Rob Carter
- International Sales Director, Angling International
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Articles by Rob Carter
Westin COO: ‘The simple strategy that protects our brand’
In an industry driven by innovation, specialisation and constant product launches, Thomas Sanotra, COO of Denmark’s Fairpoint Outdoors, owner of the Westin brand, believes Westin’s strength lies in something more fundamental: simplicity, consistent performance and the trust earned by delivering on a promise year after year. Sanotra has a straightforward view of what makes a successful fishing tackle brand.
Rob Carter: Harnessing the power of LinkedIn for your business
In this month’s Angling International, Jocelyn Dupré, who has worked as the Head of Commercial for Nash in Europe, makes a compelling prediction about the future of the fishing tackle industry: brands will increasingly have to become media publishers in their own right. It’s an astute observation, and one that describes a future which, for many businesses, is already here. For the rest, says Dupré, transition is surely unavoidable.
‘Mid-range? Follow these three steps now or lose it all’
Suppliers in the middle are being squeezed out of the market in Europe, says Nash’s former Head of Commercial, Jocelyn Dupré, who has watched the market rapidly change from his position developing Nash in multiple markets across the region. There is a way out, but as this insightful interview makes clear, it won’t be easy. Mid-sized tackle brands in Europe are feeling the squeeze, and not only in your area of expertise, the carp market, and not only from Asian competitors.
ANGELWELT: Goofun brings big-factory quality to small lure brands
Chinese lure design and manufacturing specialist Goofun is heading to ANGELWELT in Berlin with a message for Europe’s emerging lure brands: don’t let your size stand in the way of finding a quality manufacturing partner. The company, which has carved out a niche offering a personal, VIP-style service to smaller fishing tackle businesses, is offering first orders from as few as 900 pieces – a quantity that would barely get a conversation started at many of the industry’s larger factories.
Rob Carter: How powerful could the European angling trade be?
Here’s a question. Just how powerful is the European angling trade? Not how big is it. Not how much tackle does it sell. But when its representatives at EFTTA walk into a room in Brussels and ask policymakers to listen, how much weight do they really carry? I found myself thinking about that after reading the latest position paper on sea bass from EFTTA’s strategic partner, the European Anglers Alliance. One point in particular jumped out at me.
Rob Carter: It’s about supply and demand
Angling International now does two things very well. For years, we have connected tackle brands with distributors around the world – helping them enter new markets, find new partners and strengthen their supply chain. More on that below. But there has been a shift in our industry. I wrote last month about how brands increasingly want to connect with the people and platforms that influence anglers and ultimately generate demand for their products. You can see it happening everywhere.
Reselling app adds new function to help brands clear stock
“The big idea is simple. There’s a mountain of good gear sitting unused, and if we can keep it in play and turn some of that value into support for water conservation and getting more kids fishing, that’s something we feel good about building.” So says Ignacio Vial, the co-founder of the Recast second-hand reselling app which now has an additional dimension helping brands clear tackle that is left in limbo after their pros have used it.
Rob Carter: So, who should we invite to trade shows now?
Five hours before I was due to fly home from ICAST, I had one final meeting at the show. It not only told me more about the future direction of the event than any other meeting I had that week, but it also explained where I think the trade’s priorities are likely to be in the upcoming years. Here’s what happened. The client let slip that he had just come from a meeting between the organisers and key exhibitors.
Rob Carter: What problems are your new products solving?
Product innovation is firmly in the spotlight at this time of the year. As I write this, I’ve just had the privilege of co-hosting the EFTTEX Awards, sponsored by Angling International, where some of Europe’s most exciting new products were recognised. In a matter of days, I will be heading to ICAST, where the New Product Showcase will once again be the centre of attention and hundreds of new launches will compete for attention from retailers and the media.
EFTTA: EU’s €3 import levy is ‘a start’ but much more is needed
The European Fishing Tackle Trade Association (EFTTA) has welcomed the European Union’s decision to introduce a customs duty on low-value imports but says the measure is only the first step towards creating a fairer marketplace for European fishing tackle businesses. From July 1st, the EU will begin applying a fixed €3 customs duty to consignments valued at less than €150 entering the bloc from outside the EU.
Reel developer: ‘The industry is solving backlash in the wrong way’
Backlash isn’t the problem, backlash management is – that’s the view of Svivlo founder and CEO Patrik Zander, the man who has turned line management technology upside down and is now seeking global distributors for his game-changing reels. Angling International: The fishing industry seems more focused on backlash than ever before. Why now? PZ: Backlash has been on the industry’s lips for decades.
Countdown! How ICAST spreads influence beyond its show floor
Across the world of sportfishing, July means one thing – ICAST. For nearly seven decades, the annual sportfishing trade show presented by the American Sportfishing Association has marked a pivotal moment in the year. Approximately halfway through each calendar year, thousands of tackle buyers, manufacturers and stakeholders gather in Orlando, Florida to feast on a smorgasbord of brand new products.
EFTTEX reaction: ‘We never expected to win two awards’
Italian tackle brand Scorziello SASA left EFTTEX with two major awards and renewed confidence in its product development strategy, after winning recognition in both the saltwater reel and line categories. Speaking after the show in Barcelona, the company’s Export Manager, Armando Zito (above right with company founder Antonio Scorziello), said the awards validated the extensive research, product selection and design work undertaken by its team.
Carp Zoom adds extra glow to its wafters line-up
Wafters have fundamentally changed feeder fishing across Europe and Hungarian bait supplier Carp Zoom has been at the forefront of its development for more than six years. The Budapest-based company’s Export Manager, Agnes Perecz, told Angling International: “It is now hard to find a feeder fisherman that does not have wafters in their tackle box. They are now established baits that can be used in all weather conditions and a wide variety of locations.
Line OEM hits ICAST with a promise on greater supply chain stability
As global economic uncertainty continues to challenge the fishing tackle industry, OEM manufacturer FirstDart will use ICAST 2026 to showcase how strategic investment in automation, supply-chain security and flexible manufacturing is helping its partners navigate an increasingly volatile marketplace. For the Asia-based manufacturer, ICAST remains the most important event on its North American calendar, providing direct access to businesses across North and South America.
French sea brand enters new era
One of France’s top fishing tackle suppliers is relaunching its specialist sea fishing brand. SUNSET, renowned in sea fishing circles for techniques practiced from both the boat and shore – particularly surfcasting – was created by SERT in 1989.
BKK targets North America with new launches during ICAST week
Capitalising on the July industry momentum, the global hook brand BKK is set to unveil a new lineup of highly engineered products. July is the undisputed focal point of the global sportfishing calendar. As the industry’s attention turns toward the United States for the annual summer buying season and ICAST week, BKK is seizing this momentum to execute a highly anticipated independent ‘Summer Drop’.
AKIOS adds upgrade in its quest to conquer Europe
One of the UK’s fastest growing and most innovative sea fishing brands has upgraded a legend. AKIOS is breaking new ground in the UK with its contemporary saltwater tackle that delivers not only function but style. It has now upgraded its Hellrazor range of rods. AKIOS owner Simon Bradbury told Angling International: “The original AKIOS Hellrazer SS420 earned an outstanding reputation across the UK and internationally for its incredible casting performance, reliability and versatility.
Rob Carter: China is building global brands – don’t believe angling is different
What does a story from professional basketball have to do with angling? Or more significantly if you work for a tackle brand in the USA or Europe, what does it have to do with your business? Your answer might be: nothing. But the truth is: everything. The news this month that US basketball superstar Steph Curry has just signed an endorsement deal with Chinese sportswear giant Li-Ning confirms a shift in the strategies of Chinese businesses – and demonstrates where power is heading.
EFTTEX: Meet the OEM supplier who has already tested your next line
Plastools says it has two advantages over line suppliers competing with it for business in Europe: its location in northern Italy that puts it within a convenient two-hour flight of most of its customers, and an owner completely at home on the riverbank.
Rob Carter: We are launching on Substack to reach anglers
Over the past few months, I’ve been working on a new project that reflects a significant shift in the way the angling trade now communicates with its audience. The result is that Angling International will be launching a Substack. If you are not familiar with the platform, it is where expert journalists provide content for a niche audience.
App developers: We are now seeking partners with industry expertise
The founders of Recast are seeking operators who understand marketplaces and the fishing industry and they are ready to offer them investment opportunities in their app designed to dominate the market in second-hand tackle. Could that be you? Angling International has spoken to co-founder Ignacia Vial, who explains why investment from inside the tackle trade will turbo-charge his project which is designed to match similar marketplaces in other industries that are now worth more than $250 million.
Rob Carter: Want to stand out in 2026? Win an EFTTEX award
When we take on a new advertiser at Angling International, we always offer to make a free article to introduce that advertiser to our global readership. To raise awareness amongst their potential customers our first question is, what makes you different? Or to put it another way, what can we say about your brand or your products that we can’t say about any of your competitors?
Exclusive: ‘world first’ rod with real-time underwater video
Two friends from outside the tackle industry say they have developed a world first – a commercially available rod with a camera that delivers actual real-time underwater video. Unlike fishing cameras on the market that rely on wifi and which only record video for playback on dry land, the rod combo created by GSValue delivers footage from beneath the surface at the same time you are fishing.
French film makers build new audience for tackle brands
How can a fishing brand still stand out in a world saturated with content? It’s a question that played across the mind of Arnaud Milliet, a former editor of leading French angling publication, La Pêche et les Poissons, before he embarked on his new venture. As a media professional looking to make a difference, Milliet questioned the power of social media. “Instagram, YouTube and TikTok are now flooded with promotional videos, catch photos, tackle tests, product promotions and influencer content.
Founders of Recast app lay out the opportunities for investors
An app has been launched in Europe with a clear ambition: to become the go-to platform where anglers across the region buy and sell second-hand fishing gear, regardless of discipline, geography or language.
Q&A: Svivlo founder confirms new deal for the USA
Svivlo has steadily become the talk of the European trade with its award-winning ‘no backlash’ reels. Now the brand is set to tackle the most important market of all – the USA – following its collaboration with the Foundation Outdoor Group, owner of fishing rod component brands that include American Tackle and Mudhole Custom Tackle.
Rob Carter: So now we need to talk about tariff refunds
Last month’s ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States has potentially opened the door to one of the most intriguing – and commercially significant – questions facing the fishing tackle trade this year: will US tackle brands now seek refunds on tariffs they have already paid?
Watch! Pulz Bait lands a huge catfish and opens up a new market
With the appointment of one of Europe’s most respected catfish anglers, Yuri Grisendi, Pulz Bait has entered the European catfish segment. The collaboration marks a strategic expansion into one of the fastest-growing and most technically driven predator fishing categories in Europe by the Nordic Fieldsport brand. Grisendi is widely recognised within the European catfish scene, combining more than 200 fishing days per year with decades of experience in targeting large predatory freshwater species.
The US lure brand where on-the-water meets secret science
In an industry dominated by boardroom trends and marketing cycles, Livingston Lures begins somewhere far more authentic – on the water. “Every Livingston lure starts with a spark. Not a spreadsheet or focus group,” said the company’s Erick Arnoldson. “It is an on the water moment that demands a solution. A giant bass sliding through the shallows. A muskie materializing from the depths. A world class marlin crashing bait on the surface.
Luggage range from AKIOS underscores brand’s push into Europe
European retailers and distributors can now have access to a new wave of saltwater fishing tackle that is breaking barriers across the UK. Fast-growing AKIOS Fishing Tackle – based in the north-west of England – has been challenging the norm when it comes to sea fishing gear in the region with a comprehensive line-up of modern, functional items for the famously traditional marketplace.
DTC pioneer: ‘The retail model in angling is drying up’
The founder of Ridgerunner, Adam Gifford, says tackle manufacturers and distributors must go digital-first. “The outdoor industry is at an inflection point,” he writes for Angling International. “Manufacturers feel margin compression. Distributors feel disintermediation. Retailers feel declining foot traffic. And consumers? They’ve already gone digital.” Writes Gifford: The uncomfortable truth is this: digital transformation in the outdoor industry is no longer optional. It’s inevitable.
Ridgerunner boss makes the case for digital-first retailing
The founder of Ridgerunner, Adam Gifford, says there is no stopping the shift to digital-first retailing for the tackle trade. “Most industries have already made this transition,” he tells Angling International. What is the biggest problem tackle manufacturers face when trying to get their products listed in retail stores? AG: Here‘s the uncomfortable truth: the initial problem is getting into retail. Representation, distribution and marketing all take a cut, significantly decreasing margin.
China Fish: Centro ready for big push with new products
Centro Corporation, the South Korea-headquartered fishing tackle manufacturer with its own production facilities in China, will arrive at China Fish 2026 with a clear objective: to strengthen its international reach while reinforcing the core values that have defined the company’s rise in the global terminal tackle sector. Specialising in saltwater fishing and terminal tackle products, Centro has built its reputation on trust, quality, innovation and customer focus.
Sakura brand presents a win-win situation for European partners
“We have developed a comprehensive and versatile range to power up our search for distributors and sales agents in northern European, especially Scandinavia,” says SERT, the ambitious French owner of the Sakura predator brand. “For big pike fishing, our best-selling Baffeur Jerk has quickly become an essential lure in France and across Europe. “To ensure it remains as effective as ever, we are committed to its continuous evolution.
Rob Carter: Pure Fishing has given EFTTEX a shot in the arm
There’s a renewed energy around EFTTEX this year – and if the reaction across the global tackle trade is anything to go by, 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal edition of Europe’s leading trade show. The single biggest catalyst for that momentum is the return of Pure Fishing to the show floor. If you follow me on LinkedIn (and you really should), you will have seen that my post in January about Pure Fishing’s return generated the strongest engagement I have ever recorded on the platform.
Industry insider: unregulated packages are undermining European tackle trade
No compliance, no safeguards and no investment in innovation or product development. That is the scenario that creates an unfair playing field for established fishing tackle brands, undermines the sustainability of the sport and jeopardises industry agreements and quality standards the trade has built up over decades. So says a former employee with two of the world’s most famous fishing tackle brands following the emergence of giant digital sellers like Temu and AliExpress.
Highly connected sourcing agent proves the power of connections
In an industry increasingly driven by speed, specialisation and differentiation, European tackle brands sourcing from China face a familiar challenge: how to find the right factories, manage them efficiently and turn ideas into finished products without losing time or control along the way. For a growing number of European brands and wholesalers, the answer lies not in adding more internal resource, but in working with the right partner on the ground in China.
Factory offers free lure samples to China Fish visitors
Chinese lure manufacturer Goofun will use this year’s China Fish trade show to build on the momentum it generated at EFTTEX, offering international visitors a limited, appointment-only incentive aimed at emerging brands and distributors looking for flexible, design-led production. Goofun says it is particularly keen to meet new lure brands, regional distributors and online influencers seeking quality manufacturing combined with fast development cycles and adaptable order structures.
Amazon expert: The five big myths about selling on Amazon
Max Lester (above right), co-founder of Partners in Prime, writes: Amazon continues to divide opinion across the fishing industry. For some brands and distributors, it represents opportunity, for others, uncertainty and risk. Much of this comes down to a handful of persistent myths. Below, we address the top five most common concerns we hear from fishing brands, retailers and distributors, and explain how Amazon works in practice when approached in a structured way. 1.
Rob Carter: It’s a B2B and D2C world now
The global fishing tackle industry is entering a new phase. One defined not only by what products are made, but also by how they are marketed, sold and discovered. It’s clear to me from what businesses are approaching Angling International for exposure that direct‑to‑consumer (D2C) channels are no longer a side experiment. They are actively reshaping the economics of tackle, the power balance between brands and retailers and the expectations of anglers themselves. Are you ready for this new reality?
Hanhigh invites European rod buyers to ‘feel the difference’
With so many rod manufacturers exhibiting at China Fish, it takes something special to stand out. For Hanhigh rod factory owner Wang Qian Gang, that ‘something’ is a deep understanding of the European market – and a commitment to getting rod actions, design and finish absolutely right. “After so many years serving customers, we know the European market well,” he says.
Rob Carter: I discovered three words that could change angling for the better
I attended the second EFTTA Annual Summit in Berlin earlier this month where the notion of ‘togetherness’ was made a central theme. How different angling bodies could harness shared experiences, shared insights and, of course, shared data to better protect angling throughout Europe. But what struck me deeply was how each speaker talked only of challenges. Whether it was participation, access or legislation, those shared experiences were of battles to fight and obstacles to overcome.
Camminare Boots boss issues challenge to European distributors
“Once you have this boot in your hands, you will want it in your catalogue.” Gianluca Barbirato is throwing out a challenge to European distributors. After years of development, the man with an unashamed passion for footwear – and for the unique qualities of EVA material in particular – has created a superior lightweight boot for anglers. And all it takes to be convinced of its quality is to hold it in your hand or slip it onto your foot and feel the contrast.
Amazon expert: How to stop ‘native’ lure brands from stealing your customers
Max Lester (above right), co-founder of Partners in Prime, writes: Try this quiz: can you name the biggest selling lure brand across Europe’s five largest Amazon sites – the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain? It’s not Rapala and it’s not Savage Gear. Those familiar names sit second and third on the list, and their combined sales on Amazon only just beat the revenue generated by the top seller. Its name? Truscend. If you didn’t know it, you are not alone.
SERT’s relaunch strategy brings fresh thinking to PROWESS carp brand
SERT plans to demonstrate the power of its new House of SERT business model by applying it within one of Europe’s most competitive tackle markets. The French supplier has re-shaped and modernised its carp brand, PROWESS, in order to steal market share from established players and, crucially, to keep new customers loyal for longer.
Consultant offers free product review for entering Europe
Are you confident your products will succeed in Europe? Entering a new region of 30 separate territories can be daunting, and hoping everything works seamlessly is risky. That’s why Outdoor Eye, the agency founded by former Pure Fishing Brand and Product Manager Nathan Leney, is now offering a free product assessment for international tackle brands.
Rob Carter: Now is the time to build your B2B brand
In today’s global angling trade, success depends on far more than simply having good products. Competition is intensifying. Supply chains are faster, new players are emerging and manufacturers are bringing similar products to market at lower prices. I know that many long-established European brands see this not just as a business challenge, but as a clear and present threat to their long-term existence.
Rob Carter: How to walk away from a trade show with hot prospects
There are many ways to stand out at a trade show, but few are as effective as knowing exactly who you want to talk to and what you want to say when you find them. That was the clear lesson to me from EFTTEX 2025 in Brussels – and nowhere was it demonstrated better than on the booth of a first-time exhibitor from China, Goofun Fishing. Goofun may have been new to EFTTEX, but it arrived with a level of preparation and purpose that put many more established brands in the shade.
Exclusive: New-look SERT realigns brands for ambitious push for growth
Thibault Longis, the Product & Marketing Director of SERT, is sitting in the lobby of the Crowne Plaza in Weihai, China and talking passionately about a brand strategy that has been a year in the making. The House of SERT is a plan to transform the revenues of the French-based tackle supplier, and Longis (right) is preparing for its roll-out this Autumn.
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