The Top Five Gift Ideas for a Fly-Fisherman (That My Wife Has Already Gotten Me)

This past week, I celebrated my birthday with a bit of solo fly-fishing, and when I came home, my wife Emily surprised me with a few fantastic birthday gifts. Emily, historically, is a fantastic gift giver, and she's inspired me to put together this list of the great fly-fishing presents she's hooked me up with over the years.

That's her on the left.

Any and all of these gifts would be perfect for the special fly-fisher in your life, or if you want to give yourself something. Throughout the article, I have included links to spots where you can purchase these items. So, in no particular order, (sort of):

Dead Armadillos and Rainbow Trout - Bennett Spring, May 2017

I have never seen a living armadillo. I know they are steadily gaining numbers in Missouri, but I have never seen one of these animals, at least alive. If I told you to guess how many dead armadillos I saw between St. Louis and Lebanon, Missouri and back, how many would you say? Five? Ten? Twenty?

I drove down to Bennett Spring, outside of Lebanon, last Friday after work for a quick overnight camping and fishing trip to celebrate my 29th birthday. Normally, Emily would tag along for these quick trips, but shockingly the idea of being seven months pregnant and sleeping in a tent didn't sound appealing to her. Women. Originally, I was just going to haul ass and try to get down there early Saturday morning, but Emily had the bright idea for me to camp the night before instead. A night alone in the woods with no company except a campfire and a cooler of beer is always a bright idea in my book, so she didn't really need to twist my arm to get me out of the house.