Black Speck Fishing & Tackle
Mark Strunk of Kokomo, Indiana, had a dream of competing as a Pro Fisherman and starting his own company that would cater to the Crappie Enthusiast by providing them with innovative performance fishing apparel and gear. With hard work, lots of help from General Manager Lori Verbryck, and determination, Black Speck Fishing & Tackle became a reality. Black Speck Fishing & Tackle now carries a full line of High-Quality Innovative Performance Apparel and has plans to expand the line in the fall of 2022.
In 2021, Strunk began to fish the Pro Division of Crappie USA, American Crappie Trail, and Indiana Slab Masters. At the same time, his dream to create a company that catered to fishing enthusiasts and provided them with high-quality clothing and fishing gear also began to grow. He wanted to form an apparel company that would cater to the crappie enthusiast. It was also very important to him that it be a faith-based company that is biblically inspired. He plans to add scripture to the webpage in hopes of helping to grow the faith of others.
When Strunk became a professional fisherman, he saw how costly it was to compete and decided he wanted to start a company that would help offset some of those expenses. He saw the crappie industry quickly growing and that there were many clothing lines tailored to the bass fishermen, but none for the crappie fishermen. He decided to form an apparel and tackle company that would exceed the quality of other competitors and beat their prices. In March of 2022, Strunk and General Manager Lori Verbryck launched the online store.
“Black Speck Fishing apparel is top quality, geared towards the crappie industry, and is cheaper than our competitors,” said Verbryck. Their best-selling item is the All-in-One Hoodie with the built-in gaiter in both Green Flash/Midnight Camo and Tundra. They also have a Blue Rift Camo Performance Cap and a Tundra Performance Cap (it matches the Tundra Hoodie) that they have sold out of on numerous occasions. “We have been told by customers that have purchased the hoodies that they are very comfortable (fabric is polyester/spandex blend) and that is VERY BREATHABLE and they stay cool even on the hottest days. It also has mesh inserts in the sleeves and on the tail of the back of the shirt that allows for airflow and it also provides UV Protection” they explained.
I asked them, what the future holds for Black Speck Fishing. they replied, “Up until now, we have been lacking in women’s apparel, but that is about to change. We have several new styles of dye-sublimated shirts for both men and women on the order that we will have available soon and by fall we plan to have Performance Fleece Hoodies and Winter Gear available. We would also like to add bait/tackle and rods/reels to our product line at some point.” Verbryck and Strunk are working together as a team to come up with new ways to market the company. They said, “With the help of our Pro Staff and Field Staff, we hope to be able to watch the company continue to grow and in time be as popular as our competitors without sacrificing quality or price.”
The best way to order is to visit their website at www.blackspeckfishing.com. They also sell items at the weigh-ins of some of the National and Local Tournament Trails such as the American Crappie Trail, Crappie USA, and Indiana Slab Masters. Anyone interested in carrying their product line can send an email to lori@blackspeckfishing.com or call (765) 461-6064 or Strunk at (765) 434-5040. Verbryck said, “We would welcome the opportunity to discuss options of adding our product line to their store.”
