Our Story

Fishing Addiction Gear was brought to life by Captain Mike Schmitt. The brand started originally as Mike Schmitt's Fishing Addiction. The Facebook page provided real time fishing content, following his fishing trips on the great lakes. This provided fellow anglers with live fishing reports and information to help maximize their time on the water.

In 2018 Mike designed the original seat post mount planer board caddy system. This system was created after years of trolling big water and struggling to find a good solution for planer board storage and organization. After time, the idea grew to the point where it served not only the purpose of planer board storage, but also an in use tackle and tool storage solution when trolling. The caddy system truly became an integral part of the trolling flow and the command center of everything. As time went on, the caddy system became useful for other styles of fishing. When we would run a walleye trip in the morning and perch trip in the afternoon, the unit would be in the boat already from the walleye trip. Because of this, we quickly adapted to using it for perch fishing as well. It provided a great place to get minnows up off the floor, which really helped limit the number of times everyone had to bend over. This was very helpful in rough water. It also created a place to hold the fish counter, pliers, spare perch rigs and weights. It's now a must have for perch fishing on the Fishing Addiction Gear boat as well. It was amazing how quickly we adapted its usefulness to a style of fishing that we had no intention originally using it for. 

In 2019 fellow anglers started seeing glimpses of the caddy system on the Mike Schmitt's Fishing Addiction Facebook page. After a steady demand by the market and a push from a few good friends, Mike decided to launch the planer board caddy system and make them available to the public fishing community. In June of 2020, Fishing Addiction Gear was officially born.

After launching the line of planer board caddy system's, the customers continued to ask for more. Our goal became a simple one. To provide our loyal customers and following a quick access store where they could purchase anything we use and have qualified. We do not sell anything we don't believe in and trust. We tell all new potential suppliers that we will not carry any new products until we have used them ourselves. It's a completely different ballgame to only sell gear you use and trust.

The Fishing Addiction Gear brand will continue to grow in the upcoming years. Our ultimate vision is to provide the fishing community with products that we have personally tested and would put our stamp of approval on. We will continue to do the work for you and provide only options that are tested and consistently put fish in the boat. Field tested products and real time fishing reports like no other fishing gear company has ever done! Our brand isn't just about selling gear, it's about helping fellow fishermen learn, grow and maximize their time on the water. Fishing Addiction Gear is not just a business, it's a passion!