Our Story: 


I am Brendon Sutter, co-founder of Tackle Shack. My brother Ryan and I always had a dream of owning a “fishing store”. So often, small bait & tackle stores have the reputation of being just that, live bait and a few bobbers. Our vision was larger. 

Back in winter of 2014, my brother & I decided to begin selling product out of our basement through the internet & to local customers. Tackle Shack was created on a single 4'x 8' piece of pegboard. About 1 month later we noticed a building for sale in Middlebury, made a call to the realtor, and he said we could come look at it, but are closing on it next week. We thought the dream was stalled for an actual store in Middlebury. That weekend, my wife and I went out to eat with our best friends, and told them our story. The husband begins chuckling and says “you probably should talk with my brother... He is the one buying the property.” We did so and made an agreement to lease from the buyer, and after months of hard work from mainly my brother & immediate family, we had our grand-opening to in April of 2015.

From the beginning, I worked my regular job (purchasing for an RV company) from 6am to Noon, and then came to Tackle Shack and opened our business hours from 1pm-6pm. We operated that way for about 1 year, at which point I had become completely worn out - lost a bunch of weight, home life was poor, couldn’t balance it all anymore. I decided through prayer, and with my wife’s approval to go for it full-time, even with 3 little girls at home & not enough income to justify the change. So, I quit my good paying job of many years, and took the leap of faith. Scary times, and rewarding times have filled our lives ever since. This small business stuff is fun & exciting! Ups and downs no doubt about it, but we love what we do, and would take the plunge all over again.

Along the way, we’ve had some awesome part-time help that allowed us to grow. None more key than during September 2018 when we put out a Facebook ad needing some additional part-time help. Trevor N. walked through our doors applying for what seemed to be a job that would be a fun little side-gig. Little did both of us know that together we would see some major growth that would ensure full-time work and a future together in the fishing industry. We are thankful for Trevor's tremendous fishing knowledge and customer service. Trevor has now moved into position of Head of Sales, overseeing the entire retail process. Trevor handles our day-to-day walk-in traffic along with placing regular restock orders & even handling your special-order requests. God knew what he was doing at that exact moment I pressed “Post Ad” to Facebook. 

Fast forward to 2020... we outgrew our location, and some of our growth potential. We received the opportunity to move to a different location across the road in the Spring of 2021. The new facility had much more space which meant more inventory, more options for customers, new endeavors & probably the biggest advantage public events on site.  Along with that move came the opportunity to add to our team.

In 2023 we became a boat dealership.  A Polar Kraft or Smoker Craft boat paired with a Suzuki outboard motor is where we are began. It's exciting to get into a whole near arena & expand this way will give our customers even more options.  Update: as of late 2025, we have expanded into offering quality used bass boats.  So far, we've been able to acquire brands like Nitro, Triton, Skeeter, Vexus, & Phoenix.  Be on the lookout for many more options heading your way.  The best part is our pricing is best in the Midwest, and we can completely outfit your boat, customized to your specifications.

Dustin, when not training to be a pilot, manages our Saturday crew, which consists of him & Trevor Miller. Dustin has taken our Saturdays from mediocre, to a fan favorite day of the week!  And who knows, maybe soon we will have our very own commercial pilot on staff.  "Let's fly to icast!", that has a nice ring to it. 

Trevor M. started here full time right out of High School, and that was following a senior year work-based learning project here at Tackle Shack.  Trevor M. does a lot of inventory placement & store organizing throughout the week. Once again, we are blessed in Trevor M's care of our customers and extreme knowledge of all things outdoors.  He is an avid hunter, trapper, fisherman, and anything involving nature.   

Mark started here in February of 2023 as bookkeeper & moved into management in 2025. Mark brings organization, and streamlined processes to keep us functioning well.  Mark is learning about fishing daily.  He may not be a fisherman, but he is learning quickly his way around the store. 

Myron began working here full-time in March 2023 as our head of boat installations. Myron is very knowledgeable at everything needed on your boat. From new sonar systems to shallow water anchors, to re-powering with a new Suzuki outboard, Tackle Shack has grown in many areas due to Myron’s gifts and talents.  I always say that, "Myron can fix anything!"  And boy, can he ever.  We are blessed to have Myron leading our installations in the back of the shop.  His character, attention to detail, and ability to create an install look like a better than factory job, have secured us customers all around the Midwest.  Customers now drive over 3 hours to get here, because of his talented installs. 

May of 2024 brought us the addition of Steve. Steve has been a great asset, and is our ‘everything guy’. From internet shipping, to keeping the yard nice and clean, Steve has talent at getting it all accomplished.  Steve is heading up a new segment of business for us, and that is boat detailing.  I have never seen anyone produce such a cleaned up product.  He is #1 when it comes to seeing details, and getting them to looking brand new.

We are very thankful for each and every customer that has ever placed an order with Tackle Shack. You truly are the reason we can do what we have always dreamed of doing, operating a fishing store. God bless you all!

 

Experienced, Friendly, and Passionate About Fishing

Our mission statement is to add value to any and all customer's who either enter our doors, or contact us online, through 100% effort, kindness, and knowledge.

We are satisfied when our customers are, and we will not back down from opportunities to serve our community.