'Tis the season for kicking off your summer angling adventures, and this Memorial Day fishing sale guide will help you out.
Everyone loves a good discount. And outdoor stores know Memorial Day is as great as any other American holiday to knock down the prices on fishing gear, since everyone's getting primed for the sweet spot of the angling calendar.
To help set your course in the proper direction, here's some vital info about what you can get this year for a lower price than normal, as long as you shop now, take advantage of these deals, and jump on it at the right time.
A Memorial Day sale can be the time you get the tackle boxes, marine electronics, or new rod and reel combos that help put you on the best fish of the season, and maybe of your life.
Honoring the men and women of the military
First off, it's worth pointing out the places you can visit in person, show proof of military service, and earn a deserved reward in the form of a discount.
Academy Sports + Outdoors will hook it up with 10% off, and Cabela's always honors a 5% discount, even for National Guard and Reserves. Orvis offers a Veterans Advantage Discount, and Big 5 Sporting Goods will give military members 10% off.
Of course, there are a few exclusions, and plenty of local stuff we can't keep up with, so check out what's happening in your neck of the woods to take full advantage. Use a website's store locator, or take a look at local advertisements for sales that might crossover into fishing gear.
The basics
Bass Pro Shops always has a few good baitcasting and spinning rods, along with the perfectly matched reels, to get you set up for a really reasonable price.
Quantum Fishing has a Memorial Day weekend sale of 25% off their Pulse and Drive fishing rods and reels with coupon code 2019MEMORIALDAY25.
Good tackle bags can be had almost year round on Amazon, but Memorial Day is a great reason to scope the selection for even better deals.
The extras
You can never really have enough fishing accessories, can you? If you're familiar with Karl's Bait & Tackle, the umbrella company over the Mystery Tackle Box subscription service, then you'll know the selection included in their Memorial Day Sale is going to be good stuff. You can get up to 50% some of the best lures, plastics, fishing line, and other gear, plus they're offering bundles, packages, and "Mystery Grab Bags" for really, really good prices.
Load up on hard baits, soft baits, and even some fishing reels you might not be able to find cheaper anywhere else.
If you're in the market for a new fishing kayak, DICK's Sporting Goods might be the place to check first. We'd recommend the Field & Stream Eagle Run 12 Fishing Kayak.
Clothing
A good fishing shirt can make an outing that much more enjoyable, especially when it functions like a modern, 21st century piece of clothing should. Regular old cotton t-shirts are so out of their league.
Sportsmans' Guide has some cool stuff on sale, including this Huk woven shirt, a Columbia "Solar Chill" shirt (for men and women), and the ultimate pair of fishing pants (yes, fishing pants) there is. It's worth mentioning that site has a rod rack that is awesomely priced as well.
Fly Fishing
If tying a fly is your thing, then Backcountry.com is a good place to start with their Memorial Day fishing sale.
Men's and women's shirts, Costa sunglasses for half the original retail, plus a Pflueger President reel that we don't think we've ever seen for less than $100 anywhere else. Plus, if you act really fast, you can get 20% off one full price item with code TAKE20MAY and free two-day shipping on orders over $50.
Take advantage
All in all, Memorial Day represents a really good opportunity to remember our fallen soldiers, and it shouldn't be all about the good deals you can score on fishing gear. Take a moment to acknowledge the holiday's actual meaning, and consider reaching out to help a veteran family or organization that could use it. Heck it'd be a good time to invite someone out for a day of fishing, and
and their families could use that as much as anyone else.
Remember what cost your freedom came with, and show the respect our heroes deserve. Then, if you can find an excuse to fill up on fishing needs, so be it.
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