A Wish List For Christmas

There are a lot of kids, both young and old, wondering what Santa Claus will bring this year.

I'm wondering, Why wonder? Instead of making that old man guess what will make you happy, just tell him what you want. And if you're not quite sure what to request, perhaps I can help. Here are a few ideas to put in your letter to Santa:

Dear Santa, I'd like a kayak, please.

Kayaks are still growing in popularity, and the reasons are obvious. They're light-weight and extremely portable, allowing you to access waters that are impossible for larger craft. Kayaks are also stealthy, letting you creep up on fish, birds and other wildlife. And by putting you down close to the water, kayaks give you an amazing perspective on the world. It really is special to find yourself nestled among the marsh grasses, free of roaring outboards.

By the way, you're not going to need any gasoline, except what your car uses to get to the launch. And paddling is a great way to burn off the calories from last night's gumbo, oyster po-boy and fries (and let's not forget that six-pack of Abita Amber).

The only problem with kayaking is that these craft are notoriously unstable, so tell Santa you want a kayak from Freedom Hawk. Freedom Hawk features a split stern that swings out like outriggers when you want stability, then folds back in when you want easy paddling. The Freedom 12, for example, goes from a standard beam (width) of 31 inches with the stern folded in to about 6 feet with the outriggers deployed. That means a boat so stable that I could literally dance in the cockpit ... if only I could dance.

One more thought: Santa's won't have to mortgage the North Pole to get you that Freedom Hawk. The Freedom 12 has an MSRP of only $995, considerably less than the Ranger bass boat you were considering.

Dear Santa, please, bring me a new fishing rod.

I know, you already have a fishing rod, probably several. But you can never have too many, and Temple Fork Outfitters makes it easy for Santa to add to your inventory. The only problem is figuring out which rod you want.

Temple Fork spinning rod, designed by Gary Loomis

Temple Fork's spinning and casting rods, which were designed by the legendary Gary Loomis, proved extremely popular with anglers of all stripes this past year. Even the media took note, with Field & Stream magazine saying TFO turned out the best new spinning rods of 2010. The fact that Gary's casting rods are built on the same blanks should tell you something about their quality as well.

And true to form, Temple Fork produced these amazing rods at an amazing price, only $99.95, so there's no harm in telling Santa you want two.

Or maybe you were thinking of a fly rod, in which case, tell Santa you want a BVK from Temple Fork. Though they retail for only $224.95-$249.95, the BVK series offers superb performance. These are also some of the lightest rods on the market. The 9-foot 8-weight BVK, for example, weighs only 3.2 ounces. Truly amazing. But then, we expected nothing less from TFO's chief rod designer Lefty Kreh.

Dear Santa, a Galvan reel sure would look nice on my new BVK.

Galvan Torque Series

Yes, a green reel from Galvan Fly Reels is a perfect match on Temple Fork's green BVK. Better yet, make that a Galvan Torque, which is ideal on the almost weightless BVK. The Torque T-8, for example, weighs only 7.6 ounces. Add that to the BVK 8-weight, and you're still under three-quarters of a pound.

The reasons for wanting a Torque, of course, go far beyond mere ounces. Just check out the exquisite machining of the 6061 bar stock aluminum and the perfect anodizing. The drag is also pretty slick or, more accurately, amazingly smooth and durable.

The Torque is more than you'd planned? Santa can save some money with the Galvan Rush series, which features the same drag and same quality of construction as the Torque for a lower price. And the Rush reels aren't that much heavier than the Torques; the R-8 is a measly 8 ounces. And like the Torques, the Rush reels are also available in green.

Hey, Santa! Don't forget those stocking-stuffers!

As a matter of fact, a cool TFO rod sleeve (MSRP $7.95) for my Gary Loomis-designed spinning or casting rod would be nice just to keep things clean and to avoid tangling rods together. Temple Fork also has some neat neoprene rod wraps (MSRP $14.95) to simplify transporting multiple rods.

Gale Force sunglasses from Typhoon

And how about some polarized sunglasses from Typhoon or Gone Fishing? The Typhoons ($49.99-$59.99) feature polycarbonate lenses from Sola Sunlens, a division of Carl Zeiss Optics, and Zeiss produces some of the finest optics in the world.

Mackerel sunglasses from Gone Fishing

Gone Fishing ($23.99-$39.99) has some really innovative designs. I especially like their Mackerel frames with their removable Wind Protection Gasket. Gone Fishing has floating frames as well, for the next time I drop my glasses overboard.

Tri-Shear

And have you seen Tri-Shear?

I'll bet you share my frustration from trying to get a clean cut with braided fishing lines, heavy monofilament and even wire. Tri-Shear solves that problem with a cut that keeps the line intact for a sure fit in any cable crimp.

The Tri-Shear 92968, which comes with a lanyard and holster, retails for $59.99 and is suitable for braided Kevlar and Spectra lines up to 200-pound-test, monofilament up to 300-pound-test and single strand wire up to 240-pound-test.

The larger Tri-Shear 92943 also comes with a lanyard and holster and retails for $69.99. The 92943 will cut braid up to 200-pound-test, mono up to 600-pound-test and single strand up to 400-pound-test.

Still having trouble making up your mind? Hey, we're talking about Christmas here, so be good to yourself. And not to worry, I'm told Santa has a really big sleigh.