Why We Built TackleHaul
Reggie Thompson · April 1, 2026 · 2 min read
Every angler has a version of this story. You find the reel you want, buy it at the first shop you check, and two weeks later a buddy tells you he got the same reel for thirty dollars less at a different retailer. It happens to everyone.
It happened to me with a Shimano Stradic last spring. I paid full price, felt good about it — until I saw the same listing on another site the following week. The difference wasn't huge, but it stung. Not because of the money, but because I knew I could have caught that deal if I'd just looked around.
The Problem With Fishing Gear Prices
Fishing tackle pricing is all over the map. The same rod, reel, or lure can vary by 20 to 40 percent depending on where you shop and when. Big-box retailers run different sales than specialty shops. Online marketplaces have their own timing. Manufacturer MAP pricing exists but isn't always enforced.
The result: anglers who don't comparison shop are leaving real money on the water, every season.
What We Set Out to Build
TackleHaul started as a side project to scratch my own itch. I wanted a single place to check prices across the major fishing retailers — Bass Pro, Tackle Warehouse, FishUSA, Amazon — without opening five tabs and manually comparing.
The goal was simple: show me the current price at every major retailer, let me see whether that price is high or low relative to recent history, and alert me when it drops to where I want it.
Why It Matters for Real Anglers
This isn't about gaming the system. It's about respecting your gear budget. Whether you're rigging a tournament setup or buying your first spinning combo, knowing you paid the right price matters. Fishing is already expensive — quality rods, reels, line, and tackle add up fast.
TackleHaul exists to put anglers on equal footing with the price information that's out there. It shouldn't take a spreadsheet and two hours of research to know whether a deal is actually a deal.
What's Coming Next
We're working on the price comparison engine now — real-time prices from multiple retailers, 90-day price history charts, and drop alerts you can set on any product.
If that sounds useful, sign up below. We'll send one email when we launch, nothing more.