There are many things any angler would be happy to get as a gift. Fortunately for us (& the industry) there are many consumable goods that are used in fishing. These are things any angler is going to need to always buy. Here's a short list of some fishing consumables:
-Tippet material: these come on spools about 2" in diameter. It's the stuff that goes on the very end of a fly fisher's leader. Look for it in sizes of 3X,4X,5X, & 6x for most normal fishing.
-Leaders: these are usually called "knotless tapered" & come coiled up, either individually or in packs of three or so. Look for them in the same size as the tippet. Lengths of 7 1/2 ft or 9 ft will do for most fly fishing.
-New fly line: I would only suggest this if you know what line they already use. There are too many options out there, so unless you know exactly the line they want or like, think this over carefully.
-Fly floatant: this is used for making your dry flies float longer. It can come as a paste, a liquid, or a powder. The liquid form seems to be most popular these days.
-Flies: any angler will be happy with a gift of flies - even if they tie their own. These can be bought individually or in sets. These sets are the way to go for a gift. They usually contain several different patterns for a given type of fishing (trout, bass, etc).
-Wader patch kit: sooner or later every angler who wears waders will need this. They usually come with a flexible sealant & a patch. This stuff can save the day, believe me. It's fairly inexpensive & very useful.
Another idea for a nice gift would be a wooden landing net. These are a little more money, but a nice net can be a work of art & craftsmanship.
Maybe you've noticed that old, grungy vest they've been wearing has seen better days. You might even be afraid that it's forming into a new life-form while it sits there in the corner of the closet. Well, there are tons of vests out there on the market. Take a look around & you're sure to find one that would be a good replacement.
If you want an alternative to a vest, you might want to consider a fishing bag. These are great for hot conditions, when a vest would suffocate. They're also a favorite of the traditionalist angler, having classic good looks from before the fishing vest was invented. They come in two sizes & have a lot of pockets to store stuff & places to hang clippers, etc. They're fully lined on the inside, too which makes them really easy to keep clean inside. Please see the Accessories page to learn more. There you'll find a lot of good gift ideas like wallets, bags, reel cases, rod tubes, etc.
But which rod to get??? Well, here you should do a little research. If you can, ask one of your special angler's fishing buddies (one that you trust to keep their trap shut about it). They can tell you a lot & help guide you. If you can't do that than try to sneak a peek at the rods they already have. Take note of the length & line weights (wt) of their fly rods. Armed with that info contact me, or another rod maker or local fly shop. We can help guide you to a good rod. Also have a budget in mind. Fly rod prices can vary greatly from one brand to another.
Fortunately, I recently listed a bamboo fly rod over on the Available Rods page of this site that would be perfect for someone looking for their first bamboo fly rod. In fact, this rod would be good for anybody looking for a good all-around bamboo fly rod.