I used AI to find the best Black Friday fishing deals

Hey, Keith here.

Black Friday is coming, and every angler I know is already thinking about what they need for next week’s fishing trip.

Something I’ve learned over the years is that I get the most out of Black Friday when I’m not shopping for what I need right now.

This clicked for me after a Spro-Frog deal I almost walked away from one November.

Now, I shop for the entire year, not just for winter. 

I used AI to sort through the Black Friday chaos so you don’t have to. Today, I’m showing you the best deals I found.

BEST LINKS

What I looked at this week

• Bass Pro Shops military discount works on top of Black Friday deals (Bass Pro)

• Where to fish for transition bass right now (Wired2Fish)

• 6 best winter bass lures you need in your tackle box (Anglers)

• Black Friday bass fishing buyer’s guide: Best reaction baits for 2025 (Pond Bassin’)

• 3 steps to grow big bass in ponds (Wired2Fish)

Barn Burner Deals

Black Friday is famous for its over-the-top sales. The kind of deals where you see the price and have to do a double take.

I found a few of those this week. These deals are so good you might want to buy them even if you don't need them.

• Abu Garcia marked down its Max X Baitcast Combo from $109.99 to $54.99.

• Pure Fishing marked down an Abu Garcia Shryrock Flipping Rod 50% from $199.95 to $99.95.

• MONSTERBASS has a sitewide sale offering 50% off on every bait or bundle with promo code BAIT50 upon checkout.

• KastKing has a buy-one-get-one-free sale on a Skeet Reese Icon Baitcast Reel for $99.99. 

• Dick’s has a Quantum Octane Baitcasting Combo reduced from $69.99 to $39.98.

• Pflueger knocked 50% off its Trion Spinning Combo, regularly priced at $84.99 and now $44.99

These are the deals you jump on when you see them. No hesitation. No second guessing. When they’re gone, they’re gone.

DEEP DIVE 

The frog sale that taught me how to shop for fishing gear

They say with age comes wisdom, and at 51 years old I’ve learned a thing or two from Black Friday. A few years back, I came across a buy-one-get-one-free deal at Bass Pro on SPRO frogs. 

Frog fishing is one of my favorite ways to catch bass, but being November, I knew I wouldn’t use those frogs until spring.

A little voice in my head said, “Just wait until you’re actually frog fishing again. You don’t need these now.”

Luckily, my wife was there to straighten me out. She said, “If you’re going to use them in the spring anyway, you may as well buy them now and get them half off.”

So I did.

I bought twelve frogs. 

They showed up the next week. And then winter came and went. I completely forgot I had them.

Fast forward to spring.

I’m headed to the river, where I love working frogs along the shoreline. I opened my tackle bag and there they were.

A fresh lineup of frogs waiting for me. And I remembered that deal from November. 

The lesson is simple.

Don’t limit your Black Friday shopping to what you need this week.

A deal is a deal whether you use the lure next week or next summer.

3 categories to focus on this Black Friday

Not all fishing gear discounts are created equal. The best Black Friday purchases are the ones you know you’ll end up using no matter what season you’re fishing.

I broke down the deals into three simple categories: 

• lures you will eventually burn through

• rods that rarely go on sale any other time of year

• reels you’ll always find a use for as your setups change

If you shop with these three categories in mind, you avoid impulse buys and build a tacklebox that’s ready for any season ahead.

Lures

• Berkley marked down its Dredger Crankbait from $10.99 to $5.50.

• 6th Sense has its Treble Head Underspin Jighead marked down 33% from $6.99 to $3.17.

• Tackle Warehouse is knocking 33% off its Z-Man Crosseyez Chatterbait from $10.49 to $6.97.

Rods

• Scheels has its Trophy Series Casting Rod on sale for $21.99, marked down from $34.99.

• Pure Fishing has a Josh Bertrand Worm Rod reduced 50% from $199.95 to $99.95.

• FishUSA is knocking 30% off its St. Croix Premiere Spinning Rods. Regularly priced at $150 down to $105.

Reels

• Sportsman’s Warehouse has the 13 Fishing Concept C2 Casting Reel on sale for $183.97, down from $229.99.

• Dick’s has a Lew’s Laser Spinning Reel on sale for $24.62, marked down from $44.99.

• KastKing has a buy-one-get-one-free sale on a MegaJaws Spinning reel for $89.99.