Whether you are an experienced angler looking for some new gear to add to your collection, or you are a brand new fisherman looking for some gear to get started with, there are numerous sources online for fishing supplies.
Whether you are looking for the most basic lure and highly affordable fishing items before you know if fishing is the right hobby for you, or you are looking for high-quality investment gear to take into a professional tournament, there is a great online store for you!
In this article, we have taken a look at several of the most common online fishing stores and broken them down into their strengths and weaknesses. You’re sure to find a new favorite source for fishing supplies and fishing tackle online below.
Quick Picks: Our Favorite Online Fishing Stores
Best Value Fishing Tackle Online: Walmart
Walmart can be found in most US States and several other countries as a general grocery and department store with a sporting goods section that has an abundance of camping gear and fishing tackle.
They are one of the best online shopping sources for basic and affordable fishing tackle and gear for both adults and children.
Online Fishing Store with the Best Range : Amazon
Since Amazon is a gathering spot for multiple retail shops and wholesalers to list their items for sale, it holds the largest range of available fishing gear and tackle online.
In addition, Amazon can be the only place to find some discontinued brands of fly fishing tackle or fishing rod and reel models you may not be able to locate anywhere else.
Best Customer Service in an Online Fishing Store: Tackle Direct
Tackle Direct has one of the highest ratings overall when it comes to fishing tackle customer service out of the online stores on this list. Their speed at assisting their customers with any problems they may have is second to none.
Tackle Direct is great at honoring fishing tackle warranties, assisting with returns, and providing repairs or replacements on faulty fishing tackle.
Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s
As two well-known names in the outdoor gear industry, both Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s may seem like the place to go when you’re looking for camping supplies, hunting gear, fishing tackle, or other outdoor type supplies.
There are 95 Bass Pro Shops and 82 Cabela’s across the USA and Canada which means you are never too far from any physical locations for this online tackle shop when you want to purchase fishing gear.
Gear Selection and Prices
Both Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s carry a wide range of outdoor gear which includes supplies for camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, outdoor sports, and more. You’ll find things for your whole family, including your canine friends too.
Their full line of merchandise, including some online exclusive items, can be found on their online tackle shops. You’ll find a wide range of artificial baits, fishing lures, terminal tackle, and other quality gear for the bass anglers in your family.
Shipping Costs
Both Bass Pro and Cabela’s offer free shipping for any purchase over $50.00.
Payment Methods
Both Bass Pro and Cabela’s accept a full range of online payment methods including Visa, Master Card, American Express, PayPal, and more.
Customer Service
While you would expect a well-known name in the retail industry to offer top-notch customer service on their site, many of the experiences customers have expressed when dealing with Cabela’s and, to a lesser extent Bass Pro, has been extremely negative.
Many customers of their online stores have complained of customer service not honoring warranties, not accepting returns, or simply refusing to offer any additional assistance. Countless customers have reported being shipped the wrong item entirely when buying fishing tackle online, then being told they were stuck with it since they signed for the package at the post office.
Tackle Warehouse
For fishermen young and old, Tackle Warehouse should be your online destination for a new rod, reel, trolling motor, or lure. They carry a large selection of fishing gear and tackle and offer extremely reasonable prices across the board.
Gear Selection and Prices
Tackle Warehouses focuses almost exclusively on fishing supplies, gear, and tackle. Whether you are a brand new angler looking to get started or are an old pro, you can find a rod or reel that is perfect for you.
Prices for most of the rods and reels are reasonably on par with other online retailers with nothing standing out as highly overpriced. Trolling motors are a big-ticket item, but these prices are barely above manufacturing estimates.
If you’re searching for lures, soft plastics, and other items for your tackle box, you’ll not only find a massive selection of individually photographed lures but some of the best prices online.
Shipping Costs
If your order does not qualify for free UPS ground shipping, you can expect to incur a $6.75 ground shipping fee. Next-day air shipping options are available as well, but the price will depend on the size and weight of your order.
Free Ground Shipping Details
If your purchase totals more than $50.00 USD, Tackle Warehouse will offer ground shipping for free. This option normally takes up to 14 days to arrive, so faster shipping options are available but will not qualify for the free shipping deal.
Payment Methods
Tackle Warehouse accepts a full range of payment methods including all major credit cards such as Visa, Master Card, American Express, and Discover. They will also accept currency transfers such as Venmo, Afterpay, and Paypal.
You also have the option to pay with Postal Money Orders as well as Wire Transfer.s If that wasn’t enough, they also accept both Google Pay and Apple Pay on mobile devices to make online shopping extremely easy and convenient for you.
Customer Service
You can find a range of ways to contact Tackle Warehouse in case of an issue with your purchase. They are available via phone, email, online message board, and more to help you with your problem as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Amazon
The world’s online marketplace acting as a gathering point for corporations, wholesalers, and small businesses to list their products, Amazon will no doubt carry the largest selection of new and discontinued fishing supplies from the smallest fly to the largest boat motor with many deals and holiday sales to keep an eye on.
Gear Selection and Prices
Since Amazon connects businesses with consumers, as well as maintaining their own warehouses of products, they can offer an exceptionally large and very diverse selection of fishing gear for anyone that wants to save money on terminal tackle or top brands of rods and reels.
Many of the items you find may be top brands and new releases to the market, while others may have been discontinued for years. Depending on what you are searching for, you may be able to find a retro styled rod and reel that takes you back to your childhood, or something that just hit the market this week.
Shipping Costs
Amazon has various options for shipping costs depending on standard or oversized items, and the distance they are from an Amazon warehouse. Additionally, if you are an Amazon Prime member, your fishing tackle order no matter the size will ship for free.
Payment Methods
Amazon accepts all major credit cards including Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express, as well as Amazon gift cards.
Customer Service
Amazon offers a reasonable customer service department, however, unless your purchase was sold and shipped by Amazon, they may not be able to help you. Since Amazon not only sells their own products, but also acts as a listing place for other businesses they have no control over, you may run into some issues with misrepresented products being sold by third parties.
In this case, Amazon may not be able to provide any customer service to you in case of problems. Having said that, Amazon’s customer service when it comes to their own products is usually extremely quick and they genuinely seem eager to please their customers.
Walmart
Found in most US states and several other countries, Walmart offers a great selection of fishing tackle and outdoor products at very good prices. Importantly, you can buy a fishing license from Walmart too if you visit in person. Their online gear listings can be diverse, but may also be sourced from other companies.
Gear Selection
Walmart offers a wide range of basic fishing gear and tackle. While you may not be able to find that high quality and exclusive golden fishing rod you saw at the last outdoor expo, you will be able to find a basic selection of beginner and intermediate gear.
However, before purchasing anything from their online selection, be sure to do a price comparison with other online retail stores or check the manufacturer’s suggested retail prices. Unfortunately, many of the listings on Walmart’s online site have inaccurate prices, or may change in price on a daily basis.
Shipping Costs
Walmart offers a reasonable shipping fee for every purchase, but if you order more than $35 worth of gear or tackle it will ship for free via FedEx or UPS ground to your door.
Payment Methods
Walmart accepts a full range of payment methods including all major credit cards, postal money orders, international money orders, balance transfers such as PayPal, and mobile device payment options.
Customer Service
Walmart customer service is extremely quick to reply, though you may not talk to the same person twice. They accept service inquiries via phone, email, and online chat to get you a quick response at any time of the day or night.
Tackle Direct
Offering a great selection of outdoor gear, Tackle Direct has something for each of the anglers in your family. They offer reasonable prices, fair and fast shipping, and will quickly resolve any issues you may have with a recent or past purchase.
Fishing Tackle Selection
Tackle Direct focuses on freshwater fishing and saltwater tackle, supplies and gear. You will find a massive selection of fishing rods, reels, fishing lures, artificial baits, and other fishing equipment. If you’re looking for basic fishing items such as hooks, weights, lines, and floats, they have thousands of options.
Shipping Costs
Shipping costs will depend on the overall total of your purchase and will range up to $7.99 per box for a 4-day shipping speed. For a slower ground shipping option, shipping fees will cost $3.99 regardless of the total cost of your order.
Payment Methods
You’ll be able to use most basic payment options including Visa, Discover, Master Card, and more.
Customer Service
Tackle Direct strives to offer high quality customer service whether you just had a question or need to call in a warranty or replacement. Their customer service team can be reached via phone, email, or online messages and will work with you to find a solution to your problem whether that is a return and replacement, warranty honor, or reimbursement.
Discount Tackle
Offering quick shipping on a wide range of fishing and outdoor gear, Discount Tackle should definitely be one of the online retailers you visit when searching for a new online fishing gear source.
Gear Selection
Discount Tackle offers a huge selection of some of the most well-known brands in the fishing industry for the avid angler you know. You can find a wide range of Daiwa rods and reels, Shimano, Senko, and more. Whether you are looking for a top-of-the-line rod and reel combo or simply need a few more things to add to your tackle box, Discount Tackle has a very diverse and full selection.
Shipping Costs
For any order over $59.00, your order will ship for free with most packages leaving their warehouses on the same day the order was placed.
Payment Methods
Discount Tackle will accept all standard credit cards including Discover, Visa, Master Card, and American Express. Additionally, you may pay with PayPal and Affirm via Shopify Pay.
Customer Service
If you have a problem with your order, be sure to contact Discount Tackle within 72 hours of receiving the item in order to qualify for some type of remediation. They accept calls but will only allow voicemails, and can be reached by email as well.
FishUSA
With an excellent online rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars, FishUSA offers both a range of retail locations and a fully stocked online store for your convenience when it comes to finding new fishing supplies and gear.
Gear Selection and Prices
Fish USA offers a wide range of fishing gear and general angling supplies for pro anglers as well as beginners. They focus on durability in most of their offerings which means you won’t find delicate and easy to break rods or reels here. If you’re looking for some fishing gear that can put up with a bit of abuse, be sure to check out what FishUSA has to offer.
Shipping Costs
For every order that totals more than $60.00, FishUSA will ship it to you for free.
Payment Methods
FishUSA will accept online payments of all major credit cards.
Customer Service
If you received a damaged item, you can contact FishUSA via telephone or email within 10 days to discuss a return or reimbursement.
Outdoor Pro Shop
Offering a huge selection of freshwater lure colors and saltwater fishing gear, Outdoor Pro Shop should be another online site you visit when looking to buy tackle or some new gear for your next fishing trip.
Gear Selection
Not just focusing on fishing, Outdoor Pro Shop also has a wide range of hunting, camping, and general outdoor gear and apparel. For fishing you can find a huge selection of rods and reels, a massive number of artificial baits and lures, and much more.
Shipping Costs
If you purchase more than $50.00 worth of items, your gear will ship for free via USPS Priority mail. Otherwise, shipping fees to the lower 48 US states will be $6.50 and packages to Alaska, Hawaii, or Canada can reach up to $24.00.
Payment Methods
Outdoor Pro Shop will only accept major credit cards including Visa, Master Card, Discover, and American Express when you are buying online.
Customer Service
If you have a problem with your fishing products order, you can reach their customer service via email or toll free phone. Through normal business hours, you may also be able to reach a representative via online chat.
Final Thoughts: Best Places To Buy Fishing Gear Online
While some long-time anglers may have their favorite places to shop for lures, bait and other fishing gear online, others may prefer to shop around to find the best prices and availability of soft baits or a certain lure.
If you are not a diehard fan of any one source and are willing to shop with other fishing sources online to find a new lure or spool of line, you can find amazing deals at each of the places listed above.
For the largest selection, Amazon has the most availability of rods, reels, lures and more. For the most affordability, Walmart takes the cake. If you want a wide range of general outdoor supplies, including boats that can be purchased at retail locations, both Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops are the place to be.
