I stopped in at Sportsman’s Warehouse looking for Christmas gifts for my fishing buddies, and I found more than I’d bargained for. At the risk of sounding like a greedy jerk, I found a bunch of stuff for my own wish list, too.
I made the mistake of starting in the gun section, which is where I tend to gravitate when I walk in that store. But I wasn’t there for me. So I allowed myself a few minutes of drooling over some Kimber 1911s and Magpul AR-15 accessories, and then I got back to what I’d come for.
There are a couple of ice fishermen on my list, so I headed over to the fishing section. One of the coolest gadgets I found was the Fish Hunter. This is a small, floating fish finder that beams the important information back to your cell phone. You can drop it in an ice fishing hole or throw it out into the water while you’re casting from the bank during open-water fishing season. At about $150, it’s a lot more affordable than most of the other fish finders out there, and you don’t have to mount this one on a boat.
If you’re going to drop that much cash on your ice fishing buddy, you should maybe think about an electric ice auger. Sportsman’s had Ion 40-volt model for $530. It’s supposed to drill 60 holes on a single charge, and you don’t have to worry about gas and oil.
Or maybe you’re tired of dealing with the wind while you’re fishing. Get your friend an Eskimo FatFish 949 ice hut for about $260. This thing’s big enough for four large humans to fit inside, out of the cold and weather.
If you don’t have a Sportsman’s Warehouse in your area, you can find them online. You can also find most of these goodies at your local sporting goods stores. But either way, you better get busy – you only have 10 more days to shop.
