This “Behind The Box” post was written by Ross Gordon, Founder of Mystery Tackle Box & Catch Co.

Hey there!

While we do our best to update our subscribers with some of the exciting new things we’re working on, sometimes there are things that slip through the cracks. “Behind The Box” is our way to keep you in the loop on what we’re working on and why.

Today’s update is focused on our Catch Co. branded products. We’ve received some amazing feedback on these products so far, but we’ve also been asked why we’ve been including these products in our boxes. I wanted to shed some light on this.

Creating a “fishable” box

We have always emphasized creating a unified experience with the products in our box where anglers can take the items we send and use them together to fish a certain technique. In the olden days we had to coordinate all those components with different brands, and it was far from perfect. Every brand has their own production timelines, capabilities, and inventory constraints. That resulted in subscribers getting mismatched items (different size jigs, unmatched trailers, wrong sized hooks, etc.). As we grew, this issue became a more frequent problem.

We realized that one of the best ways we could solve this issue was to start sourcing and designing our own products. This allows us to control the entire production process and make sure the products in your box are unified, fishable, and arrive on time. We believe this makes for a better experience and our boxes over the past year have been more fishable than ever before.

Using feedback to make great products

Our company is unlike any other company in the fishing industry because of the relationship we have with our subscribers. Throughout our history, we have always focused on getting as much customer feedback as possible from our subscribers, collecting more direct feedback than perhaps any other company in the fishing industry over the past 5 1/2 years. We are now using that feedback to create exciting products that are better aligned with our subscribers’ preferences. As a result, our subscribers have inspired almost every element of our products, from the product type to the bait design to packaging.

Partnering with the best

We’re not going at it alone. We are working with the best product designers and factories in the industry. Every product is tested and refined until we feel it is perfect, sometimes taking 6 months or more to get it right. For example, we spent over one month just testing the internal weights and hook sizes on The Hunch until it suspended perfectly.

We’re also working with some amazing independent lure designers to bring their products to market. Believe it or not, there are countless great ideas out there that never make it to shelves simply because the creator does not have the right means or connections. But, as part of our mission to introduce anglers to new and exciting products, we are working with these “underground” greats to bring their amazing ideas to life. We think you’ll be impressed.

Your favorites aren’t going anywhere

While we have been increasing the number of products we create, we’re also continuing to work with our brand partners and to search the world for new ones. In fact, we have entirely different teams developing our products and merchandising our boxes. Our merchandisers’ priorities are and always will be quality, variety and value, and they will never sacrifice on those dimensions to use one of our own products over a better option from our partners. Our partners aren’t going anywhere.

Listening, learning, and improving

We haven’t been perfect. For example, our Flash Bang had some quality issues when we released it. We took that feedback and worked with our factory to test and refine the product until we truly nailed it. We will continue gathering and reacting to your feedback as we look to improve individual products as well as the mix of our products in our boxes.

A great season ahead

We’re confident that no matter who makes the products, the baits we send you in the coming months will continue to impress. As we continue to look for ways to create amazing products and brands for you, we hope you will continue to (respectfully) share your feedback with us on the baits you receive.

We have a number of other fun surprises in store for you this summer that we can’t wait to tell you about. Stay tuned!

Tight Lines,

Ross Gordon,
MTB & Catch Co. Founder