Let's start with an uncomfortable question. When did putting your logo on someone else's idea become "innovation?"
I'm not asking to stir the pot. Okay…maybe just a little.
Walk through any fishing trade show. You'll see hundreds of companies. Hundreds of logos. Hundreds of booths. Hundreds of founders talking about how they've changed the game.
Then you start picking products up. That crankbait? Looks familiar. That tungsten weight? Pretty sure I've seen that before. That jighead? Different paint. Same mold. That soft plastic? I've got a tackle box full of cousins.
After a while you realize something. The fishing industry doesn't have thousands of manufacturers. It has thousands of marketers.
And there's nothing wrong with that. Until we start pretending those are the same thing.
There Are Three Types of Fishing Companies
I've been thinking about this a lot. I think our industry really breaks down into three camps.
The Inventors
These are the crazy ones. They're the people who spend two years trying to fix one little problem nobody else notices. They'll go through prototype after prototype. They'll scrap ideas. Spend money they'll never get back. Lose sleep. Question their sanity.
Then finally…they build something that actually moves the needle. Not because it's flashy. Because it solves a problem.
Those people deserve more credit than they get.
The Brand Builders
These companies may not invent much. But they understand something incredibly valuable. People don't buy products. They buy stories. They build communities. They build trust. They're exceptional marketers.
Guess what? There's nothing wrong with that. Marketing isn't cheating. It's a skill. Some companies just happen to be better storytellers than engineers.
The Logo Companies
You know these ones. Find product. Add logo. Pick four colors. Create dramatic packaging. Tell everyone it's revolutionary. Repeat.
Every industry has them. Fishing just happens to have a lot.
Consumers Usually Can't Tell the Difference
And honestly…why should they? If a bait catches fish…it catches fish.
The average guy walking through Bass Pro isn't inspecting CAD drawings. He's thinking… "I wonder if this'll catch one tomorrow."
He's buying confidence. Not engineering. That took me a long time to understand.
Innovation Doesn't Guarantee Success
Here's the part that hurts. You can spend years designing something genuinely different. You can solve a real problem. You can manufacture it here. Use premium components. Obsess over every detail.
And still lose…to a company with better videos.
That's not bitterness. That's business. Attention is the new currency. The best product doesn't always win. The product people remember usually does.
That's a Tough Pill to Swallow
As builders…we want to believe engineering wins. As fishermen…we want to believe performance wins. As business owners…we eventually realize distribution, marketing, trust, and consistency often matter just as much. Sometimes more.
That's frustrating. But pretending it isn't true doesn't help anybody.
Social Media Changed Everything
Twenty years ago…a product got discovered because somebody walked into a tackle shop. Today…it gets discovered because somebody scrolled.
That changes everything. You're not competing against the lure next to yours anymore. You're competing against hunting videos. Boat videos. Golf videos. Dog videos. A guy pressure washing a driveway.
Your customer isn't deciding between your jighead and another jighead. They're deciding whether to stop scrolling at all. Think about that.
Maybe We've Been Measuring the Wrong Thing
Every fishing company loves saying… "We have the best hook." "The strongest split ring." "The sharpest point."
Maybe. But here's a better question. Can you hold someone's attention for eight seconds? Because if you can't…they'll never find out how sharp your hook is.
Here's Where I Stand
I'm still going to build products I believe in. I'm still going to obsess over little details. I'll probably over-engineer things I shouldn't. That's who I am.
But I've stopped believing innovation alone is enough. It's not.
If nobody knows your story…nobody knows your product. That's why every fishing company today has quietly become something else. A media company. Whether they realize it or not.
One Last Cast…
Maybe the biggest innovation in fishing today…isn't another lure. Maybe it's figuring out how to tell a story people actually remember.
Because the companies that survive the next twenty years won't necessarily have the most patents. They'll have the most trust.
And trust…turns strangers into customers. Customers into fans. And fans into the kind of people who ask for your products before they ever see them on the shelf.
That's the kind of innovation you can't patent.
Until next cast...
- Dave Erdly
Founder, Ebb N Flow Outdoors