Australia’s Best Store
Each year, AFTA celebrates the standout retail tackle stores that go above and beyond for Australia’s fishing community. Nominated by stores and voted on by AFTA Member Wholesalers, this title recognises excellence in customer service, product knowledge, industry support and passion for fishing.
Explore the winners from each year below and help us celebrate the stores setting the standard for Australia’s tackle retail industry.
2026 Winner
MoTackle: More Than a Store – A Name Australian Anglers Trust
In a country where fishing is more than a pastime – it’s a way of life – the gear you choose matters. But just as important as the gear is where you get it from.
That’s where MoTackle & Outdoors stands apart.
This isn’t just another tackle shop. It’s a brand built on passion, experience, and a deep connection to the Australian fishing community — a place where anglers know they’re understood.
Built by Anglers, for Anglers:
At its core, MoTackle is proudly a family-owned and operated Australian business, shaped by decades of real, on-the-water experience. Every product, every recommendation, and every interaction is grounded in one simple idea: give anglers exactly what they need to succeed.
Because in Australia, fishing isn’t one-size-fits-all – and neither is MoTackle.
A True Destination for the fishing and Outdoor enthusiast
Whether you step into MoTackle or explore it online, you’ll quickly realise that sometimes size and quality do matter….
With the largest and most extensive range of fishing and outdoor gear in the country, MoTackle has become a destination for anyone who lives for the outdoors. Whether you’re gearing up for a quick session or planning your next big adventure, everything you need is right here.
And if you can’t make it in-store? MoTackle brings the experience to you, offering an online virtual tour of the store so you can explore the aisles, discover the range, and get a feel for the space from anywhere in the world. https://www.motackle.com.au/virtual-tour. If you’re lucky enough to make it in-store, MoTackle has many attractions, including an interactive lure swim tank and a UV lure case + much more
Deeply Connected to the Fishing Community:
MoTackle isn’t just part of the industry – it actively supports it.
Through countless sponsorships and partnerships across Australia, the brand backs local anglers, fishing events, and grassroots communities. It’s a commitment that goes beyond retail – investing directly into the people and culture that make Australian fishing what it is.
Expertise You Can Feel:
What truly defines MoTackle is its staff and ongoing commitment to quality and expertise.
Behind the brand is a team of passionate experts who don’t just sell gear – they use it. They understand the conditions, the species, and the challenges Australian anglers face.
That means when you shop with MoTackle, you’re not just buying products – you’re getting genuine, experience-backed advice that helps you fish smarter and better, also supporting anglers and their family like yours.
A Brand you know and trust:
Ask around, and you’ll hear it time and time again: once people shop with MoTackle, they stick with MoTackle. It’s the combination of range, service, community involvement, and authenticity that creates more than customers – it creates loyalty.
The MoTackle Difference
MoTackle isn’t trying to be the biggest name in fishing by shouting the loudest.
It’s earned its reputation by doing things the right way.
• Supporting Australian anglers at every level
• Delivering an unmatched range of quality gear
• Offering real expertise, not guesswork
• Staying connected to the community through sponsorships and events.
• Creating an experience – both in-store and online – that feels genuine.
More Than Gear.
It’s Who You Fish With.
At the end of the day, fishing is about moments – the early starts, the stories, the wins, and even the ones that got away….
MoTackle is part of those moments for anglers all across Australia.
And that’s what makes it more than just a tackle store.
It’s a name you trust, a brand you rely on, and a place that feels like it’s always here to help.
2025 Winner
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 were 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 is certain to have helped shaped the anglers coming through in our region.
To be frank, one could argue the chain stores that have moved in locally could not adequately replace the level of expertise that was previously so easy to access in our area.
With these changes happening, Hot Tackle had an opportunity to capitalise, and we did.
The new premises at Warners Bay is more accessible to more people in Newcastle. It’s 600% larger than the original store and ranges everything that is worth ranging for our local area plus thousands of items for anglers hitting the road, 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 mine is simple. It’s the guys that 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 important factor of the stores success – from initial set-up right through to this very day.
These 3 guys genuinely care about customers getting the right advice. They are experienced fisho’s, they know what they are doing, and they are superb in the way they convey that knowledge to the locals that walk in the doors. They have grown existing and established new partnerships 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 of how good each of these guys are. 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 wrap is phenomenal, and we genuinely read it 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 jetty’s, families in their tinny’s, boat trailers at the Cockle Creek ramp. Fishing is undeniably more popular than ever, at least in our experiences. I truly believe a huge contributor to this popularity locally is the service that Geoff, Dan and Dan have provided the local community with 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 big box/independent store mix in Newcastle and 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 nuture that.
For that, I thank them. This nomination and with any luck this award, is for them.
Thanks for your consideration,
Daley Martin
2024 Winner
Fisho’s Tackle World Hervey Bay
Shop 5, 59 Torquay Road, Pialba, Hervey Bay, QLD 4655
Fisho’s Tackle World is a true one-stop specialist shop for all things fishing, boating, spearfishing and leisure.
Our local community has previously recognised us via the Business & Tourism Awards for Best Retailer. We continue to give back to our fishing community via donations and sponsorship of local events, and we further our support with regular hands-on tuition sessions with local fishing clubs and events.
We provide such exceptional customer service that not only have we developed a huge loyal customer base, but we also have increasingly more and more fishos from well beyond our geographic catchment making their way to our store. We are a true destination store renowned for our expansive product range that not only supplies every conceivable product for our incredibly diverse local fisheries but also caters to specialist arenas such as fly fishing, game fishing, extended offshore fishing charters and impoundment fishing.
We support a massive 120+ suppliers to satisfy our customers’ every need. We work closely with our key suppliers to maintain high stock levels and actively support all campaigns of merit. Our accounts management is impeccable, with attention to detail very obvious in all aspects of our store, from our systems management to our presentation and merchandising.
We enjoy the support of a competent and focused team of 11 that upholds our service standards with pride. Our whole crew is made up of fishing fanatics with real-life experience, inherent enthusiasm, and knowledge that are eagerly absorbed by our ever-increasing customer base. We certainly are a store that can boast that we ‘practise what we preach’. If we are not in the shop, you can bet your bottom dollar that we will be out on the water enjoying the best recreational activity there is, all whilst testing some of the latest and greatest products to come to the market.
We are highly proactive marketers of our store’s products and services, the fishing experience, and the outdoor lifestyle. We go the extra mile with all customers to enhance the fishing experience for beginners and help accomplished fishos better themselves through the finer points and latest advancements in tackle, electronics and boating equipment.
We are market leaders in many fishing areas and have always stayed ahead of the game regarding new and exciting products and projects. We’ve actively assisted others in tackle stores within the Tackle World Group and beyond to enhance the betterment of our industry as a whole.
We have upped our game and amplified our store’s reach by entering the online world and launching our e-commerce store https://www.fishostackleworld.com.au/ in late May, which we have heavily invested in – from leading technologies to dedicated staff whose sole focus is on the e-commerce store and its growth.
Why should we be voted Australia’s Best Tackle Store? Because we believe we are, and our many customers would likely tell you that too!
We thank you for your consideration.
2023 Winner
We understand the pressures that are upon the industry and our staff as a collective unit appreciate the need to encourage participation.
We could mention all the fishing clubs, raffles, and giveaways that we contribute to but that is only one piece of the puzzle. The most important part from our point of view is to give customers, and in particular kids, the attention, information and tools necessary to succeed. Early success is of the utmost importance to foster passion and we all do our bit to ensure it is realised.
Every customer that calls us, messages us or walks in our door is another opportunity. We thrive on it and won’t ever stop and although the bottom line is important as a business, we know that if we can help our customer base grow their ability, this associated positivity will invariably grow our customer base.