Owner Jeff Wanat’s 40inch Muskie caught on Eagle Lake, Ontario Canada

Our Story

Trollgadda Tackle and Apparel was created to tell the story of our collective fishing heritage. As well as the stories of our grandfathers’ and their fathers’ before them. This project is the culmination of a lifetime of enjoying fishing, nature, and storytelling.

My grandfather instilled in me, his love for the outdoors ever since I was young. I always looked forward to the time we got to spend together and the fishing trips we would go on. At the beginning of 2021 my grandfather passed away at the age of 88 surrounded by family. After his passing I fell into a deep depression. I was faced with taking a step back and had to take a hard look at my life to find what was truly important. I had been working in sales for the last decade and with the the combination of Covid and becoming a new father my life had been totally turned upside down. I was suffering from major depression and needed to make some changes in my life if I wanted to be around for myself and family. My wife sat me down and encouraged me to go after my dream of owning my own business. I had a longing to work with my hands, like my grandfather did and gravitated towards being outside in nature. I wanted my son to see that we are only here for a short time and we can’t be scared to start down a new path.

I created Trollgadda to explore the past, how our fathers and grandfathers experienced fishing, and the lures that connected them to the fish they caught and the stories they told.

Story telling and folklore go hand in hand with fishing. Throughout history we have passed down stories of giant fish, sea monsters, and countless other lore based around fishing. These stories connect us to and teach us lessons about nature and our place in it. Trollgadda is Swedish folklore based around a giant pike that terrorized local lakes. They tell a tale that the pike grew so large that massive trees would sprout out the top of their spine and head. I knew right away that this folklore would inspire my name and my logo. The connection of using wood in the creation of my handmade lures and the trees that sprouted from the legendary Trollgadda spoke to the storytelling that I wanted to share with my fellow fishermen. Trollgadda Tackle is where heritage meets folklore.

The wooden lures of the past have been replaced by injection modeled plastics made in large factories overseas. Somehow we were duped into thinking that having the same lure as everyone else would be a good thing. Trollgadda tackle is a rejection of those ideas. I create lures like our grandfathers did with my own two hands in my woodshop. My hope is that these lures catch you giant fish worthy of a story to pass down as well as bring a little nostalgia to your life.