Reflection on the Birth of Treasure Coast Tackle

When we started Treasure Coast Tackle about nine months ago (October 2012), we knew it wasn't going to be "easy" to get our name out there with zero dollars allocated for advertising and we fully expected it to start out slowly. We started by getting the required licenses and gathering a small amount of inventory. We then designed our own website (a lot of trial and error) and started relying heavily on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram - @treasurecoasttackle, Blog and YouTube) and word of mouth to promote our business.

What we didn't plan on was being met with resistance and obstacles at several corners we turned. It has often seemed like we are taking one step forward and two steps back or running in place. For example, there was a particular local tackle shop that had a problem with us selling the same brands they did.

Treasure Coast Tackle is an online tackle store that is completely run by family only. If you are interested in reading more about Treasure Coast Tackle and what it has done for us, you can read about it here: The Birth of Treasure Coast Tackle. I will touch on one of the biggest things having Treasure Coast Tackle has done for us; it has allowed me (Erica) to stay at home with our 3-year-old son who was born with several rare conditions which in turn relieves some of the financial burden of having a single primary income for a family of five and offsets a little bit of the medical costs associated with our son's constant care. You can read more about our story, our son and his diagnoses here: All About Dylan.

It is our hope that this post clears up any confusion as to what Treasure Coast Tackle is all about. We sell a number of different brands, most of which are sold at local tackle shops. While we do not fix rods or spool line on reels, we put in as many hours as any brick and mortar store, using all the lures we sell and promoting our business so that when someone asks a question about how a particular lure works or how it performs we can give them an educated answer, not an opinion based on how it looks in the box.

We also strive to have the best top-notch customer service possible. We try to respond to emails and questions in a timely manner, we offer FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $30.00, we ship 2-3 day priority delivery to any address in the United States for ONLY $2.99 (on orders under $30.00) and all orders received by 4:00 p.m. EST ship out the same day (most days). An added bonus is if we are shipping to an address within 100 miles of Jensen Beach, FL, you will usually have your order the next day!

Despite the resistance and obstacles we have encountered along the way, we are doing extremely well and couldn't be happier with how far we have come in less than a year.

As always, we greatly appreciate your continued support and your business! Treasure Coast Tackle wouldn't be possible without you!

If you ever have any questions, comments or suggestions, please don't hesitate to contact us. We would love to hear from you!

Tight Lines friends,

David & Erica
Treasure Coast Tackle

Comparison: Unfair Lures Rip-N-Slash Vs. Unfair Lures Mullet

One of the most common questions we receive here at Treasure Coast Tackle is "what's the difference between the Rip-N-Slash and the Mullet?" This is a valid question because they are both the same length and are viewed as "twitch baits".

Let's start with the Rip-N-Slash; our favorite way to work this lure is with aggressive twitches combined with a pause. The Rip-N-Slash is designed to dart from side to side very erratically to mimic a fleeing or disoriented small bait fish. This is the perfect lure for getting a reaction strike out of fish that may not be actively feeding. The combination of flash and wild action are just too much for the fish to resist!  You can check out our YouTube video "How to Work the Unfair Lures Rip-N-Slash" here.

Now let's move on to the Mullet; this lure was designed by taking a laser scan of a real finger mullet to make the mold. By doing this, the sonic signature is exactly what fish know as being a mullet. Having said that, this lure has nowhere near the darting action of the Rip-N-Slash. We work the Mullet with small twitches of the rod, also with a pause mixed in. The lure will wobble and roll slightly, exactly like an injured mullet and since the water displacement, or sonic signature is exactly the same as a real finger mullet, fish usually inhale this lure...when they hit it, it's to eat! Most of the fish we catch have this lure all the way in their mouth. It's for this reason that we use at least 40lb Trik Fish leader if we are targeting snook...they hammer this thing!

The Rip-N-Slash is currently only available in the 70mm 1/3oz size, but the mullet is available in a 70mm 3/8oz suspending model or a 1/2oz fast suspending model. We recommend using the suspending model if the fish are in less than 3 feet of water or if you are trying to stay just under the surface. The fast suspending model is ideal for working in the 2-4 feet range.

If you have any questions regarding anything we sell at www.treasurecoasttackle.com, feel free to contact us by clicking this link or emailing us at david@treasurecoasttackle.com.  Below are a few personal best fish caught on either the Unfair Lures Rip-N-Slash or the Unfair Lures Mullet.

David - Treasure Coast Tackle
"We use what we sell so we KNOW it works!"

June Jensen Beach / Stuart Fishing Report

June was great to us and you can expect July to only be better! The month started with a great topwater bite. Big jacks and snook were cruising the flats early morning and we picked up some big jacks and a stud 38" snook. The later the month got, the windier it got. We switched up to the Unfair Lures Rip-N-Slash and the big trout have been crushing it, with plenty of 24-26" fish being caught. The highlight of the month had to be the slam we got, 30 inch trout, 24 inch redfish and a small snook. While the reds are few and far in between this time of year in Stuart, they can be caught. Usually they are under the docks or tucked back in the mangroves. Early morning should yield lots of nice trout in July and the night time snook bite should be heating up. The fish are there, get out and catch 'em! If you're interested in wade fishing for some great fish, give Ryan with Joupdog Wading Adventures (offered through Treasure Coast Tackle) a call! Good luck and tight lines!

David and Erica
Treasure Coast Tackle

TCT Photo Contest

It's Contest Time!!

Here is how the TCT Photo Contest is going to work:

Email us ONE of your favorite fishing photos to david@treasurecoasttackle.com and please include the following with your photo/email:

- name
- city and state the photo was taken in
- a caption for your photo

If you do not include all of the above information, you submission will NOT count.  Pictures posted on our Facebook page, inbox messages or shares will NOT count.

We must receive your entry by Sunday, July 7th at 11:59 EST.  All entries received will be placed in an album titled "TCT PHOTO CONTEST" and posted Monday morning, July 8th, 2013.  You will then have until 8:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, July 14th to get "likes" on your photo.  The picture will the most "likes" by 8:00 p.m. wins TCT swag!  (In the case of a tie, the deadline will be extended one hour, until 9:00 p.m. EST).

That's all there is to it, make sure you follow the rules to ensure your picture counts!  All of the important information is in red above.

It is not a requirement for this contest, but feel free to share this contest and our Facebook page to help us get to 1,000 "likes" sooner.  Once we reach 1,000 "likes", we are giving away a 1/2 day Joupdog Wading Adventure which is offered through Treasure Coast Tackle, a TCT flexfit hat and a TCT long sleeve t-shirt (only available in size Large or X-Large).  More details will be posted about this contest as we get closer to the 1,000 mark.

   

Good luck everyone!

David & Erica
Treasure Coast Tackle

May Jensen Beach / Stuart Fishing Report

The month of May has brought summer like conditions along with it. Calm and sunny mornings with windy, rainy afternoons. The fishing has been good when you can get out in between the storms, in the evenings or early in the morning. The snook remain stacked up under the docks. Eric Root caught his personal best snook at 35 inches while wading with Treasure Coast Tackle. On the last day of the month, Ryan landed his personal best snook at 40 inches!

Ryan's personal best snook at 40 inches, caught on the Unfair Lures Liveglow White Rip-N-Slash!

Another very nice snook, caught on the Seaweed Shad 12 Fathom Fat Sam Mullet!

As far as redfish go, they are few and far between, but the ones you get are good ones! David caught a solid 27 inch redfish and Chris Keyes won the redfish division for the Florida Sportsman Southeast Bash & Tournament with a 30 inch redfish.

27 inch redfish on a Shimmer Gold 12 Fathom Fat Sam Mullet!

30 inch redfish on a Pearl Grey Unfair Lures Mullet!

Tarpon are gradually making a showing in the St. Lucie River. Shane Jones caught his first tarpon ever near the Roosevelt Bridge a couple of weeks ago.

Prizes for FL Sportsman SE Bash, Shane Jones first tarpon ever,
Eric Root's personal best snook at 35 inches and Dylan fishing!

The trout have continued to elude us for the most part but with summer on its way, you can expect them to be on the flats early in the morning. Ryan also hooked into an unexpected guest when he caught about a 3 foot lemon shark while wading during a Joupdog Wading Adventures trip!

This 3 foot lemon shark found out the Unfair Lures Rip-N-Slash fights back!

Almost all fish were caught on the Unfair Lures or the 12 Fathom Fat Sam Mullets. May was great and hopefully June will be even better! Good luck and tight lines...

David and Erica
Treasure Coast Tackle

April Jensen Beach / Stuart Fishing Report

Fishing in April has been a "reel" success!  The wind has been howling most days, so instead of cursing it, we embraced it and it has paid off big time.  The big snook started gathering around the docks and if the wind was blowing, that's where you would find them.  On calmer days, you could find them on the flats, curising for an easy meal.  Twitch baits like the Unfair Lures Rip-N-Slash and Mullet or the MirrOlure MirrOdine were the top choices for targeting the bigger fish.  More redfish have also started to make a showing around the St. Lucie and Indian River, soft plastic paddle tail lures such as the 12 Fathom Fat Sam Mullet would be an excellent choice for targeting the reds, snook and trout when you don't want to throw a $9 lure into the docks repeatedly.  With the wind blowing constantly, wading has been the preferred method of targeting the fish and it has paid off in a big way this month.  Ryan Jouppi caught his personal best trout at 32" 11.5lbs, David Jouppi caught his personal best snook at 42" 30lbs and Trey Waller caught his personal best snook at 34" while wading with Joupdog Wading Adventures!  The primary lures used were the Unfair Lures Rip-N-Slash and Mullet along with the 12 Fathom Fat Sam Mullet rigged on a Scorpion Jighead.  The mild winter has allowed these fish to continue to eat and grow, can't wait to see what the summer will bring!

Ryan Jouppi with his personal best trout at 32" 11.5lbs

                                           

David Jouppi with his personal best snook at 42" 30lbs

Trey Waller with his personal best snook at 34" 

The mild winter has allowed these fish to continue to eat and grow, can't wait to see what the summer will bring!

David and Erica
Treasure Coast Tackle

The Wind Is Your Friend

A lot of people let the wind control their fishing plans. At Treasure Coast Tackle, we have caught some great fish in the windiest conditions! We are all too familiar with the wind being the deciding factor as far as if we can take the boat out or not. While our boat is extremely stable, heavy chop because of the wind can make getting into position and making an accurate presentation nearly impossible. We had to think outside of the box. We love to fish and were determined to find a way around the wind. That's where wading comes in; if you don't mind walking to find the fish (we have walked up to 4 miles to find them) this can be one of the most rewarding ways to fish!

If you decide to take the boat out and battle the strong winds, the constant running of the trolling motor will spook the fish that are in shallow water and anchoring limits where you can present your lure. It sometimes takes multiple casts on different angles to get the fish to bite. In our experience, when you fish a windy shoreline, the size of the fish will also be bigger! We recently found this scenario playing out on the Indian River; we had three days of north winds blowing 15-20 mph. We found big snook laying in the shallow, murky water under docks. With the strong wind, the snook were just sitting waiting for bait to be blown under the dock for an easy meal! We fed them the Unfair Lures Mullet and Rip-N-Slash instead. Best of all, the "bad" weather meant we had the river to ourselves! I believe if we would have had beautiful, picture perfect weather, we would have never found those fish. It was the most challenging, yet rewarding fishing we have had in quite awhile.

  

                                                                           

So remember, next time you wake up and hear the wind howling outside your window...the fish hear the dinner bell ringing!

David
Treasure Coast Tackle