Tackle Trade World - December 2022

PRADCO GETS WHISKER IN DEAL
Outdoor brand supplier
PRADCO has moved into
the catfish market for the first
time with the acquisition of
Whisker Seeker Tackle in the
USA.
Whisker Seeker is a
premium brand of catfish
tackle located in Grimes, Iowa
and founder Matt Davis has
committed to continuing to
grow it and will now lead it
as vice-president and general
manager.
Whisker Seeker Tackle
(WST) will continue
operating from Iowa.
Besides getting into a new
species segment, WST will
help PRADCO Fishing get
into a business that is built on
a direct-to-consumer model.
It doesn’t sell to Walmart
or big boxes and focuses on
direct selling relationships
with consumers.
PRADCO Fishing vicepresident
and general manager
Bruce Stanton said: “Matt
brings a tremendous amount
of energy and creativity to
the catfish category. He has
built a business that has made
quite an impact on the catfish
market over the past several
years.
“With PRADCO’s
investment, we feel we can
double or triple the size of
the company and expand the
product set into numerous
new categories. As Matt
likes to say, we are going to
‘dominate’ catfishing!”
Several other WST fulltime
team members will join
the PRADCO family and
remain based in Iowa.
These include graphic artist
and marketing expert Josh
Burhite, Andrew Lewellen
in customer service, shipping
manager Eric Allen, Shipping
and product development
and testing manager Chad
Ferguson.
Brett Basik, PRADCO’s
director of mergers and
acquisitions, spearheaded the
due diligence progress.
www.whiskerseeker.com
www.pradcooutdoorbrands.com
Greys looks to conservation generation
An initiative to help young anglers across
the USA learn the joys of fly fishing and
the great outdoors has been launched by
tackle brand Greys and the International
Game Fish Association.
The free program was started by Hardy
ambassador and IGFA trustee Andy Mill
as a way to connect with young anglers
from across the country and help them
experience the outdoors through fly fishing.
Young anglers meet every other week
during the summer to hone their angling
skills while working on ethical fishing
practices with rods and reels that have been
donated by Greys.
Launched in June, in Jackson, Wyoming,
the scheme looks set to expand to new
locations over the coming years.
Andy Mill explained: “Interest in
fly fishing is at an all-time high so it is
important to seize on this interest and
grow our sport with this new generation of
anglers.
“All of us at the IGFA have worked
hard in preserving our sport’s resources,
and it’s important for young people to not
only have fun with fishing but develop an
awareness of conservation. This is a winwin
relationship and, with Greys’ new fly
reels and rods, we’ll be able to put rods in
the hands of young people that will enjoy
a sport that has filled our hearts with great
joy.”
The IGFA is a non-profit organisation
committed to the conservation of game
fish and it stresses the importance
of ethical fishing practices through
“science, education, rule making, record
keeping and recognition of outstanding
accomplishments in the field of angling.”
14 www.tackletradeworld.com