Whatever happened to bait shops?

[NCHillbilly]

Smoky Mountain bait and tackle between Nantahala and Bryson has a pretty good shop. Last time I was in they had a section of locally tied flies as well.

That is the main one I was thinking of. Great place. Good selection of local-use-specific lures and stuff you can't find anywhere else, the Polaroid wall, and the former state record musky hanging over the counter. Smells like minners when you walk in the door. My truck refuses to drive by that place without stopping.

 

[27metalman]

I know a guy that was in this business. I had this conversation 20 yrs ago with him. He said that the Georgia State Lottery killed it. Folks he used to see come in with kids would get some minnows, worms, or crickets and then he noticed them across the street at the gas station buying lottery tickets. Think about it... he's probably right. Now a lot has changed since then of course - higher fuel costs, expendable money now spent on cell phones and cell phone plans. Not as many public places to go fish as there used to be.

Good thread.

 

[specialk]

Two I used to go to, that are long gone. Used to hit Goree's Ice House on Buford Highway in Doraville.
And of course, Rock Inn, in Roswell. That was my go to place growing up. And, I was good friends with the final owner, Joel Honeycutt. Widening of the road took it.

i'd forgot all about the ice house!!!....use to buy minnows and head to lanier!!.....there was a floating locked dock/building where game wardens use to store small john boats.....it had a long narrow walkway that went from the bank to the building.....it came off a hill to the water so it was a good 4-5 feet off the water.....we would lower lanterns down and fish of that walkway....caught hundreds off it one summer, then they moved it!!

 

[sbroadwell]

i'd forgot all about the ice house!!!....use to buy minnows and head to lanier!!.....there was a floating locked dock/building where game wardens use to store small john boats.....it had a long narrow walkway that went from the bank to the building.....it came off a hill to the water so it was a good 4-5 feet off the water.....we would lower lanterns down and fish of that walkway....caught hundreds off it one summer, then they moved it!!

Remember when they had big ole trout in Lanier? Spent many nights with a Coleman lantern hanging off the side of my 14 foot Feathercraft, minnows in the water.

 

[specialk]

one night my dads best friend got hold of a fish/ski boat....no motor.....did have a trolling motor....took the battery out the truck to fish.....get launched and anchored out....i dropped a line down to the bottom and cranked up about 3 turns....instant bite!....nice 5lb lake trout....we were ready to load the boat with fish.......never got another bite all nite.......about an hour or so into the nite there were probably 10 boats in the area.....a big houseboat floats in and stops, a few minutes later it explodes!....a few other boats race over and it seemed like they were getting people off the hboat into the other boats....i was about 9-10 maybe.....i'll never forget that nite....back in the 70's.....

 

[Papa Bear]

Steve your right, I remember catching a many trout on Lanier while bass fishing with springs lizards back in the late 70's and early 80's. Caught several in the 3-4 lb. range by Mountain Park area. Use to go by Bobby's on Hwy 369 and get a couple dozen spring lizards. The lady working in there would ask us to catch them in the bait box cause she wouldn't touch them. Good times back then for sure!

 

[panfishvinnie]

I can remember a bait shop when I was a kid. The man that owned it lived in a apartment behind it. He had a sign on the door next to a doorbell that read"keep your shirt on, while I put my pants on!" He was open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Those days are long gone I guess!

 

[sbroadwell]

Those spring lizards were tough. I used to catch several fish on one. Been years since I've fished with them; don't think they are very available these days.

 

[TurkeyH90]

I can remember back in the 80s when the Sportcenter in Perry was like that. Now, you can't even buy bait anywhere around Perry.

 

[King.Of.Anglers.Jeremiah]

A lot of bait shops inside lake area gas stations now

 

[doomtrpr_z71]

The internet hurt their margins for sure, the tackle trap is one for sure that embraced the digital market place and it has paid off for them for sure. I still buy a lot of things from the sports center in Perry, but I'm sure not going to be buying much from the local bait shops unless it's actual bait, they just don't have the inventory. I certainly rather buy from academy than bass pro shops because they have better inventory. The three bait shops around lake blackshear do at least have a decent soft plastic selection but I wouldn't buy a rod or reel from them. Bait shops in the big bend of Florida tend to be good but they are a niche market that the internet hasn't moved in on as hard.

 

[basshappy]

The Dugout exists today. Kennesaw Bait Co. They closed their pay pond for yak sales demos after a couple fish kills. Huge selection of lures and tackle. Loads of livd bait - worms, crickets, minnows, shiners, crawfish and trout when in season.

 

[GTMODawg]

Ya'll can't talk about old bait shops and mention fried catfish without remembering the Rio Vista all you can eat catfish and chicken. I miss that place more than the bait shops!

Rio Vista...Honey Hush LOL. I would bet that any health conditions I may have can be traced, in part, to Rio Vista.

My grandfather and uncle had 2 old drunks that worked for them and pawpaw would take all of us to Rio Vista (the newer one at the time in Marietta) after a week of working on cars and driving them to the auction in Marietta. It was part of our salary....in fact it was all the salary I received LOL. The staff knew us well and of course the older guys would flirt like crazy with the waitresses. Almost every time we went in there after about 4 rounds of catfish the manager would come over and talk to pawpaw and each time offered to not charge him for the meal if we would leave! Pawpaw always responded that it was all you can eat and we were going to eat all we could LOL. Those guys put a serious hurting on those little catfish!

The one in Marietta was owned by the man who owned the Conley one with his wife. He opened it after they divorced. It didn't last nearly as long and it was rumored that she had gotten the catfish farm in the divorce and he had trouble sourcing them. **** hath no fury like a woman scorned....

 

[GTMODawg]

Smoky Mountain bait and tackle between Nantahala and Bryson has a pretty good shop. Last time I was in they had a section of locally tied flies as well.

Fly shops are the modern day, middle aged man equivalent of a record store back in the 70's when all the cool kids worked there and were almost too cool for customers LOL. I have seen this from the Smokies to the Cascades...every one I ever been in reminded me of the feeling of a Turtles Records and Tapes or a Peaches....the staff is just too cool for school. A proper bait shop might be ran by an old woman with a cigarette hanging from her bottom lip who cusses and drinks and the place may smell like dead minnows and chicken livers gone bad but at least she has the time for a paying customer....fly shops are more akin to a mid town dress boutique than a bait shop. In fact there is a typical specimen of the species located in Buckhead...and has been there for years.

 

[GTMODawg]

one night my dads best friend got hold of a fish/ski boat....no motor.....did have a trolling motor....took the battery out the truck to fish.....get launched and anchored out....i dropped a line down to the bottom and cranked up about 3 turns....instant bite!....nice 5lb lake trout....we were ready to load the boat with fish.......never got another bite all nite.......about an hour or so into the nite there were probably 10 boats in the area.....a big houseboat floats in and stops, a few minutes later it explodes!....a few other boats race over and it seemed like they were getting people off the hboat into the other boats....i was about 9-10 maybe.....i'll never forget that nite....back in the 70's.....

I was 25 years old before I realized it was possible to own a battery for the truck and another for the boat! Decadent I say! I aint had a pair of cutoffs ruined from toting a battery from the truck to the boat in years!

 

[NWS]

Oh man, RIO VISTA in Marietta on Hwy 41! As a little kid, I used to think they caught the catfish out of the creek that flowed right by it!!! Those were some GREAT TIMES!
Speaking of Bait Shops, we lived just off Cooper Lake Road & Lake Laurel. My little brother did Rod Repair for Mr. Beavers at “The Bait Shop” across S. Cobb Drive from Cooper Lake Rd. He was making custom rods at the time and also repairing rods for the store. Being a rambunctiousness “youngster “ he was always behind on the rod repairs for Mr. Beavers. Mr. Beavers always would call, saying he needs those rods fixed ASAP!!!! We bought a lot of crickets there for our Hooch Trout fishing ..

 

[NCHillbilly]

Those spring lizards were tough. I used to catch several fish on one. Been years since I've fished with them; don't think they are very available these days.

Most salamander species are protected now.

 

[GTMODawg]

Oh man, RIO VISTA in Marietta on Hwy 41! As a little kid, I used to think they caught the catfish out of the creek that flowed right by it!!! Those were some GREAT TIMES!
Speaking of Bait Shops, we lived just off Cooper Lake Road & Lake Laurel. My little brother did Rod Repair for Mr. Beavers at “The Bait Shop” across S. Cobb Drive from Cooper Lake Rd. He was making custom rods at the time and also repairing rods for the store. Being a rambunctiousness “youngster “ he was always behind on the rod repairs for Mr. Beavers. Mr. Beavers always would call, saying he needs those rods fixed ASAP!!!! We bought a lot of crickets there for our Hooch Trout fishing ..

I remember the Bait Shop. I spent some time in there from time to time. I think I even bought some stuff from them over the years LOL. I do remember thinking how wealthy a person would have to be to have a custom built rod!

 

[GTMODawg]

Most salamander species are protected now.

I haven't seen one in the wild in years but when I was a kid I ran into them on a regular basis....crawdads and helgramites too. There ain't nothing like a creek and a nine year old boy!

 

[NCHillbilly]

I haven't seen one in the wild in years but when I was a kid I ran into them on a regular basis....crawdads and helgramites too. There ain't nothing like a creek and a nine year old boy!

Plenty of them up here in the mountains. That's one of the things I enjoyed about having kids-introducing them to stuff like that and getting to do it again myself.