Finding Used Fishing Gear Deals on Craigslist and eBay

Every spring, fishing gear floods the secondhand market. People who bought expensive setups on impulse, picked up grandpa's old tackle collection, or are downsizing their garage list quality gear at garage-sale prices. If you know what to look for, late spring through early summer is one of the best times of year to buy used fishing equipment.

Why Fishing Gear Is Such a Good Buy Used

A few things make fishing gear unusually rewarding to buy secondhand:

• It lasts. A quality spinning rod or baitcaster from the 1990s can fish just as well as a new one. Rods don't really age out the way electronics do.
• Sellers often don't know what they have. An estate sale listing for "assorted fishing stuff, $30" might contain a $200 Shimano reel sitting in a box. Sellers who don't fish have no frame of reference for value.
• Tackle is endlessly resold. Lures, jigs, hooks, and weights don't wear out. A box of unused tackle from the 1980s is still perfectly fishable today.
• Premium brands hold value. Names like Shimano, Daiwa, Penn, G. Loomis, and St. Croix command real prices on eBay. Buying them used locally at 40% of retail is a genuine win.

What to Search For

On Craigslist, the best searches are often broad. Try these:

• "fishing gear", "fishing equipment", "fishing tackle"
• "rod and reel", "spinning rod", "baitcaster"
• "shimano", "daiwa", "penn reel", "g loomis"
• "kayak fishing", "fishing kayak" (these run especially high new, and used is a huge discount)
• "tackle box", "tackle lot", "lure lot"
• "fly fishing", "fly rod", "fly reel" (niche but dedicated buyers exist)

On eBay, completed sales are your price guide. Before you respond to any local listing, pull up eBay, filter to sold listings, and see what the gear actually moved for. Asking price means nothing; what matters is what buyers paid.

Brands Worth Knowing

You don't need to be an expert, but a little brand knowledge goes a long way. Here's a quick reference:

• Shimano and Daiwa: The Toyota and Honda of reels. Mid-tier and up models (Stradic, Stella, Certate, Exist) hold value extremely well.
• Penn: Classic saltwater reels. Vintage Penn Senator and Squidder models are actively collected and fetch real money.
• G. Loomis, St. Croix, Sage, Orvis: Premium rods. A used G. Loomis IMX or Sage fly rod is worth double-checking before you walk past it at a garage sale.
• Abu Garcia: Iconic baitcasters. Vintage Ambassadeur models (especially round reels from the 1970s-80s) have a devoted following.
• Rapala, Strike King, Megabass: Hard baits. Megabass lures especially, they're made in Japan and new ones run $20-30 each. Lots in good shape sell easily.

The Tackle Box Gold Mine

One of the best deals in fishing is the "tackle lot" or "tackle box" listing. Someone clears out a deceased relative's gear, photographs a pile of stuff, and asks $50 for all of it. Inside that box there might be:

• A dozen Rapala original floaters (retail: $10-15 each)
• Vintage Heddon or Creek Chub lures worth $20-50 each to collectors
• A quality reel tucked in a corner
• Unopened terminal tackle worth more than the asking price alone

These listings require fast action. They get spotted by multiple buyers and sell within hours. If you're checking Craigslist manually a couple times a day, you're consistently seeing these after they're already gone.

Fishing Kayaks: Big Savings on Used

A new fishing kayak from a quality brand (Old Town, Hobie, Native Watercraft) easily runs $1,000 to $4,000+. Used ones in good shape routinely surface for 40-60% of retail, and unlike inflatable gear or soft goods, a rotomolded plastic kayak is nearly indestructible. Inspect the hull for cracks and check that the rod holders and seat are intact, and that's about it. This is one of the highest-value categories to watch on Craigslist specifically, since shipping isn't practical and sellers are motivated to move locally.

Timing Your Search

Spring and early summer are prime season. Memorial Day weekend in particular triggers a wave of outdoor gear listings, people cleaning out garages, kids heading off to college, anyone who "was going to get back into fishing" and finally admits they won't. Fall is the second wave, as anglers wrap up the season and decide to downsize. If you're patient, these windows offer the best inventory.

That said, good listings appear year-round. Estate sales and moving sales don't follow seasons. The buyers who win consistently are the ones watching all the time, not just checking in seasonally.

Tips for Buying In Person

1. Test the reel. Run the handle. It should feel smooth with no grinding. Bail mechanisms should snap cleanly.
2. Check the rod guides. Look for cracked or chipped inserts on the line guides. These are cheap to replace but good to know about before you negotiate.
3. Ask about the line. Old monofilament on a spool is worthless and needs replacing. Factor that into your offer.
4. Bring a phone. Look up the reel model on eBay sold listings right there. Polite, fast, and shows you know the market.

For more on making the most of Craigslist, see our Craigslist deal hunting tips. And if you're shopping eBay for specific reel models, the misspelled listings trick works especially well here, brand names like "Shimano" and "Daiwa" get mangled constantly.

The bottom line: fishing gear is one of the best secondhand categories going, especially right now. Quality tackle and rods surface at prices that make no sense unless you understand that most sellers just want it gone. Set up a free LurkMor alert for the brands and search terms that matter to you, and you'll get notified the moment something new appears on Craigslist or eBay, before the other buyers even wake up.