Our Story

Salty Outdoors was founded in 2017 but the story about how Salty came about goes back to
1954. In 1954 Al Redl started pouring lead to sell to local shops as well as packaged tackle, swivels,
split rings etc. Redl would buy terminal tackle in bulk from the still recovering post war Japan
and then have it packaged in Port Moody into small quantities under the brand “Butch Tackle”.
It’s not known how the character “Butch” came about but young Butch’s face would show up
on all the advertising and promotions Redl produced.

Al Redl eventually sold his business, Redl Industries Ltd., in1970 to Don McCallum and family.
McCallum had come from the hardware wholesale business and played a key roll in a dealer
owned organization in B.C. known as Link Hardware. Link had hardware store members all over
B.C. Eventually Link Hardware merged with Home Hardware as Home had no dealers in B.C. and
needed to complete a National Franchise touching all Coasts.

McCallum left Home Hardware and saw an opportunity in Redl Industries to take his distribution and purchasing knowledge and bring it to the fishing recreational fishing industry. Between McCallum and some other industry leaders of the time they founded the Sport Fishing Institute of B.C.

McCallum’s son, Brent, took over the business in 1992 and ran it with a great team of associates
until 2011 when they sold it to another company that wanted to grow their own presence in
Western Canada. In turn, the new buyers sold it in 2017 to yet another firm from North
Carolina. It was at this point that Brent McCallum decided it was time to move on. Soon after is
when Salty Outdoors was born!

With Brent’s in-depth knowledge of the market, the retailers and the public fishery he saw an
opportunity to fill in some voids he saw in the fishing business. He started with the DH reel, the
initials of his father with whom he worked side by side with from age 12. All the other single
action reels on the market either had to be taken apart to change them to left-handed fishing
or the fisher would have to buy a reel that only fished left-handed.

That meant the retailer had to spend time taking the reel apart to switch to left-handed or stock two models of the same reel, one for right-handed, one for left-handed. With the DH, the reel is changed from right to left -handed externally with ease, no taking the reel apart or doubling up on inventory for the dealer.

The other seemingly small innovation but very useful is adding a low profile hook keeper
on the tip section of down rigger rods so an angler could take apart his downrigger rod without
taking the flasher and lure off to store it. When the rod is taken down the two guides closest to
the ferrule line up so the tip top in protected by the end of the butt section. No more broken
tips when someone puts the rod in the storage locker!
Salty continues to add thoughtful, practical products for the angler as voids are recognized.

Salty is a family run business in B.C., based in the Fraser Valley. All our products are designed
locally and some are produced right here in the Valley.