Gifts for Fishermen: Shirts and Small Things for the Tackle Box

Fishermen are hard to buy gear for. Most anglers have opinions about rods and reels, line weight, hook sizes and lure colors that took years to form, and the lure you picked because it looked nice is probably not the one they would tie on. The safest gifts for fishermen are the ones that do not second-guess their tackle: things they use up, things that make a long morning on the water easier, and a shirt that shows off the hobby.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service counted 39.9 million anglers age 16 and older in its 2022 national survey, so there is a good chance someone on your list is one of them. Here are twelve fishing gift ideas, six shirts and six small things that fit in a tackle box, that work for any angler in your life, no matter what kind of fish they chase.

Six fishing shirts that make the joke for them

Every shirt is a made-to-order unisex graphic tee in adult sizes S to 3XL. S to XL is $29.99, 2XL is $32.99 and 3XL is $34.99, and each comes in 15 colors from Ivory and Bay to Moss, Blue Jean and Black.

1. We Hooked The Best Dad

   We Hooked The Best Dad stacks three puns in orange and teal: "We hooked the best dad! No trout it! You totally kick bass!" with leaping fish and hooks around the words. It is the shirt the kids can give dad, and it reads best on light colors like Ivory, Bay or Chambray.

2. Reel Cool Dad (leaping trout)

   Reel Cool Dad arches "Reel Cool" over a trout jumping out of blue water, with DAD in bold red below. It is the most colorful fishing design we have, and the one that looks most like a bait-shop sign.

3. Reel Cool Dad (fishing reel)

   For a darker shirt, Reel Cool Dad in white print wraps the words around a fishing reel. Pick Black, Pepper, Graphite or Blue Jean so the white lines stand out. It is a cleaner look for a dad who does not like a lot of color.

4. Reel Great Dad

   Reel Great Dad is simple type: REEL and DAD in black with "Great" in teal script and a small mustache in between. Easy to read across a boat ramp.

5. Cool Dad Bass Fishing

   Cool Dad Bass Fishing is detailed line art of a bass jumping out of a splash inside a circle, with COOL DAD arched above. It is the most "outdoorsy" design of the set and looks good on Moss, Bay or Ivory.

6. Dad Fishing Rods

   Dad Fishing Rods puts DAD over two crossed fishing rods and a fish, in dark print for light shirts. If he prefers a dark shirt, Dad Fishing Rods Classic is the same idea in white print.

Not a dad? Two fishing designs work for anyone. Patriotic Fishing Boat is a red, white and blue fishing boat with a flag flying off the cabin. Bigfoot Fishing Freedom shows Bigfoot sitting with a fishing pole in front of a flag, which is about as tall a tale as a fishing shirt can tell.

Match the shirt to the kind of fishing he does

• Bass fisherman: Cool Dad Bass Fishing for the largemouth chaser, or We Hooked The Best Dad for the "kick bass" line.
• Trout and fly fisherman: the leaping trout on Reel Cool Dad.
• Boat owner or kayak angler: Patriotic Fishing Boat, so the boat finally gets its own shirt.
• Inshore and saltwater angler: Reel Cool Dad in white print, since a fishing reel works on any water.
• Bank, pier and panfish angler: Dad Fishing Rods, plain and easy to wear anywhere.
• The storyteller: Bigfoot Fishing Freedom, for the man whose fish get bigger every time he tells it.

Six small gifts for the tackle box

These are useful gifts and good stocking stuffers: the small things an angler goes through every season. None of them require you to know his favorite lure.

1. Fresh line. Line wears out, and a new spool is always welcome. Check the label on the spool he uses now and buy the same type and pound test.
2. Hooks in his usual sizes. Same trick: look at the packs he already has and buy more of those.
3. A good pair of pliers or line nippers. They get dropped overboard, rusted or borrowed and never returned.
4. A headlamp. For the 5 a.m. launch and the walk back to the truck after dark.
5. A waterproof phone pouch. So the photo of the big one actually happens.
6. A small tackle tray. Even organized fishermen run out of compartments.

Honest note: if he is very particular, a gift card to the local bait and tackle shop beats a lure you picked yourself. Pair it with a shirt so there is still something to open.

Fishing gifts for someone who has everything

Some anglers really do own it all: three tackle boxes, a rod for every kind of fish, and a garage wall of lures. For fishermen who have everything, skip the gear aisle completely. Give them something they burn through (line, hooks, ice for the cooler), something for the ride to the lake (a shirt, a thermos of coffee, a good snack bag), or something that makes the day happen (a babysitter, a boat ramp pass, a free Saturday). A great gift for this angler is permission to go fishing.

Gifts for a beginner who just started fishing

New anglers are the opposite: they need almost everything, and they are not picky yet. A beginner gets real use from a basic tackle tray already stocked with hooks, sinkers and bobbers, a pair of pliers, a fishing license for your state if you can buy one for them, and a trip with someone who knows the water. Add a fishing shirt so they look the part on their first trip, even before they catch anything.

Gifts that are not things

For a lot of anglers, the best gift is time on the water.

• A fishing day. Take the kids for the day so he can go out with his fishing partner, or book a morning together at his favorite fishing spot.
• A cooler packed for the trip. Sandwiches, drinks, snacks, sunscreen. Hand it over the night before.
• A framed photo of a memorable catch. Dig through his phone for the picture he is proudest of, print it, and add a handwritten note.

If the fishing trip turns into a camping weekend, our outdoors graphic tees cover the campfire side of things.

When a fishing shirt is not the right gift

If he fishes in technical sun shirts and nothing else, a cotton graphic tee is not fishing gear. It is what he wears to the boat ramp, the fish fry and the cookout afterward. That is still a good gift, but do not expect him to wear it in the middle of the lake in July. If he has a drawer full of fishing tees already, put the money toward line and hooks instead.

Sizing, care and timing

These are relaxed-fit unisex tees with a ribbed collar. To pick a size, lay a shirt he already wears flat, measure across the chest about an inch below the armholes, and compare it with our size and measurement guide. Wash cold and inside out with like colors, tumble dry low, no bleach, and do not iron directly on the print.

Every shirt is printed after you order. Orders ship in 1 to 3 business days. Most orders arrive 3 to 5 business days after shipping. Order by Dec 9 for Christmas delivery. If you are thinking ahead to Father's Day, it falls on Sunday, June 20, 2027, so count back about eight business days. Standard shipping (UPS) is $9 on orders under $49, and Economy is free on orders of $49 or more. A family fishing trip group of 12 or more can request a bulk quote. See the Christmas Shirt Ordering Guide 2026 and our shipping information page.

Quick answers

What is a good gift for a fisherman who has everything?

Things he uses up, like line and hooks in the sizes he already buys, plus a fishing shirt or a day on the water.

What is a good fishing gift under $35?

Any fishing tee in S to XL is $29.99 before shipping. Pair it with a pack of the hooks he already uses.

What should I not buy a fisherman?

A fishing rod, reel or lures picked at random. Anglers are picky about gear. Shirts, consumables and time are safer.

What are good fishing gifts for women?

The same small tackle box gifts, plus a unisex shirt. Patriotic Fishing Boat and Bigfoot Fishing Freedom work for any woman who loves fishing.

What do you say to a fisherman for good luck?

"Tight lines." Write it on the gift tag.

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