2025 Awards
The retailers who attended the 2025 tackle show voted on the Best In Show product awards. The winners were presented at the 2025 AFTA Gala Dinner and Awards Night!
This year, the Victorian Fisheries Authority, Women in Recreational Fishing and Boating (WIRFAB), along with the Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Women in Recreational Fishing Network, voted on the Best Stand awards.
AFTA member wholesalers voted on the Best Tackle Store award before the show.
Congratulations to all our 2025 winners!
PRODUCT AWARDS – BEST IN SHOW WINNERS
PRODUCT AWARDS – BEST IN SHOW RUNNER UP
BEST STAND AWARDS
BEST TACKLE STORE
Hot Tackle pushed further towards the Newcastle market after closing our small store at Toronto on the western corridor of Lake Macquarie in January 2023 and reopening in a more centralised location at Warners Bay in March 2023.
Newcastle as a market was in a period of change during this time. A progression of independent stores was closing down – firstly in Toronto CBD itself, then Sandgate/Mayfield, followed by Charlestown and then finally Mark’s Point. These stores had admirably influenced scores of anglers over generations. Their sage advice, attentive customer service and willingness to help are sure to have helped shape the anglers coming through in our region.
To be frank, one could argue that the chain stores that have moved in locally cannot adequately replace the level of expertise that was previously easily accessible in our area.
With these changes happening, Hot Tackle had an opportunity to capitalise, and we did.
The new premises at Warners Bay are more accessible to a broader range of people in Newcastle. It’s 600% larger than the original store. It offers everything worth ranging for our local area, plus thousands of items for anglers heading out, whether it’s south for Trout, West for Murray Cod, or North for Barramundi. The offshore guys are well and truly covered off as well, so the Hot Tackle Warners Bay store really is a one-stop shop for any occasion.
The question we were asked for this nomination was “What is it about your store that makes it “Australia’s Best Tackle Store”? The answer for that, for me, is simple. It’s the guys who work at Warner’s Bay—notably, Geoff Allen, Dan Nebauer and Dan Guilfoyle. We won the lottery with these three guys coming aboard. We had known each of them for years prior – these guys are good people with exemplary values and they actually give a shit – which when you think about, is pretty much all that matters.
Hot Tackle has a solid team overall – over a dozen between the two stores, the other store being Morisset. Before we moved in at Warner’s Bay we knew it wasn’t going to be possible to be as present as we would have preferred due to increasing commitments at our Morisset store. Staff were always going to be the most essential factor of the store’s success – from initial set-up right through to this very day. These three guys genuinely care about customers getting the right advice. They are experienced fishers who know what they are doing, and they convey that knowledge superbly to the locals who walk through the doors. They have established existing partnerships and formed new ones with local schools, sports clubs, fishing clubs, and charity groups. Kids and adults alike walk out of the store with new ideas on what will work for them next time out on the water, and many of them come back afterwards and make the guy’s day when they share the good news.
In this day and age, there’s no shortage of feedback channels – and we hear daily about how effective each of these guys is. The personalised Google reviews, Instagram/Facebook messages with specific mentions of names, are always a real treat – for someone to take the time out of their day to give an individual a shout-out is phenomenal, and we genuinely read or hear it all the time.
The fishing scene is thriving in our area. On every drive between the stores, I see kids on the jetties, families in their tinny’s, and boat trailers at the Cockle Creek ramp. Fishing is undeniably more popular than ever, at least in our experiences. I genuinely believe that a massive contributor to this popularity locally is the service that Geoff, Dan, and Dan have provided to the local community, sharing their knowledge, maximising catch rates, and enhancing the experiences of those on the water.
The Warners Bay store has brought some balance back to the mix of big box/independent stores in Newcastle. It has filled the void in the Newcastle fishing space that the long-standing independents had previously occupied. We are now seeing the next generation of anglers find their passion, hone their craft, and develop their skills, and the Warners Bay store, and more specifically, Geoff, Dan, and Dan, have helped nurture that. For that, I thank them.
AFTA Partner Shop for Shops kindly supplied the display modules for Best in Show.
All AFTA Members receive GOLD reward pricing via Shop for Shops.
If you do not have an online account set up, please email admin@afta.net.au
The 2025 Best in Show was brought to you by
“Fish for Life” – an initiative by NSW Fisheries, building a healthy fishing future.
