I love this place! People are friendly and always give good advice on fishing. They have great bait and lures. This is a good one stop shop for any fishing related items. read more

i walked in this place looking to spend a few hundred dollars for a new rod and reel. i waslked in and encountered 2 employees that werent doing much of anything. i told him i needed helping finding the right set up. he pointed at the corner and said over there are ones that are already set up. those were clearly not what i wanted. i stood around for twenty minutes until i finally walked out and went down the street to anglers arsenal. im so glad i did! money well spent and deserved. read more

The best vegan tackle shop I've ever been to super nice guys they have have all the tackle you would need everything is organized and clean

Second time getting ripped off here . The prices haven't been updated in years ! If it says 5.95 it's likely 9.95 ...... I asked them to FiX the issues and they just gave me excuses . NOT COOL . These guys stand around all day long . GET to work , fix the prices ! read more

DDDDD 18minutes ago I honestly don't know how this place does not have 10 stars. The staff is amazing very helpful. Very knowledgeable. I took in five poles so I can take my son's fishing. They went ahead and changed the line on all five poles and set them up for lake fishing we have been fishing for about two hours now and so far we have caught big mouth bass catfish and bluegill thank you guys so much for making sure our trip to San Marcos Lake would be successful. My boys are very proud and happy and we are having a wonderful time, but the day started at eastcounty bait and tackle read more

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They answered all my questions about fishing.. the customer sevice was top tier! Im now more interested in fishing and this will be my go to place for all my fishing needs! They also issue fishing permits around the county! Check this place out and support local! read more

Great place for all things fishing. One stop shopping. Personnel set your gear up right. Live bait has always been healthy from this place.

After two back-to-back visits, I won't shop anywhere else for my families fishing needs. A friend of a friend recommended ECBT and from the moment we walked in, the guys behind the counter stepped right in to help us. Both times we stopped by, both guys helped us from start to finish. They answered every question (and my boys ask a lot of them), gave us great local fishing tips, never once tried to sell us anything unnecessary and even rigged up both of the poles we bought for the boys. So often, bait and tackle shops give off a negative vibe for anyone that might be new to the area, or not an expert angler, but these guys. We never once felt like an outsider and I really appreciated that. You can tell they know what they are talking about and love their job. I will be recommending this place to everyone. Great job ECBT! Fish on. read more

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If they didn't offer such great tackle I would have gave this place only 1 star. Before I go into what was wrong I would like to say, the amount of stuff they had made me feel like a kid in a candy store. With that being said, the customer service is TERRIBLE. The general manager Gene who was working the front desk was very unprofessional and rude. If you want to feel rushed, judged, and profiled then this is your place. He was leaning on the counter watching me as if I was going to take something and was using a very condescending tone from the start to the end of me being there. It was an extremely uncomfortable situation, but I did end up still buying some tackle because I needed it read more

My go-to place for live bait. You can even put shiners on reservation. You can get a bag of Shriners for $10-12 and have hours of fun at the lake. They also have tons of fishing lures, reels, and poles. read more

Do not take your gear here for any kind of service. I dropped off two fishing reels in late June 2022. They told me it would be at least 4-5 weeks at most. 5+ weeks go by so I call...was told at that point I was 8th in line for service. I had a fishing trip coming up in mid-September so that was still fine, not a problem. Another month goes by...crickets. I call again - apparently I am now 3rd in line, should be done in a week. Fast forward two weeks and I call - all of a sudden I am back to 8th in line. At this point it's getting ridiculous. After reminding them I was 3rd in line a month prior, they tell me one more week and I'll be good to go. I come in today (Sept. 11th) and my reels haven't even been touched. Now I will not have them done for my fishing trip this week and I have to find another shop to do the work. Would give this place 0 stars if I could. read more

Expert advice on a range of fishing questions, both fresh and saltwater. Gene, the owner, fishes all over the US, and has a lifetime of experience to share. The shop offers rods, reels, bait and lures, and service on your equipment. Give them a try! read more

East County Bait & Tackle - Fishing Near Me - Lakeside, California

ECBT has the goods. Gene, Mike and the boys always trying to get the best fish catching equipment on the market. Even JDM goodies that you can't find on the internet. All the bad reviews are probably people asking them where to fish and what the fish are doing. That's up to you to find out. Anyways. Cruise in to ECBT if you need any bass fishing equipment and you'll be stoked. Anthony read more

These guys are inconsiderate and rude. Needed to get some work done on my reel but they didn't want to answer any of my questions. Also when they thought I wasn't listening, they talked trash behind my back. Don't recommend. Better places down the street. read more

If I could give zero stars, I would. The only reason I'm leaving two stars are because of the two younger guys, wish i knew their names. They are the only ones who have actually been nice & helped. If you're a woman or not a usual customer, go somewhere else. I've gone 3 times because it's the closest to buy my husband gifts and every time I've gone I'm ignored, even when I ask for help it's like they all look at each other and walk away slowly. Then I see others walk in and are automatically greeted and helped without the customer asking. Rather drive much further than go here again. Seriously though, customer service sucks. I have gone to places in Point Loma or mission bay and have been helped so much better! read more

I use to buy all my gear here until I seen how rude time and again some of the employees are. mainly the old guy with hunch back. Miserable guy, I seen him completely go off couple weeks ago because a customer purchased a reel for left handed by mistake and this old guy went off puffing his chest like a tuff guy trying to bully the customer. The young kids that work their are great but the old guy is useless. Dont wast your time, go somewhere else, so many better places to buy that actually treat you with respect read more

Outstanding service! Staff if very helpful and friendly! My go to spot for any and everything. Great selection on rods and reels and all your fishing accessories. MOST IMPORTANTLY, these guys are honest and make sure your moneys well spent. Lance lil bro read more

East County Bait & Tackle - Got my new setup from my new favorite tackel shop - Fishing Near Me - Lakeside, California

Greetings yelp users. Please be aware of the sevice provided by this tackle shop. I was a regular customer, but not anymore. I took my lexa 400 hd reel for service on mid july since fishing was getting good I wanted my reel working 100 percent. It took around two weeks and half to be completely done. Before getting service my reel was smooth, but it was time to get it check. After I picked my reel I told the guys to fill it with 65# J braid. I was really excited so the next week I was on my way to catch a tuna. The day I was ready to use my reel I set it up with a fly line sardine. As soon as I trew the bait out my reel made an awful sound like if it had sand inside, which never happen before I took it for service. I was so disappointed that I stop fishing with my lexa. My cousin's friend works at a very well known tackle shop so I told him to check it out because supposedly my reel was serviced and now it made that repulsive sound. He check it out and told me that the bearings weren't good anymore ( it was never mentioned when I picked up my reel from being "serviced") and he told me that they never serviced it. The only applied blue grease to make it look like they actually did something. Im leaving this bad review because of the dissapointment and waste of my time they made me go through. Also, The staff was really careless and inattentive to almost everyone unless it was someone they knew. Just a tip for new customer's be careful who you leave your reels with specially if its a shop like this one. I believe im not the only that has been in a situation like mine because they rather not say anything and go somewhere else. I rather say the truth so people are aware of who they are dealing with. read more

East County Bait & Tackle - Fishing Near Me - Lakeside, California

Not too sure why this place doesn't have better yelp reviews. This is my fourth time visiting the shop and every time I was at the shop I have nothing but great service. All I've had to do is just ask and the guys there have been really awesome. I've come in here for trout gear all the way to deep-sea fishing gear and they are all knowledgeable on different types of applications. When I visit my family in East County this is my go to spot. I highly recommend this place for your fishing needs. read more

Great customer service. Knowledgeable staff, will help when you ask. I come here weekly. Still haven't had a bad experience. read more

I've been to about every tackle shop in San Diego County and this is the best by a long shot. Super helpful and tons of equipment, lures, etc. read more

In short, this a great place to get your fishing needs met and if you have any questions, the friendly staff will have the answer. The prices were okay and the selection is huge. I'm like a little kid in a candy store, I can't decide what I need the most. Great location but the parking is limited (not their fault). It's worth the drive to the east county or on your way to the waters. read more

I came by here the other day to find my friend a birthday present. I know nothing about fishing so I was a little clueless when I came here. Ryan pretty much saved me. He showed me really cool things to buy for my friend and explained everything to me very well. Everyone here is beyond nice and willing to help with whatever you need! read more

East County Bait & Tackle - Inside - Fishing Near Me - Lakeside, California

One stop shop with everything an angler needs. Aaron is the guy. Best tackel selection and best service. Getsum

Well purchased a 160 dollar pair of waders and 70 dollAr pair of fins and two days later the fins got a leak when I barely used them I know they did t make the waders but when I wanted to return them anyways I was going to return the fins aswell since the fins without waders is really pointless but when I called to ask about returning them for store credit or my cash they said there used I can't return them and check this out the guy who sold them to me tried to offer me a patch job on the waders they sold me for 160 bux without any money back these guys are greedy and it's a shame cuz the shop has descent stuff just horrible service read more

This review is based on the live bait they sell... I come here often for shiners and these shiners are not cheap. This has happened 5 out of 6 times and as I said I'm here like every weekend buying dozens. But these shiners are always dead or die really fast. There eyes are all foggy it's just not normal. When I go to other spots that sell the shiners I don't have these issues. My guess is the bait is not properly taken care of. I suggest you change out the water often and feed those fish. read more

Worst service I've had in years! They said a fishing rod repair would take a "week to ten days." After two weeks I called to find out if it was ready. An employee told me he couldn't find the rod or where it was but that he would find out and call me back. I never heard from him. A few days later I stopped by and Ryan told me he had it at home "still working on it." When I told him I was led to believe it'd be ready in the stated time he said no one should have told me that because it takes a minimum of three weeks. He did not seem to care that his staff was misinforming customers. He then promised "I'll have it here Saturday." I went by Saturday and he said he left it at home, that he would pick it up that day and call me. I never heard from him. I finally got the rod a month after I dropped it off. Instead of the two guides I asked to have replaced they replaced three. When I asked the employee why he said "there must have been a reason. Maybe it was broken." I told him they should have checked with me before doing work I had not asked to have done and he just walked away without saying anything. I see some great reviews on here but it makes me suspicious if they are legitimate. I do note that the good reviews seem to be much older so maybe they used to be a decent place to do business with but they sure are not anymore! read more

Gene Estabrook is either the ultimate or, the penultimate of knowledgeable fishing industry folks! Heading his way this weekend, looking forward to sage advice! Bill read more

I went in to ECBT about a month ago just looking for some braided line. I had my 3 year old twins with me. My girls are rather well behaved, especially in fishing stores. They know there are sharp things and do not touch anything. The employees were giving me dirty looks the whole time, one even said "your kids better NOT touch anything!" Again my kids were holding my hands and being quiet and respectful. I kind of blew off the comment, as i have seen kids running through tackle shops in the past. However after this encounter, they refused to even pay attention to me or answer my questions, just dirty looks the whole time. The fat older guy at the counter was more interested in stuffing his face with a sandwich and joking with his younger employees rather than even ringing me up or even responding to me for anything. WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER!! Complete elitist A-Holes for no reason at all. If you ask questions they treat you as if you are a nobody, and not worth their ELITIST time. I don't know if this shop was good in the past, but it is definitely NOT a shop i will even return to. Please save yourself the pain of dealing with these type of people, go to Hooked bait and tackle in santee, or anglers arsenal just around the corner. Any other tackle shop i have been to has been nicer, and more willing to help. All the other shops seem to love my girls, these guys hated me and my girls the second we walked through the door for no reason at all. read more

So i took a fishing reel in to have it worked on last year 2018. The man at the counter says give me 2/3 weeks o.k. i wait 3 weeks call in not done. He says we're waiting on the part, well come to find out they only get their parts twice a year. So now it's March 2019 i called in still no part. I ordered the part got it within a week. I take the part in he puts it in, my friend noticed he didn't put a washer in. I asked does that washer need to go on, he replies you don't need that. Then chsrges me 38$. Well M. I do need that washer. I was always nice to them, and this is what i get. Well, i don't care how bad i need fishing equipment, I WILL NEVER GO THERE AGAIN. PISS POOR read more

These guys have great things, but I went in the other day to buy shiners and when the guy was tying up the top of the bag of bait he removed his mask and put the rubber band in his mouth. I told him not to put it in his mouth and he shrugged and said "that's how I do it so" and then continued to take the rubber band out of his mouth then tie off the bag of bait with it and handed it to me. I said hey it's covid man don't put something in your mouth then give it to me and he said "well you know, here you go anyway". I'm not worried about the corona but I still don't want to be given something that's been in someone else's mouth let alone someone be unapologetic and obstinate about it, especially when I said I didn't want it. read more

This shop did it right they took over the building of a failing tackle shop. Completely revamped it and when I first came in they asked me "if you can't find something we'll order it". That attention to detail turned this into the go to shop in San Diego. Its a small shop but the space is used very efficiently, awesome plastics and every swimbait you could imagine. This is a go out of your way place. If you are just starting out they are more then happy to dial you in , ask questions.... read more

East County Bait & Tackle - Fishing Near Me - Lakeside, California

This place just has it all and it's the best fishing store in San Diego. The people are nice and they work with you. Highly recommended.

Never let Mike make a hollow spectra splice, he has no idea what he is doing. Claimed he did them all the time. Went on a 7 day, went to San Clemente and started dropping the rig with a 300G knife jig. Did about 5 or 6 drops and on the last one the splice slipped right off and I watched a 100yds of spectra and a $50 knife jig go to the bottom. I went in to let Mike know it failed (I would want to know).He said he never had one fail before, which I doubt, It is just that no one ever came back and complained. He didn't really apologize for it and just goes "well, that's fishing". What a horrible response. I just said "ya, whatever" as I went out the door never to return. The real experts on the Royal Star said they had NEVER had a hollow spectra splice fail and the whole crew agreed. These people are out there every day, some of them for 35 or 40 years. That's not "fishing" that's "screwing up". Not even an offer for a 10% discount on my next purchase or anything, not even an apology. Well, there will be no "next time" now. read more

East County Bait and Tackle is an excellent place to go for your fishing supplies. They have a huge selection of plastics and lures. They pretty much have anything you want. The prices are pretty much on par you may find some things cheaper online but this is a brick and mortar so it's expected to be a little more than online prices. They do need to keep the place open and pay their excellent employees. Speaking of which, Colton was very helpful and knowlegeable. He spent time answering my questions and even spent time explaining things that would help me with future purchases. It's hard to find people that would provide such outstanding customer service even when they know you're not purchasing those items at the time. The best part is he helped me catch my first bass today. His great advise about using the Keitech plastics as a drop shot did it. I'm glad i purchased them. Thanks Colton for the great advise and the excellent customer service I will definitely be back for my next setup. Great job training your employees ECBT! read more

Top shop in San Diego. I popped in looking to burn a few minutes in between some things last weekend. First .. the selection was better then imagined, and second.... the help/information I received was incredible. I didn't get any names but these guys love fishing. Love to talk fishing. And we're stoked on my fishing trip. I was frothing to go fish geared up and better informed. read more

I called and they said they had this particular reel in the store. I get there and then suddenly they don't have it and never did. kind of annoying. A slight bit of attitude as well here. yes decent selections but high prices. Higher than the other store in Lakeside I Buy from now. read more

Good luck getting any help here if you want to buy a couple of reels.

Awesome!Ron Humphries,Gene Estabrok,and now Ryan! Support this shop as they support our students on our fishing adventures. Between 70-115 kiddos a year! Thank you! read more

East County Bait & Tackle - Fishing Near Me - Lakeside, California

Best bait and tackle shop ever, 5star all day everyday. Went In and got a rod and reel guy helped me out was cool. Love this location because I just moved to that area.thanks guys keep up the good work. read more