12 Gift Ideas for Anglers and Fishing Boat Owners
October 31, 2022 6 min read
Got an angler on your list this holiday season? Good! That makes it pretty easy to figure out what they want in general — fishing and boating stuff. What’s not so good is that if you’re not an angler or boater yourself, the gear and accessory options can get confusing in a hurry.
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Gifts For Every Fisher
To help, we’ve rounded up a short list of great fishing gifts for fishermen and fisherwomen that won’t break the bank and are more or less universal; in other words, they’re equally good gifts for anglers of all stripes — from freshwater to salt, offshore to inshore, kayak to battlewagon, bluegill to blue marlin.
1. YETI Cooler Rod Rack
A cooler in front of the console, on the bow, in the cockpit, or even on a paddleboard can be a great place to add vertical racks for additional rod storage, but any YETI owner would cringe at the thought of drilling mounting holes.
Clever drop-and-lock rod racks, though, add two powder-coated aluminum rod holders per side to any YETI without so much as a scratch mark.
Another option, our Side Mounted Fishing Tackle Unit, provides not just two-rod holders but also slots for a knife, pliers, and a 3700-size tackle tray.
2. Leader Spool Holder
Spools of leader material are an indispensable part of saltwater fishing but an unmitigated pain to store and manage on board. A dedicated leader holder not only gives leader spools a secure, out-of-the-way place to live but also makes them easy to access and use.
Spool holders are available for up to 16 standard 25 yd. spools and can be mounted to virtually any flat horizontal or vertical surface with screws or even suction cups. Another model even adds convenient slots for knives and pliers.
For those with commitment issues, standalone leader boxes — ranging from economical plastic boxes to high-end Starboard boxes — are great too.
3. Rod Holder Fillet Table
A rod holder fillet table is one of those things that will make you wonder how you went so long without one. These tables drop into any flush-mount rod holder, drain overboard to keep blood and scales off the deck, securely hold your knife, pliers, rag and drink, and then fold flat for easy storage.
They’re great for cleaning fish, but maybe even better for prepping bait and chum while fishing. For even more utility, consider a fillet table with integrated storage for a large, waterproof gear tray.
4. Tackle Trays
There’s no such thing as too many tackle trays. These versatile, plastic storage units can be configured to hold everything from crappie jigs to offshore trolling lures. Plano and Flambeau are the most popular brands, but the innovative new Gruv boxes are winning a lot of fans.
If you don’t know what size to get, measure the slots in the person’s tackle bag or built-in boat tackle boxes.
5. Cooler Slide
Underneath the leaning post on a center console is an almost perfect spot for a cooler. The only drawback is that in many cases, the lid can’t be opened completely without dragging the cooler out. If it’s a 36-qt Igloo with a six-pack of Perrier and some brie, no big deal. But if it’s Yeti 75 loaded with ice and beer for an overnighter to the Middle Grounds, that’s a problem!
A cooler slide is one of the most useful and popular upgrades to center console fishing boats. With 3 sizes that can adjust to fit almost every cooler it's a gift any angler can put to use.
6. Fishing Tool Holders
Anglers love tools — knives, pliers, dikes, fish grippers, de-hookers, venting tools, gaffs, and so on — and convenient places to store those tools make great gifts. You can look at dedicated holders made for just one thing, like a pliers holder or BogaGrip holder, or combination solutions that hold all kinds of stuff, like our Two Drink, Tool, Knife and Lure Holder. Most mount quickly on virtually any vertical surface with screws or suction cups.
For inshore anglers, a clamp-on trolling motor-mounted tool holder puts a rod, pliers, leader spool, drink and lures right on the motor shaft.
7. Mesh Storage
Tackle Webs makes innovative, affordable cloth mesh storage solutions for almost anything on a fishing boat. Their bags attach to pedestal seats, leaning posts, casting and poling platforms, T-tops and bulkheads by adhesives, velcro and bungee cords and accommodate everything from coffee mugs to large tackle trays.
The Pedestal Seat Storage Bag makes a perfect gift for freshwater fishing boat owners, while the several different sizes of suspended storage bag fit perfectly on the back of leaning posts in saltwater boats. Smaller velcro-mounted pouches are great places to tuck smaller items like keys, wallets, glasses, charts, snacks, and tools.
Next Level: The Ultimate Gift List
Want to take your gift-giving to the next level? Here are a few unique ideas for fishing boat owners. Keep in mind that these aren’t things you can wrap and put under a tree. Instead, they’re projects that the boat owner will need to discuss with Boat Outfitters to settle on the ideal approach and specifications.
8. Catch-All and Glove Boxes
Smaller, recessed storage compartments are ideal for wallets, keys, glasses, phones, radios and are typically mounted on the boat’s dash or console. Boat Outfitters offers several pre-designed sizes of catch-alls, which don’t have a door, and glove boxes, which have a door and latch, but we can also build custom catch-alls and glove boxes to exactly fit virtually whatever space is available.
9. Boat Tackle Units
Our custom and semi-custom tackle storage solutions are designed to be either recessed into a vertical surface on the boat or mounted freestanding on deck. They can be made in a wide variety of pre-designed configurations or completely custom built to your specifications. Prices range from less than $200 to several thousand.
10. Part Replication
Different parts of boats tend to age and weather at different rates. Wood and plastic doors, step pads, rails and trim in particular often show their age long before the fiberglass and metal parts of the boat, making the whole boat look old. The problem is that many of those parts are specific to boat models and manufacturers and may no longer be available. At Boat Outfitters, though, our design and engineering team can replicate almost any boat part using King Starboard, marine acrylic, and other low-maintenance materials.
11. Custom Dash Panels
There are few things that can revitalize an older boat like updated electronics and gauges and a new acrylic dash panel to accommodate them. A dash makeover isn’t a project to take lightly, and there are a lot of factors to consider, but if the boat owner on your list is ready, Boat Outfitters specializes in planning and executing custom cut panels. For a full run down on the project check out our video, Boat Dash Panels- Material, Electronics, and Installation.
12. Electronics
Talk about big boy (and big girl) toys! Nothing is cooler to open than a new piece of the latest supercharged navigation and fishfinding technology! Marine electronics get more powerful, more intuitive and just plain cooler with every passing year, and those advances seem to be faster than ever today. A new multifunction display, standalone chartplotter/fishfinder, radar, satellite radio receiver or even night vision system is always going to make somebody very happy.
