numbers of all the gear on your boat so that if the worst happens and the boat isn’t where you left it the night before, the police will have something to go with.

Things written on paper never run out of electricity. That’s why having a physical copy of what the tides and moon are doing can sometimes pay big dividends.

Being able to quickly and easily reference tide times is also very handy when it comes to planning future trips; no point in turning up at a boat ramp to realise it’s a neap tide and the water level is so low you can’t get the boat in.

Tide times will differ markedly depending on where you are in Australia, so there’s no one-size-fits-all guide that works just as well in Esperance as it does in Rockhampton, so if you’re buying online, make sure it suits local conditions.

An angler’s almanac will help with assessing when is the best time to go fishing, and what fish to target.

Okay, this is something a bit unusual. But it’s also surprising how few fishers ever know what’s underneath their boat.

Your fishfinder can only tell you so much about the bottom structure you’re targeting, but this old-school bit of technology – basically a hollow tube with a window at one end – can reveal exactly what the bottom looks like.

A bathyscope can see much further into the water than polarised sunglasses.

You should easily be able to spot sandy patches in the weed to target whiting, the right reef structures where fish sit, and any potential snags that will eat a line any time you go near them.

If you want to make the gift even more personal, a bathyscope is easy to make.