This Christmas, don’t settle for buying your favorite fisherman a pack of lures and a fancy crankbait. He may like them enough to use them, but our “research” shows that bass anglers have a lot on their Christmas list that their loved ones may not have thought of.
We asked B.A.S.S. Facebook fans what they wanted most for Christmas, and the response was overwhelming. They were all over the board, from pie-in-the-sky dreams to practical off-the-shelf requests.
Fishing with a pro was one of the most requested items from Santa. Kevin VanDam and Mike Iaconelli were the ones chosen the most often as fishing buddies, but several pros or veterans got the nod, including Bill Dance, Denny Brauer, Greg Hackney, Rick Clunn, Gerald Swindle and Charlie Hartley.
A fishing boat was next as the most coveted Christmas gift. Fans wanted decked-out Nitro Z-9s, Rangers, Tritons and Skeeter FX 20s, complete with powerful Mercury and Yamaha engines and packed with Lowrance and Humminbird electronics and Minn Kota trolling motors. As it turns out, anglers are quite picky when given their choice!
Answers that cropped up multiple times were The Alabama Rig, rain to fill up the lakes in Texas, gift cards to Bass Pro Shops or Tackle Warehouse, and ice on the lakes up North so anglers can give their ice rods some love.
Below is a taste of some of the other widely varied responses. What do you want for Christmas? Like us on Facebook and join the conversation!
Things you can’t buy but can hope for
- My family to be well and together on Christmas Day! (Jason Warren)
- For me and my dad and little brother to go fishing together before my dad passes on into the better world (Keith Barnhill)
- To catch a state record largemouth (Erik Kallberg)
- The undeniable world record largemouth! (Alex Darsen)
- A new St. Croix rod with a Quantum KVD Tour PT reel that magically always catches bass when I cast! (Lance Franks)
- I’ll take just one of everything. But no more than one. I don’t want to look greedy. (Keith Hudgins)
- A 12-pound bass (Lyndon B. Johnson)
- 12 Gamakatsu hooks, 11 spools of Sufix, 10 Rago swimbaits, 9 bags of Senkos, 8 Rebel Pop-Rs, 7 Booyah buzzbaits, 6 jig-in-pigs, 5 Nitro bass boats, 4 matching Toyotas (to pull my boats), 3 G. Loomis rods, 2 Quantum reels, and 1 invitation to the Bassmaster Elite Series! (Beth Rudolph)
Products off the shelf
- New Lowrance electronics! (Andrew Peacock)
- A dozen Alabama rigs (John Hayes)
- Daiwa T3 (Jed Cole)
- A pair of Costa Del Mar sunglasses (Zach Davis)
- A Humminbird 898SI! (James Tuttle)
- A 7-6 heavy action Duckett Fishing rod with a Revo MGX. Not that I’m picky or anything. (Ben Eckl)
- Funny you should ask right now because I’m sitting on my computer researching how to build my own jigs. I would love to have all the tools to build my own jigs! (Tyler Vann Young)
- A set of Rapala DTs in the bluegill and the pearl gray shiner from 4 to 20 feet (and a lure retriever) (Clint Galloway)
For those who think Santa has an unlimited budget
- I want my own private lake, designed by me for the ultimate bass fishing year-round! (Mark Joseph Brisson)
- A $100,000 shopping spree at Bass Pro Shops and a week at Big Cedar Lodge. (Jack O’Quinn)
- I would love an all-expenses-paid trip to Lake El Salto in Mexico for me and my two sons! (Randy Haley)
- A Nitro Z9 and a Shimano Curado and Shimano Cumara with 30-pound braid and a KVD diving crankbait (Mason Aramino)
- I want an all-expenses-paid trip to either Japan or Mexico to catch some monster bass! (Travis White)
- A 20-foot Ranger or Skeeter with a 200-plus motor, Power-Poles, brand new electronics, brand new Falcon rods with Bass Pro Shops Pro Qualifier reels, and new tackle. (Keagan Lee Brady)
Just a few little things (or not so little)
- The economy to get better, the current politicians voted out, peace in the world and here at home, kindness toward the needy and fishing gear, of course! (Sergio Fainsztein)
- I want a bass boat, a truck to pull it, enough gas to run both of them whenever I want to, no world hunger, peace on Earth and for everyone to know the real reason for CHRISTmas! (Doug Averett)
A few sweet wishes
- My new fishing buddy is due into this world Dec. 27, and I want nothing more than for he and his mother to be healthy … and ready to go for the spring spawn! (Corey Watson)
- I got healthy kids, a beautiful woman, a great job — what more could a man ask for? (Ricky Butler)
- For my dad who has Alzheimer’s to know the love for fishing he passed on to me was the best gift ever! (Kenny Pfile)
- My Dad took me fishing, but Jerry McKinnis, Bill Dance and Orlando Wilson, kick started my love for fishing. A day on a small pond fishing for Cats with all 3 teachers, then a fish fry under an old tree. (Ted Cravines)
And one really practical wish
- World peace, but that’s not going to happen, so a couple of good rods and reels would do me just fine. (Steve Preston)
Join us on Facebook and tell us what you want!