Captain’s Plot – November/December 2025

By Ryan Taffet

The “most wonderful time of the year” will soon be upon us. Or at least that’s what they tell us. For many of us this is furthest point in time we will be from hitting the ocean and going to catch some fish. Just because we aren’t on the boat every week doesn’t mean we’ve stopped thinking about it, however. If you’ve got a nautically obsessed loved one in your life that you’d like to treat to something special this holiday season, I figured I’d throw a little guide out there for some things for “the one who has everything already.”
First, I’ll always start out with safety. Boaters always think about safety, but that doesn’t mean we like to spend money on it. Personal safety items are a great way to both show us you care and get us to be more diligent in using them. A nice comfortably designed offshore inflatable personal flotation device (a lifejacket) is a great gift, especially for those who operate a boat alone or who often fish with others on their boats. It’s very reassuring to step onboard someone else’s boat with your own personal safety gear.
Going along with that PFD is a personal locator beacon. These are great pieces of assurance should the unthinkable happen. Personal locator beacons trigger search-and-rescue operations through a satellite network to locate individuals in distress. A waterproof handheld (even floating) VHF radio is an awesome companion to have as well.
Another great piece of gear is a wireless engine cutoff switch for outboard boats. As of 2021 the law requires “Covered Recreational Vessels” with an engine capable of 3 horsepower or more and less than 26 feet long to be equipped with an engine cutoff switch. All outboard boats are eligible to have one installed, too. Traditionally this is a lanyard that is fitted near the ignition on the dashboard that must be clipped to the boat operator to be effective. The premise is simple. If the boat operator falls off the boat, it should pull the lanyard out and shut the engines off. But being tethered to the helm with a lanyard on an active fishing boat is a pain in the aft (pun intended!). Wireless engine cutoffs require a little installation but have a wearable fob that cuts the engine off when the fob is out of range, without physically tethering the operator to the helm.
If safety isn’t your favorite thing for gifts, there’s plenty of fun stuff you can buy us. I’m going to skip over the “gift card” thing, because that’s too easy but we do happen to like those too. Magazine subscriptions to any boating or fishing magazine that features “The Captain’s Plot by Ryan Taffet” make an awesome gift that your loved ones will cherish.
Other great ideas are personalized or branded accessories and apparel. We love wearing things with the likeness of our boat, our boat name and/or our boat brand on it. You can also get some cool custom boat stickers made for us to place at all our favorite marinas and nautical dive bars. Additionally, find out what brands of tackle we like or what type of fish we like to catch and seek out apparel featuring those brands or those fish. The offshore obsessed love to outwardly display their passion, even off the water. That’s the best chance we have at finding another one of “us” to ensure we don’t get stuck talking about work and other monotonous topics at the next holiday party you take us to.
Next up are toys for the boat. Book us a spring boat detail. Another fun boat item is a high-resolution bathymetric chart for our GPS chart plotter. If that last sentence sounds like another language to you, you’ll need to ask your loved one for some help to verify what is compatible with their electronics. Stabilized binoculars are an item every boater talks about but maybe 10 percent of us actually own. Underwater lights are an item we all like but not all of us have. As to be expected, toys for the boat are expensive, so if you’re on a tighter budget this won’t be the best category to look in.
Some less-expensive options include nice deck brushes, a bucket with a rope handle and non-slip bottom, fish fighting belts, nicer pliers, and nice drybags for clothing and gear.
Finally, one of the most precious gifts you can give us is the gift of time. No, I’m not talking about giving us more time away from the family and out on the water. I’m talking about your time. We’re very passionate about what we do on the water … OK, we’re obsessed with it, and we love to share that passion with those who mean the most to us. A promise to come along on some trips, or even just a few boat rides if fishing or the open ocean aren’t your thing, means the world to us. Hit up your local tackle shop and buy some unrigged lures, rigging material and a little section of dock line, and learn how to tie knots and rig lures with us. Learn how to help us dock or launch the boat. Hit up a boat show or a fishing seminar over the winter with us to help break up the monotony between winter and spring. It’s not about having another set of hands to do the work on the boat. It’s about having the company and your specific attention and interest. We appreciate the emotional support!

Ryan Taffet of Stuart, Florida, grew up fishing at the Jersey Shore. When he is not busy as product manager for NAVICO Group, a division of Brunswick Corporation, he’s fishing and boating on his Everglades 240CC Feelin Crabby. The views and opinions expressed in this editorial are only those of Ryan Taffet and do not reflect the views or positions of Brunswick Corporation or its affiliates.