Gold Coast Outfitters, LLC was born in September 2023 from a shared father and son passion for hunting, fishing, and anything outdoors. Growing up in the Amish country of Pennsylvania, Tony fell in love with the family traditions of hunting, fishing, and camping passed down by his father, grandfather, and uncles. His fondest childhood memories revolve around shared experiences told and retold over a campfire at camp, usually hunting stories where the antics grew with each retelling. Those same stories also invoke memories of walking along the banks of local rivers and ponds catching bass and perch using a white fiberglass Zebco rod and reel combo. Bait were nightcrawlers, caught during nighttime summer thunderstorms. His Amish neighbor had a bass pond that hit on almost every catch, simply amazing fishing! And talk about hunting stories…Scot was born during an opening weekend of archery season. Perhaps that is why Scot fell in love with the same traditions as his dad. In the end, the why does not matter, only those common passions they share.
In the late 1990’s, work took the family to the Rio Grande Valley and led them to the Lower Laguna Madre where Tony bought a Baymaster 2150 and would often let chores slip to pursue redfish and trout with Scot. Many of those fish were swimming in the morning only to slide onto the grill that evening as dinner.
Scot left for Texas A&M, returned with a degree and an intense desire to spend time on the water. When reminiscing, Scot will talk about his earliest fishing memories being the smell of freshwater fishing, catching fish beside Zook’s Flour Mill in Pennsylvania, the color of his dad’s orange tackle box, and his uncle telling him to keep his toes out of the water because of snapping turtles.
Scot bought his first boat, a 1988 16-foot Dargel Skooter that’s been quite the work in progress. Much like men who love classic cars, Scot loves his vintage Dargel and still fishes from it today.
One Christmas, Scot received a rod-building kit—and that single gift sparked an obsession. He quickly became captivated by the craft, driven to design rods that weren’t just visually striking, but also high-performing, comfortable, and built with cutting-edge materials. Teaming up with Tony, the two shared a vision: today’s anglers demand purpose-built, lightweight rods tailored for specific species and techniques. Recognizing an opportunity with their shared passion for fishing, the duo founded Gold Coast Outfitters, LLC, an American fishing rod manufacturing company dedicated to serious anglers.
Today, Gold Coast Outfitters crafts custom and semi-custom fishing rods built to fuel the fire of a deep passion for the outdoors, spark lasting memories, and carry on time-honored traditions.
The GCO Team
Scot and Tony McGallicher
Owners, Gold Coast Outfitters, LLC
