CharkBait

Spent several hours there yesterday, as we had (literally) a few miles of line on reels to strip, measure, rewind, and add top shots to. Incredibly knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly staff. Well stocked shelves, along with exceptional customer service will keep me coming back as a customer. Megan’s (the manager) attention to detail and efforts were refreshing to see in ANY retail business. She rocks!

Charkbait has some of the best prices on fishing gear in SD. The shop owner and employees know their stuff. I am a fan.

I have given this business plenty of my hard earned cash over the years. One thing that I have learned is they do not make ANYTHING! They are the middlemen, the sales people. They list heaven and earth for sale and you are free to order it, but if you think you are going to get a complete order first thing out of the chute, you may either be a very lucky guy or did well at picking the bulk items they have on hand. I am at 100% of never getting an order fulfilled without an excuse. Remember you have to purchase $ 150 worth of equipment to get «Free» shipping… It could be better, it is not horrible but it could be better. I have noticed some less than soothing voice inflections from the personnel at times, but unless I am ready to go off because of the stressors in my life, it does not bother me… too much… most of the time… I mean it is not like I would write about it or anything like that… really…The bottom line is I still give them my business and should say something…

I buy all my fishing tackle from here. I started going here after Mark posted helpful fishing gear videos online so I decided to support his business. They have a good selection of offshore gear, all the big names except for Shimano. They also carry a house brand that is a good value since i don’t like to pay a big premium for marketing.
Customer service here is like no other tackle shop. They have a gorgeous babe that seems to seductively show you the reels with a bit of a shy sexy attitude. I’m always looking for excuses to drop by. The guy with the funky mustache is helpful if you can’t get the hottie.

I recently was forced to go back to CharkBait to add some line to my reels because they had the best price in town by far. They were down to one machine, but they did their best to re-​spool 8 high capacity Shimano reels. They stayed late to finish the spooling. I only gave them three stars because they still don’t know much about fishing. I asked them about kite fishing and although they sold them, they didn’t know anything about how they worked. Judging from the other reviews from W. C and Brent, as long as the young ladies are not in the store yucking it up, you might get ok service but its hit and miss! W.C. is right about Squidco! It doesnt look like much from the outside but dont judge this business by its exterior!
Always getting better

I’ve been here a few times. Customer service was adequate; the service was nothing spectacular, but also I didn’t feel as if they were rude. They have a great selection for salt water fishing, and are great quick stop if you need something on your way to Mission Bay for fishing.
Side note: Parking here can be a bit tough on the weekends.

Went to the shop on Black Friday and bought a lefty Avet MXL MC. They didn’t have it in stock (neither did the other local tackle shops) so I had it ordered and it came in a more than timely manner. They had a promotion for a free lure assortment of 5 lures, a free reel skin and a $ 25 giftcard which I used towards spooling (unfortunately, they didn’t have Power Pro Super Slick at the time). Megan and the guys were very laid back and very courteous. When purchasing my line my giftcard was never activated by the main store in HB so Megan called them directly and sorted the issue out in minutes She’s awesome! Ross/​Rob was the guy who handled the ordering and spooling and he was great; very kind and an great sales person. The store is well stocked (lefty reels are an exception, obviously). I had a great time shopping there. Too bad I didn’t buy my Seekers there otherwise I would have saved tons! Great store and staff!

These guys are great! I walked in with a busted reel and they diligently went through a series of replacement parts to figure out what was wrong with it. They even went so far as to stay after closing hours to solve my issue. From a sales perspective, they’re really knowledgable about their gear and the local fishing. Reasonable prices for everything. their entire catalog is online, so you can even do some price shopping before you go in person.

HORRIBLE Customer Service. I have to AGREE with Brent and Carlos and their reviews. Meagan and her two buddies were more into yakking about their personal lives than selling any product. Thank God SQUIDCO is right down the street, with great customer service :-) I ended up purchasing an Avet SXJ and a JX at great prices with braid included.

Awful customer service. Rude. I like to go to Wings N Things next door and I’m also an avid freshwater fisherman. So I popped in to CharkBait a few months ago and I tried getting help from the guys up front and they just sat on their stool with pusses on their face like they were better than me. They gave me a nasty look when I asked if they had ‘xyz line’ and I left.
I was at Wings N Things the other day so figured to give this CharkBait one more try. Same experience– rude jerks who looked at me like I wasn’t good enough to be in their club or something. It was really strange. I smiled and made eye contact and did the ‘ol head nod saying ‘hi’ to one of the guys, and he just looked at me like I’m a jack ass.
Needless to say, I will not be going a third time nor would I ever recommend someone patronize this business. I go bay/​saltwater fishing infrequently, but when I do I would opt for ‘Squidco’ which is a much nicer vibe just 2 miles or so south of there.

I usually shop Charkbait online but do drop into the HB shop every now and then for stuff. Since we’re jumping on a ¾ day boat tomorrow here in SD, we needed some reels loaded up with fresh line. Charkbait SD just like HB had everything we needed and the awesome customer service that sets them apart from the rest!

I love going to this place. Friendly Staffs, great products, and the service are top notch. I bought Avet reels, Calstar rods, and have them service my family old Penn reels. My family are blown away how well they cleaned, lubed, changed the drag washers, and new lines. Keep in mind that the reels weren’t used since the 80’s and they function flawless. They also sell fishing licenses and are very knowledgable with their local spots and up to date with fish reports. Tell them that Ray send you and they will take care of you the way a fisherman should be treated right!

Brought my hubby here yesterday to get him some gear (bday gift). He is new to sportfishing and wanted advice on what he needed to get started. Erik helped him navigate through the well-​stocked store. He made suggestions based on my husband’s level of experience while keeping our budget in mind. He was extremely nice and not a pushy salesperson at all. I’m not an expert on fishing tackle stores but they seem to have it all. They seem to be well-​priced too. My husband will definitely be back!