CHRISTMAS SHOPPING FOR A FISHERMAN

Seventeen year old Dalby Perrin and a friend were obviously somewhat mesmerized by the wall of rods in front of them when I first noticed them in an Academy store last week.As a matter of fact, they weren’t even into the time tested bending and shaking stage when I initially saw them.

“That’s Dickie Colburn….he’s a fishing guide so let’s ask him,” said Dalby’s friend when he noticed me digging through Corkies a short distance away.“Naw,” replied Darby, “he’s a saltwater guide so he doesn’t know anything about bass fishing.”

“Are you in the process of trying to pick out a Christmas present for yourself or someone else,” I asked.“I am trying to decide on the best rod for me,” replied the youngster without even looking my way.My Aunt told me to pick out any rod I wanted, but one rod doesn’t do everything for bass fishing.”

Having agreed with his assessment, I asked if his present was a one rod deal or a designated amount of money. It turned out that it was a very generous check that would easily cover any rod I would choose to buy.

“For that kind of money,” I offered, “You can buy two or possibly even three quality rods and cover all of your bases. Almost every rod company represented on this wall offers a selection of rods that any bass fishermen would be pleased to own.”

“My Uncle is a trophy trout fisherman and he said that you can’t get a really good rod for under $300, that’s why my Aunt Tee gave me so much.”“That isn’t altogether accurate,” I replied, “but unlike bass fishermen, trout enthusiasts do tend to spend a lot of money on a single rod.They need a rod that will do one or two things really well rather than an arsenal of rods designed to handle far more tasks.”

“You would be lucky to even find a rod that would satisfy a discriminating trout fishermen in the entire store,” I pointed out.“Smaller Rod builders like Laguna, Sarge, and Waterloo, just to name a few, specialize in designing quality trout rods that meet very specific needs and the cost usually reflects that factor.”

Major companies like Diawa, Falcon, Castaway and Shimano not only offer more reasonably priced rods that will work equally well for trout fishermen, but a complete line of bass sticks as well.The bottom line is that your tackle dollar will go a little further without sacrificing most of the advantages of the more expensive rod!

Having bought into my perspective, we even got around to the fact that I had bass fished even longer than I have trout fished and guided on Toledo Bend for twenty-five years. I instantly became a more credible resource and that was all it took for Darby to decide on two new rods that would cover everything from flipping and pitching to effectively cranking on a jerk bait.

Before parting ways, I lauded his Aunt for her generous cash gift in lieu of trying to decide on which rod to select for her favorite nephew and Darby whole heartedly agreed.“You are usually considered to be the “favorite” nephew when you are the only nephew,” he replied.

“I’ve got two new rods now,” beamed the youngster, “and enough money left over to buy a spool of braided line.I saw them one more time that morning while climbing in their truck and wished both a Merry Christmas.

Before climbing in the truck, Darby shook my hand and thanked me for the help while wishing me a Merry Christmas as well. “Now there is only one problem,” he said with a conniving smile, “I have to convince my Mom I now need two new reels rather than one!”

Unless you know exactly what you are looking for when trying to make a purchase for your special fisherman, there is no substitute for first checking out the more personal smaller tackle shops.Their only business is catering to fishermen and they are far more familiar with what works for a particular need and what doesn't.

You are going to make a fisherman happy either way, but it is even better when the new rod is just the right one!