Winter fishing Christmas gift ideas

For me winter fishing is the best. I love the cold nights, the rain, the wind. It feels very rewarding when you brave the elements to reap the rewords it offers. Winter fishing is also much more dangerous so here are some helpful suggestions for the long winter nights ahead. If you have a fisherman mad other half then these are great gift ideas for them this Christmas or for a birthday!

Don't forget to also check out my Equip. Reviews page for reviews of various fishing equipment.

If you're new to fishing also check out or print my Beginners Guide to sea fishing.

Improve your chance of survival for under £20

This section covers items that could well save your life but won't drown your wallet!

Perfect gifts to keep your fishing mad other half safe!

Let there be light... again! (£10-£15)

Ok, so it's pretty obvious that night fishing means you need a light. BUT I bet you only carry the one light with you?

If you've never been night fishing down some cliff and your light suddenly runs out of petrol, the bulb blows or the battery runs out you're quite lucky. You don't need to lug about a second lamp but my advice is this Christmas get someone to buy you a mini mag light. I have one of these on my keyring. It isn't much bigger than a key and I never use it. I have had a battery lamp die on me while fishing from a cliff and the walk back without the mini mag light would have been almost impossible. That £10-£15 investment saved me from falling in the sea, I'm certain of it!

If you're in the water that light on a keyring could be the thing that catches someone's eye. You always have your keys on you. A light on a keyring will also always be with you.

I'll name that tune in one! (20p)

I have posted this on another part of the site but I'll just post a brief bit about carrying a whistle. In the winter there are nowhere near the same amount of people about to see or hear you fall in. A mobile phone doesn't work in 30ft of water; a whistle does. 20p to £2 is all one will cost.

I'm the invisible man! (£2)

If you don't have a floatation suit go to any bike shop or similar and get some of those reflective strips you can stick on your clothing. You only need a few and a helicopter or lifeboat can spot you a long way off. Again you're only looking at a couple of pound for something that could save your life.

Hello honey, it's me calling (35p)

If you're planning on fishing alone make sure someone knows when you're coming back and if you're going to be late PHONE THEM! Ideally if you're going fishing alone and you'll be gone for more than a couple of hours keep phoning home ever hour or so to let them know you're ok or get them to phone you. Think you're safe on a pier? think again because already in October I've seen waves crashing over a breakwater and a pier.

First Aid Kit (£5 to £20)

With fewer and fewer people about during the winter months a small first aid kit could help a lot. You don't need to buy a ready made one because you could make your own. Waterproof plasters, sterile dressing and some kind of cleaning agent will cover most situations.

All fall down (£15 to £70)

In daylight fisherman still slip and with the onset of earlier and earlier nights this problem magnifies when you can't see as well. A good pair of walking boots will really help prevent these falls. Visit your local camping shop and have a look at their range of waterproof, high grip walking boots or welly boots. Make sure they have a good amount of grip. I choose walking boots and although they are not sea-water proof a quick rinse under the tap after each return does the job!

Too many rods (£10 to £20)

If your partner takes out a of of rods take my word that carrying a few rods and a tripod is a real challenge as they walk to their spot. Fishing tackle shops sell rod holders that will hold up to 5 rods and a tripod and best still they have a shoulder strap so that leaves a free hand for hiking down cliffs to fish.

You old bag! (£2 to £30)

If you see your fishing partner walking through the door with his or her arms full of boxes etc maybe they would be better off with a rucksack to free up a hand. Rucksacks are very cheap these days. I bought one that even had a cool bag at the bottom for bait and it only cost me £20

Ok that's the under £20 section over. Just one more piece of advice at the moment:

Floatation Suit

I consider these essential for winter fishing for three reasons. You'll float if you fall in, you'll be warmer in sea if you fall in, they are amazingly warm to wear.

Although I am safety conscious it's actually the third reason for me that I bought one. I was fed up wearing layer after layer of clothing and still being wet and cold. In the coldest depths of last winter all I had on underneath my flotation suit was a thin jumper and jogging bottoms. It made moving about, casting etc so much easier. With a flotation suit you can hear the wind howling but can't feel it. You can hear the rain pouring but can't feel it. You can see the steam as you breath but you can't feel the cold. For anyone serious about winter fishing a good flotation suit will be the best investment you can possibly make! It could also save your life!