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Fish City

Tackle Shops in San Diego

7 shops — hours, live bait, and directions.

Updated

Bait and tackle near you in San Diego

7 open shops, 5 with live bait, live bait first.

Most of San Diego’s seven saltwater tackle shops cluster around the city’s major sportfishing landings. Fisherman’s Landing Tackle and Point Loma Sportfishing Tackle both sit on the Point Loma harbor strip, a short walk from the sportboat slips. Seaforth Landing Tackle is on Mission Bay’s Quivira Road. Dana Landing Market & Tackle is across Mission Bay from Seaforth. All four are landing-based — you walk through the tackle counter on your way to the dock — and all four carry live bait: anchovies and sardines in spring and summer, with live squid when available.

Three shops break the landing pattern. Squidco Fishing on Barnett Avenue has run since 1939 and leans almost entirely on gear — rods, reels, and specialty offshore tackle, with frozen bait and live worms at the counter but no receiver bait and no charter boats. Angler’s Choice on Rosecrans is a gear shop too, Monday through Saturday 9 to 6: heavy saltwater focus and a deep reel and lure selection. San Diego Tackle Traders works differently again — a by-appointment buy, sell, and trade operation in Kearny Mesa dealing in used, vintage, and collectible high-end saltwater reels and rods rather than a walk-in retail floor.

What ties the seven together: every tackle shop inside San Diego city limits is offshore-focused. That means heavy conventional setups for bluefin, yellowfin, and yellowtail; flat-fall and knife jigs for deep-drop work on Cortes Bank and Tanner Bank; and the kite rigs, spread bars, and squid jigs that Southern California’s long-range fleet runs. For inshore bass or bay halibut gear, head north to Oceanside.

Shops in San Diego

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Frequently asked questions

  • What are the top San Diego tackle shops for offshore fishing?

    The four landing tackle shops — Fisherman’s Landing, Seaforth, Point Loma Sportfishing, and Dana Landing — carry the full offshore inventory: live-bait receivers, heavy conventional reels, flat-fall jigs, kite rigs, and spread-bar trolling gear. All four sit on the docks of San Diego’s major sportfishing operations, so gear rotates daily with the fleet's needs.

  • Which San Diego tackle shops carry live bait?

    The four landing shops — Fisherman’s Landing Tackle, Seaforth Landing Tackle, Point Loma Sportfishing Tackle, and Dana Landing Market & Tackle — carry receiver-style live bait: anchovies, sardines, and live squid when available; call the specific landing for that morning's availability. Squidco stocks live worms (bloodworms, ghost shrimp — call ahead) plus frozen bait, but no receiver bait. Angler’s Choice and San Diego Tackle Traders do not sell live bait.

  • What's San Diego’s oldest tackle shop?

    Squidco Fishing on Barnett Avenue dates to 1939 — its tagline is "Fishermen Serving Fishermen Since 1939" — and remains family-operated. The shop is known for offshore rod and reel expertise, fair pricing, and deep inventory on heavy saltwater gear. It doesn't run charters or carry receiver bait — gear first, with frozen bait and live worms on the side.

  • When do San Diego tackle shops open?

    The landing shops open at or before dawn to match sportboat departures: Point Loma Sportfishing and Seaforth at 5 AM, Fisherman’s Landing at 5:30 AM, and Dana Landing at 6 AM, daily. Angler’s Choice runs Monday through Saturday, 9 AM to 6 PM. Squidco runs Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM to 6 PM, closed Sunday and Monday. San Diego Tackle Traders keeps no posted retail hours — it works by appointment, so call (858) 204-1459 to set a time.

  • Do San Diego tackle shops offer rod and reel repair, or buy used gear?

    Dana Landing Market & Tackle advertises custom lure rigging plus rod and reel repair on-site. Angler’s Choice on Rosecrans is on Penn's authorized warranty service-center list and handles tackle parts and repairs in-house. Call ahead if you need fast turnaround — pre-trip repair queues fill up in peak season. For selling or trading rather than fixing, San Diego Tackle Traders on Convoy Court buys, sells, and trades used, vintage, and collectible high-end saltwater reels and rods — AVET, Accurate, Shimano, and Penn among them — by appointment at (858) 204-1459.

  • What are the closest tackle shops to San Diego’s sportfishing landings?

    Each of San Diego’s four landing tackle shops shares a building with its namesake sportfishing operation: Fisherman’s Landing Tackle at Fisherman’s Landing, Point Loma Sportfishing Tackle at Point Loma Sportfishing, Seaforth Landing Tackle at Seaforth Landing, and Dana Landing Market & Tackle at Dana Landing. You walk through each shop's tackle counter on your way to the sportboat slips — convenient for same-morning gear grabs and last-minute bait runs.