If you’re in the process of gearing up for the upcoming fishing season and may be wondering what brand to buy, the following equipment list were the best sellers in 2920 according to Southwick Associates who perform retail sale surveys to generate the most popular brands.

According to Southwick, a record number of Americans enjoyed the outdoors amid the pandemic in 2020 that contributed to an increase in purchases of fishing equipment. Southwick has identified the top brands in the market for 2020 based on more than 8,000 surveys completed by anglers in through the Southwick Associate’s Angler Survey online consumer panel.

A sampling of the most frequently purchased brands in 2020 include:

* Rods - Bass Pro Brand

* Reels - Shimano

* Fishing Line - Berkley Fireline

* Soft Bait - Berkley PowerBait

* Spinner Bait - Strike King

* Hooks - Eagle Claw/Lazer Sharp

* Fish Finder or Sonar - Humminbird

* Footwear - Columbia

* Tackle Box - Plano

* Landing Net, Gaff - Bass Pro Brand

* Bait Bucket, Aerator - Frabill

As for hunting and shooting equipment, Southwick completed a survey of 15,000 hunter and recreational shooters in 2020 through their online Hunter Survey and Shooter Survey consumer panels and identified the top brands in the market.

A sampling of some of the most frequently purchased hunting/shooting brands in 2020 are as follows:

* Traditional Rifles - Savage

* Handguns - Smith & Wesson

* Handgun Ammunition - Federal

* Shotgun Ammunition - Winchester

* Broadheads - Rage & Muzzy

* Crossbows - Barnett

* Reloading Presses - Lee Precision

* Reloading Dies - Lee Precision

* Reloading Powder - IMR

* Binoculars - Vortex

* Reflex/Red Dot Sights - Sig Sauer

* Laser Sights - Crimson Trace

* Nonpowered Aftermarket Sights - Trijicon

* Apparel Camo Pattern Brand - Mossy Oak

* Trail Cameras - Wildgame Innovations

* Game Calls - Primos

* Hunting Knives - Buck

* Gun Case - Allen

* Magazines - Magpul

And with record numbers of firearms being sold in 2020, with nearly 5 million to first-time gun buyers, this survey reflects the best of the best.

PLANO SYNERGY SOLD TO PURE FISHING

Probably most avid anglers have a least one Plano tackle box among their fishing equipment (I have four). Well, this popular tackle company that was formerly called Plano Molding since the plastic boxes were molded, was just sold to Pure Fishing. If this name isn’t all that familiar, the holding company also owns Abu Garcia, Berkley, Fenwick, Fin-Nor, Hardy, Hodgman, Johnson, Mitchell, Penn, Plfueger, Shakespeare, Spider Wire, Stren, Ugly Stik, and Van Staal to name a few, all of which are brand names anglers have used for years.

According to Pure Fishing, the Plano name will not change but will give the tackle box company more resources to work with.