Gifts that will bring joy to a beloved fly-fisherman

It’s time for holiday giving! And you know what that means!

It’s time to go into a fly shop with a big target painted on your forehead and buy stuff you don’t understand for someone who won’t use it!

So let us take a step back from the abyss and consider what will likely be useful for the fly-fisherman on your list.

The top item has to be waders. Modern waders are a far cry from the rubber pants of yesteryear, but they still wear out.

And there is nothing more discouraging than that clammy, icy feeling when you discover that your waders leak. This usually happens on the first decent fishing day in spring, so a brand-new set of waders, delivered on Christmas or Hanukkah, will be fresh in the recipient’s mind.

“Golly, it sure was swell of Gertrude to get me these waders!”

Waders come in several categories: breathable, neoprene, stocking foot, boot foot; super-expensive, somewhat expensive, expensive, less expensive, and dirt cheap for a reason.

They also come in a bewildering array of sizes, such as “XL portly long.”

The simplest thing to do is say, “Fred, I want to get you a new set of waders. Which kind do you want?”

This method is infallible, even if his name isn’t Fred.

Then go to the fly shop and get their input. Ten minutes with an angler beats hours of sifting through reviews online. And they’ll be able to advise on boots, micro-spikes, wading staffs and other excellent tools to avoid unscheduled baths.

Finally, buy them at the fly shop. Picking the shop employee’s brains and then going off and buying the same thing for a couple of bucks less online is not cricket.

Fly-fishermen are great readers. Fish books are always welcome.

Some are technical. Some are ethereal. Once in a great while, you’ll find a fishing writer who manages to combine the two.

That someone is Taylor Streit, whose “Instinctive Fly-Fishing” is the single most useful volume on the subject I’ve ever read, and combines practical advice with fish stories.

The works of John Gierach are always a good bet (funny fish stories).

And everyone should have a copy of Tom Fuller’s “Trout Streams of Southern New England” handy.

Finally, the well-stocked bookcase should have the appropriate Delorme Atlas and Gazeteer editions. These books of maps, organized by state, are infinitely detailed, and get this — you don’t need the cooperation of an electronic gizmo to find that obscure back road that leads to the seldom-fished stream.