Sustainable tools for fishing, foraging, and exploration.
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Born in the National Parks.
Handmade in Pennsylvania.
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What customers think about the store
Store offers exceptional handcrafted fishing and outdoor gear with meticulous attention to quality and craftsmanship. Customers praise fast shipping, beautiful packaging, and outstanding customer service. Products are durable, well-designed, and American-made....
AI-generated from customer reviews.
More about Daggerfish
Who I am
I’m Adam Nelson, the founder, designer, and craftsman behind Daggerfish. I grew up outside of National Parks in California, Wyoming, and Pennsylvania, where my dad worked as a park ranger. Since I was a kid, the outdoors have shaped how I live and the way I see the world. You can read more about me here.
Why I started Daggerfish
I think the things we use should connect us to nature, not insulate us from it, and I was frustrated by the amount of outdoor gear made of cheap plastic and other disposable materials. I started Daggerfish to make things I couldn't find at the store - products made from natural and sustainable materials, designed to work, built to last, and crafted to be beautiful.
What I make
I started making handline fishing reels in 2018, and helped to revive the hobby of handline fishing throughout the US. Daggerfish still makes the best handlines out there, as well as other sustainable gear for fishing & fly fishing and foraging & exploration. More outdoor adventure gear is in the works.
How I work
I make virtually every Daggerfish product myself, from my workshop in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Everything is shaped by my belief that outdoor gear should be simple, durable, and thoughtfully made, and good businesses should be ethically run. You can read the 10 principles that guide my designs here.
Resources and guides
You can find written and video guides to every Daggerfish product on the Gear Guides page of this site. If you'd like to learn more about handline fishing, you can read the free Handline Fishing Field Manual here.
More
You can check out the shop blog, where I talk about design, prototypes, and other ideas, or you can subscribe to the email list where I announce new products, sales, and other things your might find valuable. (I'm not really on social media anymore, so this is the best way to hear about these kinds of things.) If you've got a question about anything else, you can send me an email here.
Thanks for reading
Genuinely, thanks for reading this far down the page. If you resonate with the ideas behind Daggerfish and the work I'm doing, I hope you find something you like in the things I've made, and that you'll stay connected.
See you out there,
-Adam
Founder and Craftsman, Daggerfish
Enjoyed by members of the
US Federal Wildlife Officers Association