In this holiday crossover episode, Great Days Outdoors host Joe Baya sits down with Butch Thierry (Alabama Saltwater Fishing Report) and Nick Williams (Alabama Freshwater Fishing Report) for a fast-moving roundtable on last-minute gifts, “upgrade” purchases, and a few under-the-radar pieces of gear that become must-haves once you own them. The theme is simple: buy comfort, buy safety, or upgrade the tools somebody already uses every trip.
Conditions Recap
Even though this episode is a Christmas Special and not a normal “where to fish” breakdown, the guys keep circling back to a winter reality on the Gulf and Panhandle: cold water and short daylight windows make comfort and safety gear matter more. If you are wading, riding long runs, or bouncing between docks and ramps in winter, the right layers, dry storage, and “always-on you” safety tools can be the difference between an awesome day and a miserable one.
Small Tools That Turn Into “Turn the Boat Around” Gear
Nick’s sleeper pick is a good set of locking hemostats, specifically Doctor Slick hemostats with built-in serrated scissors. He likes them because they clamp hard, stay compact, and pull hooks on small-mouthed fish (and plenty of bigger fish) without the bulk of full-size pliers. Once he got used to having one tool that cuts line, clears jig eyes, and handles deep hooks, it became a “nope, we’re going back to get them” item.
The group also touched on little “efficiency upgrades” that fit stockings but improve every trip—like using a loop knot for better lure action, and keeping the right cutting tool handy instead of fighting dull snips.
Wade Fishing Upgrades That Change the Whole Game
Butch says the biggest change in his fishing over the last year has been committing to a legit wade setup: a quality pair of Simms waders with real storage and comfort. Once you can carry what you need (phone, tools, boxes) without constantly running back to the boat, you start looking for reasons to wade instead of treating it like an occasional afterthought.
The guys agree the second half of the equation is footwear. Nick described finally upgrading to quality wading boots (he mentioned Orvis boots with a BOA system and carbide wading studs) and said it was a night-and-day difference on slick rocks.
They also recommended building a wade “carry system” instead of stuffing everything in cheap pockets: pairing an Easy Wade belt with Plano StowAway waterproof boxes keeps gear accessible and dry, and D-rings make it easy to clip essentials like pliers, nets, and grips.
For fish handling while wading, the panel liked the reliability of a Boga Grip—especially for controlling fish with trebles, keeping fish in the water for photos, and adding a quick weight check without relying on electronics.
On the “I keep breaking nets” problem, Bubba came up as a durable option to look at for a landing net upgrade.
Boat Upgrades and Maintenance Gear That Pay Off All Year
Nick highlighted the StayPut Anchor system as a legit alternative for smaller boats that don’t justify full shallow-water anchor installs. He described mounting options that go on quickly and give “Power Pole-like” holding without the cost and complexity—plus the boat can rise/fall with tide and wakes while staying pinned in place.
Learn more and build a kit here:
StayPutAnchor.com
For keeping salt from eating everything between “today” and “I’ll wash it tomorrow,” the guys like a salt-neutralizing spray. Salts Gone came up as a favorite because it’s easy to keep in a pump sprayer and hit trailers, wheel areas, and gear quickly after a trip.
Comfort gear got a lot of airtime too. A good set of rain gear bibs and jacket isn’t just for rain—it’s for cold runs and spray. AFTCO’s packable Crossing jacket/pants were mentioned as a “keep it in the boat bag” option.
And for family boats, marine bean bags were called out as a surprisingly useful gift—especially for kids—and a solid “replace the worn-out set” upgrade.
Fish Care, Fillet Gear, and Kitchen Equipment
A recurring idea in this episode: buy gear that improves the food. One simple but powerful upgrade is an ice maker (especially for anglers who fish or hunt spur-of-the-moment). Having bags of ice ready to go changes the whole “we need to stop somewhere” routine.
Nick also pushed hard on replacing freezer bags with a vacuum sealer. If somebody already owns one, the “next level” upgrade is a chamber vacuum sealer (models like VacMaster were discussed) for better seals and the ability to handle moisture-heavy seafood. A practical tip that came up: when sealing wet fillets on standard machines, adding a small piece of paper towel helps keep moisture off the sealing strip.
On knives, the group noted you don’t need one “perfect” fillet knife—different fish call for different blade sizes. AFTCO fillet knives and Toadfish were both mentioned as solid options, and a multi-knife set makes a smart gift for someone who cleans a variety of species.
They also talked about the impact of proper fish handling, specifically Ike jime and Shinkei jime tools and process (brain spike, bleeding, and wire). The takeaway: if you like eating fish, this is one of the biggest quality upgrades you can make—especially for species that get a bad reputation when handled poorly.
For post-trip cleanup, the “this isn’t just soap” pick was Fisherman’s Hand Scrub, which got strong endorsements for removing fish and bait smell.
Safety and Peace of Mind: Gifts That Help Everybody Come Home
The most serious part of the conversation centered on offshore and cold-water safety. The group urged anglers to prioritize gear you actually wear and carry: inflatable PFDs (including waist-pack styles for comfort), plus a real plan for emergencies.
They discussed three big “peace of mind” categories:
1) a life raft for offshore runs,
2) a satellite communicator (the Garmin inReach was mentioned, along with other brands),
and 3) towing coverage for when things go sideways.
For towing, Sea Tow was specifically discussed as a membership worth having for offshore anglers who don’t want gray-area limits.
Learn more here: SeaTow.com
Specialty Gear and “Out of Left Field” Gifts
If you’re shopping for someone who already has “everything,” this episode delivered a pile of niche ideas:
Slow pitch jigging came up as a way to make bottom fishing more fun and less fatiguing—lighter tackle, no bait cutting, and the ability to catch everything from the bottom to mid-column.
For lure work and rigging, the guys mentioned TOIT Fishing Tools—especially their split ring pliers and heavy-duty scissors—as high-quality, reasonably priced gifts that get used constantly.
They also discussed tungsten jigs as an upgrade (denser, smaller profile for the same weight, different sink behavior, and strong visibility on forward-facing sonar).
On the freshwater side, Nick surprised everyone with how useful castable sonar can be. He described the Garmin castable sonar as “not a toy,” especially for bank fishing, neighborhood ponds, kayaks/canoes, and quickly reading depth/structure.
For fly anglers (or “fly-curious” anglers), Nick recommended a fast-action “salty six-weight” fly rod with a fighting butt as a versatile gateway setup. He also liked Scientific Anglers Sonar sink tips for quickly switching from topwater to subsurface without swapping spools.
A few more comfort/utility callouts that made the list: Corkers deck boots (comfort was the selling point), hooded sun shirts and face protection, AFTCO Reaper for cold mornings,
and the Kifaru Steelhead chest pack as an all-in-one “keep it on you” carry solution.
The Best Gift: Book the Trip and Give Your Time
The final point was the simplest: the best gifts usually aren’t “stuff.” If you want to guarantee time together and create a memory, book the trip. That can be
anything from a land-based day to an offshore charter—especially walk-on trips that make it easy to say yes.
