I've been going to Charkbait on and off for 20+ years. On and off because I moved away and came back. My family owned a business nearby (sold 7-8 years ago) and I lived in an apartment walking distance from both stores. I started coming back a few years ago when I bought a house in HB. Very cool to see some familiar faces and the new young guys are super helpful. Highly recommend Charkbait. read more

Great experience. Bought two electric reels on line. They arrived quickly and were well packaged and exactly what we were expecting. We'll do business with these folks again for sure. Thanks! read more

I bought something online last year and customer service was very polite and helpful. We called today to ask about a product, they were out of stock. They remain exceptionally helpful and polite. Great store to work with! read more

Mark and staff are very knowledgable and took the time to help me select my gear. They provided me with all the tools and instructions on how to build my own wind on leaders for this upcoming bluefin season. read more

Awful customer service. Rude. I like to go to Wings N Things next door and I'm also an avid freshwater fisherman. So I popped in to CharkBait a few months ago and I tried getting help from the guys up front and they just sat on their stool with pusses on their face like they were better than me. They gave me a nasty look when I asked if they had 'xyz line' and I left. I was at Wings N Things the other day so figured to give this CharkBait one more try. Same experience- rude jerks who looked at me like I wasn't good enough to be in their club or something. It was really strange. I smiled and made eye contact and did the 'ol head nod saying 'hi' to one of the guys, and he just looked at me like I'm a jack ass. Needless to say, I will not be going a third time nor would I ever recommend someone patronize this business. I go bay/saltwater fishing infrequently, but when I do I would opt for 'Squidco' which is a much nicer vibe just 2 miles or so south of there. read more

Didn't know this location was closed especially flying in from the Bay Area and making this place my first stop to shop

I recently was forced to go back to CharkBait to add some line to my reels because they had the best price in town by far. They were down to one machine, but they did their best to re-spool 8 high capacity Shimano reels. They stayed late to finish the spooling. I only gave them three stars because they still don't know much about fishing. I asked them about kite fishing and although they sold them, they didn't know anything about how they worked. Judging from the other reviews from W.C and Brent, as long as the young ladies are not in the store yucking it up, you might get ok service but its hit and miss! W.C. is right about Squidco! It doesnt look like much from the outside but dont judge this business by its exterior!! Always getting better read more

This is my third purchase from CharkBait. Mark at the Huntington Beach store is great. He's always trying to help you out and make sure you are going to be happy with your gear. I contacted Mark to let him know I was going to be in San Diego and was hoping to get a travel rod. Mark had called the San Diego store and told Eric what I was looking for. When I arrived, Eric already had the travel rod set aside and double checked it to make sure I wouldn't have any problems with it. Eric made the purchase process simple and made sure I would be happy with the travel rod and the price. Thanks CharkBait! read more

I've been here a few times. Customer service was adequate; the service was nothing spectacular, but also I didn't feel as if they were rude. They have a great selection for salt water fishing, and are great quick stop if you need something on your way to Mission Bay for fishing. Side note: Parking here can be a bit tough on the weekends. read more

Going on a 2.5 offshore tuna trip and decided to get all my tackle here. Decently priced items and the guys at the shop were very knowledgable and helpful. They knew what the albacore were currently hitting and made their suggestions. I am definitely glad they opened up shop in this location and will be back! The shop is not small and cluttered like other SD tackle shops...GO CHECK IT OUT! read more

Running around trying to get some stuff together for fishing and came across this place. Haven't checked out the website, but the store was really nice. Helped me find what I was looking for, nice selection. Not alot of stuff, but quality supplies. Staff was very friendly and have me some good advice on where some local hotspots were and what they were catching. read more

As I was preparing for a long vacation with a new boat, nearly EVERY supplier kept responding with sorry COVID, AFTER I had ordered some of my many purchases, so I finally get down to my last needs, some AWESOME Avet reels, and sure enough. another potential delay... dissapointed I contacted Charkbait and explained if I did not recieve the reels in time for my trip I wouldn't be able to use them, but I still wanted them. Mark simply replied YOU did everything right, let me see what I can do, so he contacted his supplier got the reels on a fast track but even then they were too late, but Mark wasnt done yet he covered the faster delivery and these awesome reels made it on time!!! thank you Mark for not giving up, even though it seems so many others are just shrugging their shoulders and blaming COVID, you went above and beyond and delivered in spite of COVID, thank you!!!!!! Kevin read more

HORRIBLE Customer Service. I have to AGREE with Brent and Carlos and their reviews. Meagan and her two buddies were more into yakking about their personal lives than selling any product. Thank God SQUIDCO is right down the street, with great customer service :-) I ended up purchasing an Avet SXJ and a JX at great prices with braid included. read more

Charkbait took my time sensitive order showing availability and 36 hours later backed out of the order and shipping terms which placed me in a bind for my trip. They said they would ship items independently, much later, as they became available and charge me with separate shipping and handling for each item despite the original order terms and availabilty being previously finalized. SHADY! Not with me they don't. Nice try... The staff was Incredibly arrogant about the whole thing. They couldn't have cared less about me and my situation. Never again!!! read more

Brought my hubby here yesterday to get him some gear (bday gift). He is new to sportfishing and wanted advice on what he needed to get started. Erik helped him navigate through the well-stocked store. He made suggestions based on my husband's level of experience while keeping our budget in mind. He was extremely nice and not a pushy salesperson at all. I'm not an expert on fishing tackle stores but they seem to have it all. They seem to be well-priced too. My husband will definitely be back! read more

Spent several hours there yesterday, as we had (literally) a few miles of line on reels to strip, measure, rewind, and add top shots to. Incredibly knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly staff. Well stocked shelves, along with exceptional customer service will keep me coming back as a customer. Megan's (the manager) attention to detail and efforts were refreshing to see in ANY retail business. She rocks! read more

I buy all my fishing tackle from here. I started going here after Mark posted helpful fishing gear videos online so I decided to support his business. They have a good selection of offshore gear, all the big names except for Shimano. They also carry a house brand that is a good value since i don't like to pay a big premium for marketing. Customer service here is like no other tackle shop. They have a gorgeous babe that seems to seductively show you the reels with a bit of a shy sexy attitude. I'm always looking for excuses to drop by. The guy with the funky mustache is helpful if you can't get the hottie. read more

I love going to this place. Friendly Staffs, great products, and the service are top notch. I bought Avet reels, Calstar rods, and have them service my family old Penn reels. My family are blown away how well they cleaned, lubed, changed the drag washers, and new lines. Keep in mind that the reels weren't used since the 80's and they function flawless. They also sell fishing licenses and are very knowledgable with their local spots and up to date with fish reports. Tell them that Ray send you and they will take care of you the way a fisherman should be treated right! read more

I have only shopped online at Charkbait.com to this point, but am headed to CA next month and will update my review. The customer service has been amazing. Their YouTube videos are exceptionally informative. Every time I have had a question, I call and am able to speak directly with Paul, the CEO. He is quick to respond to emails as well. I have purchased two Avet Reels (MXJ and 30W), they come fully spooled and with a reel cover and have no shipping costs. Taking this into account, they are about 30% less expensive and exponentially more informative than Bass Pro Shops, which is 10 minutes down the street from me. I would highly recommend this company! read more

Charkbait has some of the best prices on fishing gear in SD. The shop owner and employees know their stuff. I am a fan.

I have given this business plenty of my hard earned cash over the years. One thing that I have learned is they do not make ANYTHING! They are the middlemen, the sales people. They list heaven and earth for sale and you are free to order it, but if you think you are going to get a complete order first thing out of the chute, you may either be a very lucky guy or did well at picking the bulk items they have on hand. I am at 100% of never getting an order fulfilled without an excuse. Remember you have to purchase $150 worth of equipment to get "Free" shipping...It could be better, it is not horrible but it could be better. I have noticed some less than soothing voice inflections from the personnel at times, but unless I am ready to go off because of the stressors in my life, it does not bother me....too much....most of the time....I mean it is not like I would write about it or anything like that.....really....The bottom line is I still give them my business and should say something.......... read more

Went to the shop on Black Friday and bought a lefty Avet MXL MC. They didn't have it in stock (neither did the other local tackle shops) so I had it ordered and it came in a more than timely manner. They had a promotion for a free lure assortment of 5 lures, a free reel skin and a $25 giftcard which I used towards spooling (unfortunately, they didn't have Power Pro Super Slick at the time). Megan and the guys were very laid back and very courteous. When purchasing my line my giftcard was never activated by the main store in HB so Megan called them directly and sorted the issue out in minutes She's awesome! Ross/Rob was the guy who handled the ordering and spooling and he was great; very kind and an great sales person.The store is well stocked (lefty reels are an exception, obviously). I had a great time shopping there. Too bad I didn't buy my Seekers there otherwise I would have saved tons! Great store and staff! read more

These guys are great! I walked in with a busted reel and they diligently went through a series of replacement parts to figure out what was wrong with it. They even went so far as to stay after closing hours to solve my issue. From a sales perspective, they're really knowledgable about their gear and the local fishing. Reasonable prices for everything.. their entire catalog is online, so you can even do some price shopping before you go in person. read more

I have been a fisherman for decades and been to many stores up and down the west coast and Hawaii . This shop is the best I've seen. They had the stuff I wanted when I wanted it. No waiting for an order to come in and the price was significantly less than that shop down the street. I was waiting to see some of the cute girls they have on their adds tho. read more

Horrific, 6 months to get my reels services with 'waiting for parts' lament but no contact of status info ever. Ordered black Friday reel, out of stock of course, supposedly ordered and then told order was cancelled and of course, it was my fault. Done, done, done. Monte at M&M has already sent me everything I need and at an even better price. Never again. read more

Megan and Staff are GREAT, a small shop so somethings like Spooling might take a bit.. I bet Megan can teach you how to tie anything. She does all my re-spooling from Spectra to Mono. Never an issue read more

about two weeks ago i ordered an avet sxj left handed 2 speed mc with camo. when i finished placing the order i asked for the gran total, i was told it was 339.99. i've must of asked this question about 5 or 6 times and kept getting the same response, $339.99. When i finally received the reel i had 2 invoices, 1 for $339.99 and 1 for $50.00. when i called to find out why i was being charge the extra 50 they couldn't understand why this was. they kept telling me i was right and they were going to let the sales manager "leeana" know about this so this could get it fixed. I was told she would get back to me the next day and she never did. I finally called to settle this matter and came across one of the nastiest and arrogant person in customer service, Leeana. She made it seem like i didn't know what i was talking about and they could do no wrong. We got disconnected and called back. this time i spoke to branden. I asked him how much does an avet sxj left handed 2 speed mc with a camo color and ONCE AGAIN i WAS TOLD $339.99. I explain to him what had happened then he put me on hold. when he gets back on the phone he NOW tells me i was misquoted and it as a mistake on their part. Now i understand that mistakes happen, but as a paying customer i should of at least been given the benefit of the doubt instead of an attitude. I WILL NEVER FOR AS LONG AS I LIVE AND FISH WILL ORDER FROM CHARKBAIT. DEAL WITH TACKLE DIRECT OR J&H FOR THEY ARE MUCH NICER! read more