About Us

Hi, I am Rick Wallace, the founder and editor-in-chief of Tackle Village. I have been fishing since I was a child and I guess you’d say I am pretty much obsessed with all things fishing. I grew up on a rural property with a trout stream running through it and I gave those fish a hard time honing my techniques and studying their behaviour. 

Fast forward a few decades and I am still well and truly in love with fishing and have fished around the world in Australia, Japan, Argentina, New Zealand and of course in North America.

‘Our mission at Tackle Village is to provide simple, clear and effective advice on fishing techniques and gear to help you catch more fish’

In a previous life, I was a journalist and foreign correspondent for a range of different news organisations. These days you’ll find me out on my kayak in the salt water, or in mountain streams in the fresh enjoying as much free time as I have with like-minded friends trying to catch fish.

While fly fishing is my greatest passion, I am a keen lure fisherman and am happy to tackle all species in both salt and fresh water. Light tackle sport fishing is what really floats my boat!

Rick with a large brown trout in a remote Tasmanian lake

As well as being a keen fisherman, I have also written for leading fishing publications, including FlyLife, and also appeared in fly fishing film maker Nick Reygeart’s film Predator, fishing for the world’s largest trout species – the taimen – in far northern Japan.

You can listen to me speaking with some leading fly fishing media outlets here:

I began Tackle Village to help fishermen and women the world over get simple, actionable advice about fishing techniques and tackle to help them fish more successfully. Our Knowledge Base articles are designed to cut through the BS of some fishing sites and solve people’s genuine angling problems. Take our guide to the Seven Best Fishing Knots for any angling situation – rather than baffle people with a bewildering array of knots that can only be tied in laboratory conditions (and definitely not with shivering hands in a hailstorm on a rocking boat!), we prefer to get people on the water armed with simple, practical advice that just works.

Same goes for our gear reviews – we’re about cutting through the sales speak and jargon to help you find the best product for your fishing needs. That way, you can spend your time fishing, not worrying about what gear to buy. And you can rest assured the gear you do buy will do the job well and stand the test of time.

Media banner for Tackle Village as seen on strip

How we create content

A large Japanese taimen caught by friends on a fly fishing trip to Hokkaido.

As editor-in-chief, I am responsible for all the content on Tackle Village – that way I can ensure you get independent, in-depth and accurate advice on fishing and the gear we use to do it.

And unlike most competing sites, ALL our fishing articles and reviews are written by me or one of my editorial team, who are either professional fishing guides or advanced anglers.

All such content is closely vetted and approved by me – that way, you can be sure that the advice contained in all our content helps you to get the best gear, target fish the right way, and enjoy more success with your fishing.

‘All our fishing articles and reviews are written by me or one of my editorial team, who are are either professional fishing guides or advanced anglers.’

In terms of gear reviews, while we strive to get hands-on experience with all the gear reviewed, where this is not possible, we draw on opinions of actual users and out networks in the fishing community who often have first-hand experience with the products in question.

From time to time, I will post trip reports from my own fishing adventures. You can find me on the social channels below.

Our Writing Team

Shawn Chapin

Shawn Chapin is an experienced fishing writer and guide based in Wisconsin, where he loves targeting muskie and a range of other species. See all Shawn’s articles: https://tacklevillage.com/author/shawn-chapin/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shawn.chapin.9

Spencer Durrant with a brown trout author profile image

Spencer Durrant

Spencer Durrant is a keen fly fisher and guide and expert in all things fly fishing. He’s a respected fly fishing writer whose work is published across a range of sites. See all Spencer’s articles: https://tacklevillage.com/author/spencerdurrant/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpencerDurrantOutdoors/

Donny Karr profile picture

Donny Karr

Donny Karr is a respected fishing writer and passionate fisherman who loves targeting largemouth bass and a range of other species. He’s a specialist on gear and techniques to boost fishing success. See all Donny’s articles here: https://tacklevillage.com/author/donnykarr/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donny.karr

Teresa Taylor

Teresa Taylor is a keen kayak fisher and lover of all types of fishing. She writes about a range of fish species for Tackle Village and reviews lures and gear. See all Teresa’s posts: https://tacklevillage.com/author/teresataylor/

Rob Harvey

Rob Harvey is an experienced outdoor writer with a passion for using and writing about all the gear that makes camping, hiking and fishing fun. See all Rob’s articles here: https://tacklevillage.com/author/robharvey/

Jeff Knapp

Jeff Knapp is an experienced outdoor writer and fishing guide based in Pennsylvania. Jeff writes about bass, walleye and other freshwater gamefish species for Tackle Village as well as covering marine electronics, fishing techniques and gear reviews. You can read his articles here: https://tacklevillage.com/author/jeffknapp/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeff.knapp.378

Sustainability Principles

We practice sustainable fishing (catch and release where appropriate, take only what you need when fishing for more abundant species), and we actively encourage our community at Tackle Village to do the same.

We are also about helping you choose the right gear and not buy a piece of gear for its own stake. On the spectrum of fishermen and women, we are at the other to the “gear freaks” we all have among our fishing friends. You know – the kind of person with 32 different rods, some of which are never used!

We believe fishing with the best gear you can afford that is carefully chosen to suit your angling situation is not only the most enjoyable way to fish, it’s also the most sustainable in terms of reducing the impact of waste and carbon input into the product of tackle products.

What’s in It for You?

So why should you join us here at Tackle Village? 

It’s simple – if you want to make fishing as productive and enjoyable as it can be, you’ll want to check out this siteIf you resonate with the following statements, you will enjoy the content you find on this site.

We reckon you’ll find Tackle Village appeals to you if:

  • You want to catch more fish and have more fun doing it
  • You want simple advice and effective techniques to boost your catch rate 
  • You know the importance of accurate advice and reviews in choosing fishing gear
  • You like reviews to be based on customer experience and not sales spin
  • You are all about fishing sustainably and leaving a fishery and and environment that children and grandchildren can enjoy 

If that sounds like you, we’re confident you’ll find Tackle Village to be your online fishing supersite.

Rick Wallace