From what I have been told I am impossible to shop for. How difficult can it be? I am an outdoorsman, there should be plenty of options out there. Problem is I am not a “mainstream” sportsman. My whole life does not revolve around Whitetails or Largemouth Bass and it seems that all products are geared towards those two species. Just turn on the TV to the Sportsman channels and you will get steady diet of deer and bass. My needs are a little more speciaialized and I am very particular about the equipment I use.
Item #1
Now those who know me would probably expect this to be a butt load of Rapala’s. Thruth is those that know me know I already have a butt load of Rapala’s and I really don’t need anymore (yeah right). Actually, what I need is something to get me through those winter months when the ramps are iced up and I can’t launch my boat. This year I am going to try Steelhead fishing. Yeah you read that right, Steelhead. I already have all the accessories, all I need is a rod. This of course will have to be left up to me because no one in my family has any clue as to what the difference is bewteen one fishing rod or another. I can already picture my sister in law picking out an Ugly Stick and a Zebco 404 reel to go with it. Not even close. After the Christmas rush is over I’ll take a drive up to Andy’s Tackle and pick out one to my liking.
Item #2
This isn’t something I really don’t need but it would be nice to have. Problem is once you buy one it is already obsolete and the newer version is already in production. I could really use a new Depthfinder/GPS for my boat. Something in color of course and it doesn’t have to be in HD though I’m sure if I cave in and buy one I will go all out. My current graph is an old B/W Eagle and while it works I never really know if that grey blob is a fish or just junk. A color one will help. Then again I wonder what the point is, I always fish the same areas and if I don’t catch fish in one area I move on to the next. If I was fishing the lake a lot I would already have one but my river spots don’t change much.
Item #3
Speaking of river spots its time to re-visit my Canadian ones. Last summer in the Channel was rough and they were hammering away at the walleye in Amherstburg like thay always seem to do. I didn’t buy a CDN license in 2013 because I did so well in 2012 in US waters that I didn’t feel the need. Big Mistake!!
Item #4
Last but not least I have one more item I want and it isn’t fishing related. I want a new .22 rifle for squirrel hunting. Though there is nothing wrong with my old Marlin Model 60 I am seeing the need for a clip fed rifle and a more powerful scope. My eyes aren’t what they used to be and trying to put the crosshairs on the noggin of a squirrel is getting to be more and more difficult. Granted getting a new scope would be a cheaper alternative but I want a rifle that can shoot squirrles out to 50 yards and shoot any type of .22 ammo I feed it. My current rifle is a tube fed semi-auto and while it is fun to shoot it can be tempermental. I may not be able to squeeze off many quick shots with a bolt action but I will be able to shoot all the boxes of sub sonic .22 ammo that I have right now. With the current shortages of ammo, having a rifle that can shoot just about anything I can find is a definite plus.
Well there it is, my wish list for this Christmas. What’s on your list this year?
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Mark Schaller
Muskrat Adventures 