14 Best Fishing Affiliate Programs to Hook Bigger Commissions

Posted by Coty Perry, in Affiliate Programs

Fishing is one of America’s favorite pastimes and one that has always been a personal enjoyment of mine.

With almost 30 million registered anglers, this multi-billion dollar industry offers unique opportunities for affiliate marketers. By promoting fishing gear, apparel, accessories, and more through affiliate links, you can reel in sweet commissions.

But not all fishing affiliate programs are created equal when it comes to earning potential. You need to hook the big fish in order to maximize your income. 

One Quick Note

One thing I’ve learned as a fishing affiliate myself, is that you need to compliment your earnings with programs that are going to have high order values. 

I’ve owned, operated, and written for numerous fishing affiliate websites and one of the biggest pain points is how cheap items like lures, line, and other terminal tackle can be. 

You need to make you’re to have pricier offerings as well like fish finders, boating equipment, and high-end rods and reels. 

To help you land the best catch, here are 14 best fishing affiliate programs that offer juicy commission rates, long cookie durations, high average order values, and excellent conversion rates.

1. Enigma Fishing

Enigma Fishing sets itself apart by creating high-end fishing rods, reels, and products designed specifically for tournament anglers. As a company founded by fishermen for fishermen, they truly understand the needs of the fishing community.

• Commission Rate: 20% per sale
• Cookie Duration: 90 days

With a generous 20% commission rate, Enigma Fishing tops our list for potential affiliate income. They also offer the longest cookie duration at 90 days, allowing you to earn from repeat customer purchases. Expect a high average order value as their rods retail for $159-$499 each. And with a mission to support all anglers, Enigma Fishing fosters excellent conversion rates and customer loyalty.

2. Tackle Direct

As the world’s premier online fishing store, Tackle Direct provides unmatched selection with over 50,000 products from leading brands. From rods and reels to lures, tools and apparel, they live up to their name as the one-stop shop for all fishing essentials.

• Commission Rate: 6% per sale
• Cookie Duration: 30 days

While Tackle Direct offers a lower commission rate compared to Enigma Fishing, they make up for it with their extensive product range and high sales volume. 

Expect a solid average order value here as customers often purchase multiple items per order. And with such a vast selection, Tackle Direct draws hordes of passionate anglers that convert consistently.

I’ve been a member of the Tackle Direct affiliate program for years and I can say from experience that their pages convert and some of their items sell for a little higher than sites like Bass Pro or Amazon. 

3. Boat Setter

Boat Setter makes boating accessible and affordable to all fishing enthusiasts. As an online boat rental marketplace, they connect captains to customers seeking anything from a half-day fishing charter to a multiple day cruise. With no ownership required, Boat Setter unlocks water adventures.

• Commission Rate: $100 per rental booking
• Cookie Duration: 30 days

While Boat Setter pays per action instead of percentage commission, their program remains highly lucrative. Expect to earn $100 every time someone books a fishing charter from your link, which requires customers to lay down a deposit starting at $200 or more. So you stand to collect plenty of bonuses while exposing audiences to rewarding fishing experiences.

4. Academy Sports & Outdoors

This legacy sports retailer launched back in 1938 as a family business focused on providing outdoor gear at affordable prices. Now with over 250 store locations across 16 states, Academy Sports & Outdoors supplies fishing enthusiasts with rods, reels, tackle, electronics and apparel from all the top brands.

• Commission Rate: 2% per sale
• Cookie Duration: 30 days

Despite a lower 2% commission rate, Academy Sports & Outdoors offers a strong affiliate program backed by their widespread popularity and immense selection. 

Expect solid average order values here as customers shop for all their fishing needs in one place. Academy also sees excellent conversion rates thanks to competitive pricing and strong branding.

5. YETI

Known for premium drinkware and coolers practically indestructible enough to survive the apocalypse, YETI has become a status symbol among outdoor enthusiasts. For fishermen, their Hopper backpack coolers and Rambler bottles keep drinks cold for days on end while out on the water.

• Commission Rate: 4% per sale
• Cookie Duration: 30 days

While Yeti pays mid-range commissions, the brand power here is unmatched. Customers are willing to pay top dollar for YETI’s best-in-class craftsmanship and performance. Expect lofty average order values typically over $200. YETI also converts sales well by tapping into pride and lifestyle branding. Their products literally sell themselves.

6. Dick’s Sporting Goods

With over 850 store locations across America, Dick’s Sporting Goods ranks as one of the largest sports equipment retailers globally. Their website and brick-and-mortar stores offer endless aisles of fishing rods, reels, tackle, gear along with seasonal sales.

• Commission Rate: 3.2% per sale
• Cookie Duration: 3 days

Despite their short 3-day cookie window, Dick’s Sporting Goods remains a staple fishing affiliate program. They offer consistent commissions thanks to high-volume sales from their widespread customer base. Expect solid average order values as shoppers take advantage of regular sales and discounts on big name fishing brands.

7. Sportsman’s Guide

Serving outdoor enthusiasts since 1970, Sportsman’s Guide provides great prices on hunting, fishing, and camping gear. Customers love their $4.99 flat rate shipping and Rock Bottom Guarantee ensuring lowest prices. With everything from tackle boxes to fillet knives, Sportsman’s Guide is a one-stop shop for anglers.

• Commission Rate: 2-5% per sale
• Cookie Duration: 7 days

Sportsman’s Guide makes up for their short cookie window by offering both category and revenue share commissions. You can earn 2-3% on fishing items or 1-5% revenue share. Combined with low prices and budget gear, expect solid average order values here. Sportsman’s Guide also sees nice conversion thanks to superb shipping rates.

8. Lucky Tackle Box

Lucky Tackle Box takes the guesswork out of choosing fishing lures by delivering a monthly “tackle box” subscription filled with handpicked baits based on season, location and species. This allows anglers to conveniently build their tackle collection while discovering new go-to lures.

• Commission Rate: $6.50 per subscription sign-up
• Cookie Duration: Unknown

While Lucky Tackle Box only pays commissions for new subscription sign-ups, the earning potential remains high thanks to recurring monthly subscriptions. You can expect to pocket $6.50 for every new member you refer. Subscriptions start at just $15 per month, so conversions happen more easily. Lucky Tackle Box also retargets leads effectively to turn subscribers into lifelong customers.

9. West Marine

Founded in 1976 by a sailing enthusiast, West Marine equips boaters and anglers with premium gear to excel on the water. This marine retailer offers a huge selection of electronics, paddle sports essentials along with fishing rods, tackle, accessories and apparel. Their brick-and-mortar stores provide exceptional customer service.

• Commission Rate: Up to 10% per sale
• Cookie Duration: 3 days

Despite their short cookie duration, West Marine makes up for it with robust commission rates across certain categories. You can earn a 10% payout on clothing and paddle gear sales. 

Expect a nice average order value here as customers invest in performance products and big ticket marine electronics. West Marine also attracts serious water sport enthusiasts including long-time anglers willing to spend more.

10. Scheels

Family-owned since 1902, this Midwest sporting goods chain has captured local notoriety with large format stores packed with top name gear. 

Beyond fishing equipment, Scheels also stocks hunting, camping, sports gear along with experiential features like ferris wheels, aquariums, and shooting galleries.

• Commission Rate: Up to 7% per sale
• Cookie Duration: Unknown

Thanks to the uniqueness of their brick-and-mortars, Scheels wins big on providing interactive in-store experiences that translate to online sales too. 

This is a highly slept on affiliate program in my opinion and one that I have been a part of for years. If you promote ice fishing gear or any content associated with ice fishing, Scheels is a must have. 

Expect solid average order values thanks to large product selection. Combined with the novelty of an amusement park-like atmosphere, Scheels sees great conversion rates and customer loyalty especially midwesterners.

11. Rapala

The world leader in fishing lures since 1936, Rapala’s hand-tuned and field-tested lures capture trust worldwide for catching more fish. Originating in Finland, Rapala continues to manufacture top quality hard and soft lure designs backed by precision and attention to detail.

• Commission Rate: Up to 6% per sale
• Cookie Duration: 30 days

Thanks to popularity spanning eight decades, Rapala converts extremely well across their skilled angler customer base. Expect a lower average order value per transaction as Rapala specializes more narrowly in lures. However conversion rates tend to be higher thanks to exceptional product quality and brand notoriety in the fishing market.

12. Bass Pro Shops

This outdoor megastore anchors 58 massive retail locations across America along with an impressive ecommerce site covering all things hunting, fishing, marine and camping. Bass Pro Shops stocks every top name brand related to life in the outdoors from tracker boats to delete fishing shirts and everything in between.

• Commission Rate: 1-5% per sale
• Cookie Duration: 7 days

Given the superstore nature and endless selection, Bass Pro Shops makes for a versatile affiliate program with extensive reach across outdoor verticals. 

Expect bass solid average order values thanks to popularity with recreational anglers and volume discounting. While commission rates are lower compared to niche retailers, Bass Pro Shops wins on widespread appeal and accessibility.

This fishing affiliate program is a must have for any fishing website. They accept just about anyone and if a product isn’t available on another site, you can be sure Bass Pro will have it. 

13. Hook & Tackle

While fishing often requires specialty equipment and gear designed specifically for the sport, having proper apparel can make a big difference in comfort, performance, and protection while out on the water. 

Hook & Tackle offers innovative fishing shirts, hoodies, hats, buffs, gloves, and accessories tailored to withstand the elements encountered during fishing expeditions.

• Commission Rate: 8% per sale
• Cookie Duration: 30 days

The Hook & Tackle affiliate program pays a fair 8% commission on all sales referred through your link. 

While some niche retailers may offer higher rates, 8% remains decent for fishing apparel that caters to a passionate yet still relatively small audience. Expect average order values around $50-$75 based on their product mix of fishing shirts, hoodies, hats and gloves.

14. Deeper

Deeper brings cutting-edge technology to fishing through their innovative castable fish finders. Deeper’s sonar devices sync with your smartphone to deliver underwater scans for contour mapping, structure identification, bait tracking and fish targeting. This portable fish finding system enables anglers to optimize decisions for more efficient and productive fishing.

• Commission Rate: 7% per sale
• Cookie Duration: 30 days

The Deeper affiliate program offers a competitive 7% commission rate on all sales, which is decent for a niche electronics brand with unique high-tech appeal. 

Expect stellar average order values given Deeper fish finder prices ranging from $199 to $289 each. These commissions quickly add up given the earnings per sale.

Choosing the Best Fishing Affiliate Program

With this wide variety of excellent fishing affiliate programs available, it can get tricky deciding on the best options for your website. Here are the key factors we analyze when determining the top commission opportunities:

Commission Rate

The commission rate indicates what percentage of the sale price gets paid out to you per referral. 10% is typically considered strong while 5% average and under 3% lower tier. 

When comparing programs, favour the highest commission rates obviously. Just ensure your potential earning aligns reasonably with effort required. Promoting a 20% program yielding $2 per sale may not be worth large volumes of traffic.

Fishing in my opinion might be one of the lowest earning affiliate niches so you want to think carefully about the products you promote and how you put time into producing the content. 

For example, you may not want to pump out a 5,000 word article reviewing $5 spinnerbaits because you’ll have to sell thousands of them to actually make a decent commission. 

Instead, prioritize more expensive items and other outdoor programs like West Marine that can compensate for low product commissions. 

Cookie Duration

The cookie duration specifies the window of time you have to credit a visitor’s purchase to your affiliate link clicks. 30 days is standard while 90 days is ideal. 

Cookies lasting 1 week or less are very short. Shorter cookies mean needing to send more frequent clicks before someone buys. But longer cookies expand your earning potential from residual commissions.

Cookie duration isn’t as big of a deal when talking about impulse buys like fishing lures, rods, and reels. When it comes to boat motors, charters, and other expensive things – it may take the reader longer to decide. No matter what, it’s a great way to get your feet wet with beginner affiliate marketing. 

Average Order Value

The average order value or AOV calculates the typical amount spent per order on a site. Higher AOVs earning bigger commissions make certain programs more lucrative. 

For fishing, premium retailers like Yeti or niche manufacturers such as Enigma Fishing command higher price points and AOVs from $200+. While mass ecommerce stores see lower AOVs around $80 on smaller recreational purchases.

Site Conversion Rates

Conversion rate reflects how well a website turns visitors into customers placing orders. Higher conversions signal positive shopping experiences. 

Customer satisfaction, brand prestige along with competitive pricing all influence conversions. Top fishing affiliate programs convert between 2-4% thanks to hooks like free shipping, satisfied customer reviews and clear product information.

Final Thoughts

Reeling record sales and commissions with affiliate marketing awaits in the fishing industry. Huge passionate audiences provide endless traffic potential. 

While innovative manufacturers and beloved retailers outlined above offer profitable partnerships. Just be sure to select affiliate programs featuring attributes that accentuate earning potential and conversion success.

Cast your line with confidence after reviewing the commission rates within long cookie periods for big average order sizes these 14 best fishing affiliate programs have on the menu. Now get out there and start catching record affiliate payouts!

Not thrilled about fishing affiliate programs? Check out some high-ticket affiliate programs to really crank in those commissions!