Top Fishing Equipment Brands for 2011

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. - Southwick Associates’ AnglerSurvey.com announced the brands and products anglers purchased most frequently in 2011. This list has been compiled from the 29,495 internet-based surveys completed by anglers who volunteered to participate last year in AnglerSurvey.com polls.

    In 2011, the top brands include:

• Top rod brand: Shakespeare (9.6% of all purchases)
• Top reel brand: Shimano (21.4% of all purchases)
• Top fishing line producer: Berkley Trilene (13.1% of all purchases)
• Top hard bait brand: Rapala (21.8% of all purchases)
• Top soft bait brand: Zoom (15.2% of all purchases)
• Top spinner bait brand: Strike King (16.4% of all purchases)
• Top sinker brand: generic (28.8%), Bullet Weights (12.1% of all purchases)
• Top fly rod brand: Orvis (10.4% of all purchases)
• Top fly reels brand: Orvis (16.5% of all purchases)
• Top fly combo brand: Cabela’s (31.5% of all purchases)
• Top fly line brand: Scientific Angler (3M) (23.8% of all purchases)
• Top fly leader brand: Rio (28.9% of all purchases)
• Top tackle box brand: Plano (45.8% of all purchases)
• Top landing net brand: Frabill (24.5% of all purchases)
• Top fishing knife brand: Rapala (25.2% of all purchases)

* Largemouth bass remain the number one targeted species of freshwater fish, with 52% of fishing activity targeting largemouth bass.* Saltwater anglers were more varied, with 31% of trips targeting redfish/red drum, followed by any saltwater fish that bites (25%), flounder (24%), spotted seatrout or weakfish (23%) and striped bass (20%). Please note these refer to species targeted on trips and not the number of fish actually caught.     A comprehensive 2011 fishing tackle market review will be presented in the April issue of the Fishing Tackle Retailer.     The marketing data presented here is a summary of a 150-page market report just released by Southwick Associates that details consumer behavior including what products and brands are purchased, where they are bought, how much customers spend, and demographics of freshwater and saltwater anglers broken out by each product category. Current information about what gear and brands anglers prefer, how many days they spend on the water and what type of fishing they enjoy most is vital to businesses trying to build their customer base.