Fishing Gear Inflation…

Fishing Gear Inflation…

Yesterday, retail chain Target’s stock price dipped after the company foreshadowed soft holiday sales numbers. Other notable retail names like Lowe's, Columbia and Walmart are also warning that tariffs proposed by the incoming administration could potentially cause significant price hikes.

How will the fishing industry be affected?

Tariffs were also on the table in 2019, but those that would have impacted fishing were averted, thanks in part to the lobbying of the American Sportfishing Association. It’s hard to say if fishing will be able to dodge the issue again.

One thing is certain–a lot of product that American anglers ultimately consume is produced in China, with Korea and other Asian nations ranging from Sri Lanka, The Philippines, Vietnam and others following closely behind.

In fly fishing, some product categories are dominated by imported manufacturing: wading boots, packs, outerwear and flies among them.

If the $200 (retail) boots get slapped with 60% tariffs, you’re looking at an increased cost of around $60 a pair, and that’s going to bite in one of two ways–either consumers will shoulder increased costs, or manufacturers are going to bite into the margins retailers have historically built their businesses on.

And in what has been an increasingly tenuous relationship between manufacturers and retailers over the past decade or more (see pro deals, selling direct online, affiliate commissions and more) this might become the straw that breaks the camel’s (independent brick and mortar fly shop’s) back.

We’ll be tracking and reporting on this news closely.