Brown Dog Tackle Founder: Ian Renfrew

Fishing has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember—if there was a puddle, I had a rod in my hand. My two greatest passions are tournament angling and deer hunting, but a close third is my love for gear. Anyone who knows me will tell you I’m meticulous about my equipment. My philosophy is simple: there’s a lot we can’t control on the water, so the things we can control need to be dialed in to perfection.

Over the years, I found myself constantly questioning the design of certain lures and tackle—Why would a manufacturer do it this way? How is this even usable for serious anglers? That mindset led me to a defining moment a few years ago during a tournament. The arm of my Alabama Rig snapped, costing me the win. That loss was the spark that led to Brown Dog Tackle.

"I knew I could build a better, stronger rig—and that’s exactly what I did."

At Brown Dog, we refuse to compromise. If we can’t make a product better, we won’t make it at all. We are committed to constant innovation, always refining and improving our tackle to ensure the highest quality, craftsmanship, and performance in the custom bait market. If I’m not 100% satisfied with a bait, it doesn’t leave our shop.

As for the original Brown Dog, his name was Hunter—my best friend and loyal fishing companion, a chocolate Lab who never left my side. Today, our dogs Bozzy and Blaze have taken the reins as the official company mascots. They prefer soaking up attention at tournaments over doing any real work, but we let them keep their titles anyway. And, of course, this is truly a family business—my wife, Meg, runs the entire shipping department.

Brown Dog Tackle isn’t just about making gear. It’s about making gear better.