As a veteran last-minute holiday shopper, I know there are plenty of people out there who still have someone, or 10 someones, to check off their lists.
I remember my teenage years when Lucky Jim and I scoured the aisles of Kmart on Christmas Eve hoping to find that certain blue-light special for friends, family or acquaintances whose wishes remained unfulfilled.
I attribute my gift-wrapping talent to handling packages, paper, scissors, and tape in the front seat of a pickup truck as my cousin Bones Malone drove us over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house on Christmas Day more than once when we were in our 20s.
I still do a lot of wrapping, but I haven’t had to fight the shopping crowds for more than 30 years, since the arrival of my own Christmas angel. My wife Kelly considers last-minute shopping to be any date after Thanksgiving. She scouts for thoughtful things all year long and usually has most of our gift-buying done before the stores have put away the Halloween merchandise.
In years past, I have recommended bird feeders and seeds as great gifts for anyone with even a slight interest in the great outdoors. The state Department of Conservation’s Natural Events Calendar gives all year long with its remarkable photography and daily reminders about the world outside the windows here in Missouri.
This past year I discovered another great idea in a gift to me. For my 60th birthday, I received a guided fishing trip with Ryan Walker from OSA Guides and Outfitters. My gift certificate said that the Ozarks Smallmouth Alliance founder would take two anglers, on a mutually agreeable date, for a chance to battle bronzebacks on a southwest Missouri stream.
I have always been a do-it-myself kind of guy, and I certainly don’t need someone to bait my line or take fish off my hooks. But I have to admit that’s a pretty nice perk. Ryan said we could bring our own equipment and do all we wanted, or we could just show up at the boat ramp and he would take care of everything else. We chose the latter and had a terrific day.
No one was too disappointed when spring rains in the week before our scheduled trip made the smallmouth streams a little too swift. We called an audible to try our luck at catching walleye in tailwaters below a dam, where the current was much more under control.
Walker offers gift certificates for smallmouth or walleye fishing trips on his website osaguidesoutfitters.com. But our experience was much more than fishing. We were able to learn tricks and tips from a true professional, and we collected a few new fish stories along the way.
I took the trip with Lucky Jim, who is an accomplished angler himself, but I realized that a guided trip would be great to share with someone of less experience. Lessons from a patient master of the craft may resonate better than instructions from dad or a spouse. The together-time would be the gift, while the guide did all the work.
I’ve had the good fortune to take a number of guided trips through the years and never had a bad experience, but picking a professional partner may require more than randomly selecting someone from a roadside sign or other solicitation. Walker and OSA Guides and Outfitters came recommended by a mutual friend. If you check out
osaguidesoutfitters.com, you’ll see a website as professional as the master angler himself. And his work is on display on social media, too. You can also call for more information at 417-366-3617.
If you still need to land a great present for an angler on your list, the memories from an experience gift like a guided fishing trip will outlast most of the other things you could find in the store these days. I know. I have been in those aisles and the pickings can be pretty slim.
John Winkelman has been writing about outdoors news and issues in Jefferson County for more than 30 years and is the Associate Editor for Outdoor Guide Magazine. If you have story ideas for the Leader outdoor news page, e-mail ogmjohnw@aol.com, and you can find more outdoor news and updates at johnjwink.com.