Born From Obsession

Fish Bum didn’t start with a business plan. It started with an obsession: time on the water, tough bites, and the belief that tackle could be better.

The first Raddletails were sketched in a bait shop, drawn on CAD at a brewery in Grand Rapids, poured in small batches, and tested in tournaments until they proved themselves. The first Heavy Hitters were hand-painted one by one and sold out of a truck to whitefish anglers on the pier.

One lure, one fish, one angler at a time — that’s how Fish Bum began.

Built From Real Fishing Experience

Fish Bum Tackle was built from decades of real walleye fishing experience, not boardroom theory. Every bait, jig, and hook we develop starts with a problem we’ve seen on the water.

Over the last four years, Fish Bum founder Michael Wentworth has earned 20 Top 3 finishes in walleye tournament events, including 13 first-place finishes. That tournament experience shapes every product Fish Bum Tackle brings to market.

What We Believe

We design baits the same way we fish: hard, obsessed, and without shortcuts. If a lure can’t survive the grind, it doesn’t wear our name.

Fish Bum isn’t about flashy packaging or chasing trends. It’s about building tackle that earns its place in the boat when the bite gets tough and every fish matters.

Our Pillars

Performance Under Pressure
Our tackle is tested in real fishing and tournament conditions, then refined until it performs when fish are pressured, short-striking, or hard to trigger.

Authentic Roots
From bait shop sketches to truck-bed sales, Fish Bum has always been built by anglers who actually fish the products we sell.

Community That Lasts
We stand behind local shops, support grassroots tournaments and clubs, and believe in growing the next generation of anglers.

Products Built to Solve Real Problems

From the Raddletail’s glass rattle, FreeSwing™ action and CrushSauce™ scent to our FFS Finesse Series Jig Heads and Walleye Stinger Hooks, every Fish Bum product is built around real problems anglers face on the water.

Short strikes. Tough bites. Dirty water. Cold fronts. Pressured fish. Baits that don’t hold up. We build tackle to help solve those problems.

More Than Tackle

At the end of the day, Fish Bum isn’t just about lures. It’s about anglers who put in the hours, learn from every bite, and refuse to settle for gear that doesn’t perform.

That’s what Fish Bum is built on: performance that earns its place.