What Happened To The TactiBite Fish Call From Shark Tank Season 8?
The use of animal calls relies on an animal's ability to actually hear things, which is why there's one kind of animal you may not have thought to use a call on: fish. Rather than through ears like us, fish experience sound and vibrations through their bodies. In spite of that little biological hurdle, though, it is technically possible to create a lure specifically designed with fish in mind. Or at least, that was the goal of father and son entrepreneurs Jack and Jeff Danos when they presented their TactiBite Fish Call before the esteemed members of "Shark Tank."
Created by the Danoses in mid-2010 after a successful Kickstarter campaign, the TactiBite Fish Call is a special portable speaker armed with a tactile transducer. When dropped into the water, the speaker begins emitting a series of carefully-tuned sounds and vibrations. These soft vibrations are designed to perk up a fish's metaphorical ears and bring it closer in search of potential food. Fish are highly curious critters, after all, so even the mere implication of prey movements is enough to get their attention. The selling point is that, as the fish are lured closer to your fishing spot, they'll more readily chomp onto your line as they search for the prey vibrations that caught their attention.
What happened to TactiBite Fish Call on Shark Tank?
The Danoses brought the TactiBite before the Sharks in 2016, seeking a $150,000 investment in exchange for a 10% stake in the company. Thanks to some videos and fisherman testimonies attesting to the efficacy of the device, not to mention how cheap it was to manufacture versus the sell price, the Sharks were fairly interested right off the bat. In fact, the interest was so great that Mark Cuban backed out immediately so as not to get caught up in it.
Daymond John and Kevin O'Leary wanted to get on board, but rather than the proposed deal, they countered with $150,000 for a 20% stake, believing 10% isn't enough. Lori Greiner went for $150,000 for 15%, already considering an infomercial. Suddenly, Robert Herjavec chimed in, offering to take the Danoses' original offer, saying that he loved their story and that he viewed their initial valuation as being very fair, a rarity for the series. Lori promptly matched Robert's offer, saying she didn't like him lecturing them. Daymond held firm on his offer, stating that he goes fishing six times a month and has a better understanding of the product.
Lori reaffirmed her offer, requesting an immediate decision. In response, Jack Danos asked if she would be willing to partner up with Robert for the 10%, which she declined because she didn't think she needed him. Ultimately, the Danoses decided to go with Robert's offer.
TactiBite Fish Call After Shark Tank
Here's where things get a bit confusing. While Robert was prepared to make his investment into the company, the deal apparently never closed. Rumors have circulated that Robert retracted his offer, and the whole thing fell through. At the same time, this has not been substantiated by an official statement; it is worth noting that Robert's name is not listed anywhere on the TactiBite website.
The mere appearance of the TactiBite on "Shark Tank" did wonders for the brand's numbers throughout 2016, pulling in $2 million in revenue by Christmas of that year, as well as in 2017 after the episode had a rerun. Apparently, the demand for the product was so great that Danoses had difficulty keeping up and began soliciting further investments on the TactiBite website.
In the years since then, however, the hype seems to have dried up. The brand's Instagram and X, formerly Twitter, profiles have not had any new posts since 2017, and its Facebook page is roughly the same, barring a single reposted video in 2020. The product was originally available on Amazon, but sales have since ended there. TactiBite is supposed to have an exclusive deal with fitness gear distributor Clever Training, but at the time of writing, following the TactiBite website's Clever Training store link, produces an error. It seems that after a brief whirlwind success, the TactiBite Fish Call has quietly sunk beneath the waves of time.
What's next for TactiBite's founders?
As with TactiBite itself, it's somewhat unclear what's become of the father and son founders of the company, Jeff and Jack Danos. On the TactiBite website, Jeff Danos bills himself as a "serial entrepreneur." Presumably, this means that if he hasn't retired, he has moved on to some other manner of pursuit. That said, while we were able to track down a LinkedIn page for Jeff, it has not been updated or posted on, still having him listed as a "managing member" of TactiBite.
As for Jack Danos, he seems to be a bit busier. According to his LinkedIn page, Jack became chief executive officer of a Utah-based company called Coldslayer in June of 2022. While this brand does not seem to have an official website or social media presence, it does have a confirmed trademark filing, along with an image of what appears to be some kind of cold-resistant footwear.