Local online tackle retailer using 'shop by lake' feature to get your new gear

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. (FOX 9) - An online tackle retailer is changing how you shop for new tackle and fishing gear with a ''shop by lake'' approach.

Omnia Fishing 

The backstory:

Omnia Fishing has been around for six years and is located right here in the Twin Cities. 

Their operation has grown, and they are now located in Golden Valley. 

Their current location has office space and a large warehouse which allows them to house their whole operation. 

They not only sell fishing tackle, but create content about lures, rods, and even produce podcasts. Their approach to selling tackle is what truly sets them apart from other tackle companies.

Omnia Fishing warehouse in Golden Valley.  (FOX 9)

Omnia Co-Founder Matt Johnson says "The whole goal of Omnia is really to try and send you to the water with a bunch of confidence, and that's really what it is like. We'll see what people have done in the past. Let's see how they've been successful in the past. Let's go replicate these patterns. We really are sitting at the intersection of all the information of successful tackle catches and using AI to try and pull out some of these patterns to send you there with a lot of confidence."

The app and website are free, although there is a premium version of the app which comes with a few more lake features.

Shop by lake

How it works:

When landing on the Omnia Fishing website, you'll be greeted with a map-based shopping experience. You can maneuver to a lake you are interested in, click on reports and see what other anglers have posted. These posts share everything from a picture of fish they caught to what lures and equipment were used. 

This map-based shopping can be broken down by season like spring or fall and can even go further into certain species. 

Omnia Co-Founder Matt Johnson demonstrates the "shop by lake" feature on the company's app.

Matt Johnson said "we have over 30,000 fishing reports across every state in America giving you insights. Now, these are not locations of where to catch fish. We don't believe that that's an important part of the fishing experience. These are about tackle. And so you can actually see as an example this has a fishing report. It shows exactly how they were catching them, what baits they were using. And the and the customer can then quickly go and buy the baits that were being mentioned in real time."

Why you should care:

Omnia Fishing "shop by lake" website.  (FOX 9)

The new app is free and is turning out to be a very neat and unique tool to approach both planning a fishing outing along with purchasing tackle. 

When I asked Matt why someone would want to tell someone what bait they were using, he responded:

"Because we don't give away a location, you don't have to worry about those spots that you found. But it really is a discussion about baits. So now if you went out on Bryant Lake, which we were just down on the ramp, and you found some success with a green wacky rig, and you indicated that that's what you caught him with. And then I come along and buy that bait. You actually get a little tackle credit for your next purchase from Omnia."

Omnia Fishing Co-Founder Matt Johnson and FOX 9 meteorologist Jared Piepenburg at Lake Bryant. (FOX 9)

Omnia's Premium version of the app does not impact what you can see in terms of buying tackle and reports. This version does add a lot more information on lake-specific details, like Navionics contours, vegetation maps, water clarity maps, and even satellite-derived water temperature maps.

Omnia Fishing has around 26,000 products on hand and offers same-day shipping on orders placed by 1 pm. 

You can check out Omnia Fishing at www.omniafishing.com