The Story

It started on the River Lea

My name's Joe. I've been fishing since I was a kid — standing on the banks of the River Lea with my dad and brother, catching absolutely anything that moved. Those early days shaped everything.

Over time, life got busy, but the water always pulled me back. About five years ago something shifted — fishing stopped being a hobby and started becoming an obsession. I went deep into predator fishing in all its forms: lure fishing for perch and pike, dead baiting for big pike, and every discipline of coarse fishing I could get my hands on. Float fishing, ledgering, feeder fishing — I wanted to learn it all and I wasn't going to stop until I did.

My local river, the great River Ouse in Cambridgeshire, became my classroom. That river taught me more than just how to fish. It taught me patience, presence, and a kind of quiet that's hard to find anywhere else. What started as something I did with my wife and two kids turned into a relentless hunt for my personal bests — chub, perch, pike. If it swam in the Ouse, I was after it.

Why Average Joe?

For the angler who fishes for the love of it

I've made plenty of mistakes over the years — and a lot of them were about tackle. For too long I chased big brand names because that's what you were supposed to do. But here's what I learned: there's nothing more satisfying than catching a PB on a fly you tied yourself or a paste bait with your own secret ingredient.

Average Joe Fishing Tackle was born out of that realisation. This shop is for the everyday angler — the person who's out there before dawn not for Instagram, but because the river calls them. The one who's lost more hooks and leads than they can count and just needs quality terminal tackle at a price that makes sense.

Right now we're stocked with all the terminal tackle we all go through constantly — hooks, weights, swivels, tools like pliers and hook cutters. Fish care matters deeply to me too, so you'll always find the right kit to handle your catch with respect and put it back stronger than you found it.

Where We're Headed

Passing the knowledge forwards

I'm still learning — about fishing and about running a business. But the mission is clear: to take everything I've picked up on the bank and give it back to the angling community. That means being visible, being approachable, and being honest about what works and what doesn't.