Big Fish Bait & Tackle

Nice selection. Friendly staff. The old guy at the counter was cool and gave us some nice recommendations on LCFM as well as places to fish. Fishing with my 2 boys for the first time so we are banking on beginners luck!

Came here for eyelet repair. Gentleman behind the counter was very helpful. Gave me good advice on what reel to pair w the rod.
Had the repair done in one week as promised (unlike another nearby tackle store that told me a week and took a month).
Best of all the repair was absolutely flawless. Down to the precise details of thread accent color etc.
I will come to big fish for my fishing rod/​reel service from now on.
J.

Need bait they got it ! Need gear they got it & tackle and they have tackle on sale on a rack. Cool staff

Prices are ridiculous. other fishing/​bait stores are more then half the money on alot of the things in this store. they are nice people but I ain’t spend 6 or 7 dollars on a bait rig when I can get it for $ 2 or less and it works the same. this store should start selling some of the cheaper brands that work the same, not just rigs but other things too.

To start off let me start by saying, I just made the switch from squid bites to soft bait for shore/​harbor harbor. I’ve been going to another shop for about 3 weeks and been buying their 4″ and 5″ swim baits (squid too). Since I made the switch to soft bait I have had literally 0 bites in 3 weeks, going 4 days a week. My gf being the control in our soft bait testing, was using squid to test soft bait against something and has gotten a couple bites on the squid while I tried out the soft bait. Finally was about to say I’m done with soft bait thing «it doesn’t work». Spent about $ 60 in bait this whole month and no bites, literally 0. I lost all my heads and bait in weeds and rocks and was just getting frustrated I’m just wasting money/​time.
Me and my girlfriend saw this shop and all of our friends go to this one so we figured why not check it out and see what its all about on the way home. Went in and saw they have a ton of small bait perfect for the fishing we do off shore and the rocks. We looked at some 3″ swim baits and the shop workers and hang outs asked us what we wee fishing, and told us we were doing it all wrong. They came over and picked out the better colors that would get more bites for the fishing we do and told us how to use them and what colors work better and are best for day fishing. We got weedless heads to stop losing and getting hung in he rocks and weeds. They said buy brighter colors for day and told us use darker for night. So we picked up what they recommended and 2 hours later just before sun set again, mind you I’ve been biteless for 3 weeks straight on the 4 and 5″ dark green/​blue standard head soft bait we were using/​losing. 45 min using the color they told me to use and I get the tail bitten off of my swim bait… OMG these DO work!!! Finally hope! Cast back out, wouldn’t you know it, I catch a nice beautiful looking 12″ 4−6lb SeaBass. Ruined my 3 week dry spell in less than an hour. not to mention no snags or weed mowing.
The fact they got me a bite in a single day after my countless failed casts with softbait proved to me and my girlfriend softbaits do work. This is and will be my new go to shop. Much friendlier than my other shop I go to. I was literally one day from ditching soft bait all together. So glad we chose to come in and check them out and try their baits. The other shop I go to is mostly deep sea oriented and a lot smaller selection in soft baits under 5″. This shop is well stacked for shore/​rock fishing and was exactly what I needed. Again this is my new go to shop and I will be going back this week to get a new soft bait for the one thats missing its tail from a couple nice bites. Also they offer a Active duty discount if your LEO/​Military which is cool too.
TLDR; As a complete noob, I recommend these guys. Great shop and they 100% got me a bite I give them full credit for my catch that night and saved softbait in my mind. Sure there might be better but they got me what I needed and helped me out. What else can you ask for.

2 stops over the weekend. They were helpful and friendly. The people we spoke to both days were knowledgable and gave us options of other places we could get a license. Unfortunately the whole state wide license system is down!

Twice now my husband has called Big Fish to see if they had ghost shrimp due to the drive and whomever was working there in Thursday Oct 24 around 4ish said they did. He wanted two tubs. Due to traffic it took him at least an hour and a half only for this guy to say oh someone came in and bought them fully knowing he was on the way. Don’t lie Big Fish– if you don’t have bait say so! Bad service!

Great place to buy squid on your way to the peir. It’s just a few blocks from seal beach and carries items you may have forgotten to bring on your fishing trip.

Bah, anyone who thinks this is a good bait and tackle shop clearly doesn’t know any other ones.
There is much better info and equipment at West Marine. The staff is not very good either.
–M

I like Norm’s for two main reasons: 1. they’re open early at 6 am, which is great for picking up bait before fishing and 2. they’re one of the few places around that sells live lugworms, nuclear worms, nightcrawlers, and ghost shrimp. Other than that, they’re alright.
I’ve never had any real problems with service here. If you know what you’re looking for, that seems to work best here. Otherwise, I think they’re fairly helpful when it comes to helping you find what you need. They have a decent selection of rods and reels if you’re looking for a setup.
Since they’re so close to the beach, the majority of their tackle is aimed at inshore, offshore, pier, and surf fishermen. However, I did notice a bit of freshwater gear here. But, whatever your needs I’m pretty sure the staff here will be able to hook you up (pun intended) with what you need.

I’ve been buying my bait and tackle here for the last 6 or 7 fishing trips I’ve been on and they had lots of fresh bait at a good price. They carry a wide variety of bait such as ghost shrimp and the rest of the standard bait like anchovies, squid, mackerel etc. They don’t have a very large tackle selection but their weights and line are priced very well considering how close they are to the pier and many other big fishing spots. I bought nine 2oz claw weights for $ 7.50 and 300 yards of 8lb test for about $ 3.50.
All of the cashiers I have talked to always gave me good honest advice on bait selection and the proper tackle to use for the area I’m fishing in. There’s also a liquor store conveniently located right next door where you can pick up snacks and beer, nobody likes to fish on an empty stomach buzz-​free.

I dont see anything wrong with this place. I think its more aimed at people who dont ask to many questions. It depends on who is working and if they are talkers. They always have bait and thats mostly what I buy in there. Prices dont seem outrages like some other tackle shops Ive been to. Also, they have cheap rods that look decent for the weekend fisherman or for the kiddos and also, have more expensive rods for advanced fishing, lots of tackle, etc. I like this store, I hate chatty cashiers. Nothing special about this place, but I like it.

Let me start off by saying that the owner of this place is super cool and knowledgeable. Unfortunately, some of the people that he hires to work his registers are idiots. When I go into a tackle store, I expect the staff to be knowledgeable and to be able to answer my questions. Some of the people working here obviously don’t fish at all and not only can they not answer my questions, they’ll actually make crap up rather than admit they don’t know. As an example, one of the brain surgeons working there identified a mullet as a striper, and another wouldn’t admit that an opah fish actually existed. So why do I still shop here? They’re the only tackle store in the area that carries specialty baits like live ghost shrimp and lug worms. If you know exactly what you want and you don’t need any help or have any questions, this store’s alright. It’s really geared towards the weekend pier fishermen and I guess that’s why they still do good business. Ladies, if you’re ever tempted to have a cocktail, while pregnant, go into to Norms and see what happens to all those cute little fetal alcohol kids when they’re grown up big boys, and I’m sure you’ll change your mind.

Last Monday I went to Seal Beach to just relax. I was on the pier, and I saw a lady land about 5 fishes in a span on 30 minutes. So later on that day, I ended up going home with a fishing pole from Costco.
I stopped by here. This place is great, the guy there (I’ll assume his name is Norm) is very friendly and helpful. He’s very knowledgeable and did not mind answering all my questions and a lot of stories as well! I get the feeling that I might end up stopping by his place every time I head out to the pier.
There’s frozen and fresh selection of squid, anchovies, and mussels. Everything you need to go fishing, he has it. Fishing rods for $ 5 without the reel though. Hooks for about 50– 70 cents
Okay edit 7÷10÷09 I went back today to buy a rig, that I’ve purchased last week. It was a different guy this time, and I showed him what I wanted. He showed me a pack of strings and hooks. I told him I just want one set of the string with 2 hooks. He said he’s been here 3 years and they’ve never sold that. I told him I was here last Friday, and it came in a bag and a price tag etc. He said no etc. Then I see the older, familiar guy with the glasses. I asked him and he goes onto say that… I would have to purchase both of them to create the jig that I wanted.
So basically they’re both denying that they ever carried the rig… when I purchased it there exactly a week ago!
Then the guy that first helped me walked of muttering under his breath «well i’m gonna get out of here…» okay rude. They say the customers always right. I WAS right. Where else did I get it from? I’m way too lazy to make my own. My friend could back me up. SMH. 4 stars. Oh if you dont’ have a bait knife they have excellent ones from only a dollar fifty. Razor sharp