Tackle Dealers at Pitman Creek's Expo Are Buying Weeks Out, Not Months

More than 200 tackle shop owners from 28 states filled Pitman Creek Wholesale's dealer expo in Sevierville, Tenn., Oct. 26 to 28, and a Temple Fork Outfitters sales chief told Fishing Tackle Retailer many shops now order 30 to 45 days out instead of six to eight months ahead. The preseason order book, the tackle trade's oldest forecasting tool, is losing to social media, because a shop that commits its budget early can miss the bait that went viral last week. The packed floor shows independents still value face time with makers, but they no longer hand them a six-month promise.