The Story Behind American Sea Fishing

If you'd have wandered onto a Southern California pier in the early 00s, you might have seen a young fisherman peering over the rails, plotting how to catch the leopard shark he was watching patrol the pilings below...

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That young man was company founder Ben Hervey-Murray on his first trip to California, and in one of those circular twists that life throws at you, many years later he found himself looking at that same pier – but this time whilst working as a professional fishing guide on a nearby beach. The quarry? That famous leopard shark.

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Inspired by this early encounter and with plenty of tournament and international fishing experience under his belt after many years of working in Europe across various publishing, marketing and guiding roles, Ben moved to the US full-time and set up American Sea Fishing's California-based tackle and guiding business in 2018.

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As the guiding service quickly expanded its scope from the famous leopard sharks, surf perch and corbina to halibut, bass and any other game fish catchable from the shore, one problem became very apparent: it was hard to find top quality tackle for surf, pier or land-based fishing in North America.

 

Compared to the quality and sophistication used in much of Europe – especially on the club and tournament scene – many of the surf fishing rigs, hooks, sinkers, leaders and setups for sale in shops and recommended online fell short. 

 

Lots of tackle was just cheap, ineffective gear repurposed for pier or surf fishing - other items like certain commonly-used hooks, rigs and basic sinkers were hopelessly outdated compared to European -style setups.

 

No doubt, using this kind of sub-optimal equipment costs surf anglers fish every session, leading to people losing interest and poor take-up amongst new and young anglers. We decided to rectify this, and help our fellow anglers catch more fish rather than getting skunked.

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​By combing the best saltwater products, brands and tackle from Europe and USA, with the kind of insightful knowledge you only get from being professional guide and tournament angler, American Sea Fishing has developed a range of kits, sinkers, and rigs along with carefully curated tackle items at great prices.

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Currently, the 100% USA-owned and run company offers guiding services and lessons in Southern California, tackle sales with a range of products from various brands, and wholesale tackle products.

 

American Sea Fishing's continuing mission is simple - to help you catch more fish