Local Shops, Local Knowledge

The lifeblood of fishing has always been the tackle shop. It’s where anglers buy gear, tackle, and baits, learn where the fish are biting, and swap tales with fellow fishermen. 

The oldest tackle shop in America is in New York City. Yup, New York City. The Capitol Fishing Tackle Company was founded in 1897 by Otto Neff, a knife maker and fishing enthusiast. Originally a cutlery shop located in the Murray Hill section of Manhattan, the store moved into a space under the famous Chelsea Hotel in 1964, where it thrived as a full-line fishing tackle retailer for 42 years before moving to its present location on 36th Street. Did Bob Dylan, a Chelsea Hotel resident and trout-fishing enthusiast, buy his gear at Capitol? It’s certainly possible. 

T.G. Tochterman and Sons, founded in 1916 by Thomas Tochterman, is the oldest family-owned tackle shop in the United States. Located in the Fell’s Point section of Baltimore, it began as a mom-and-pop candy shop that sold fishing hooks as a sideline. One hundred years later it’s operated by Thomas’s grandson Tony Tochterman with his wife, Dee, and now occupies five buildings along Eastern Avenue. 

While these two tackle shops have enjoyed great success and longevity, many smaller mom-and-pop stores, including some locally, are facing substantial business challenges. An aging customer base, online and big box store competition, seasonality, and a lackluster economy are impacting bottom lines.

The 1930s and postwar 1940s were the heydays of saltwater sportfishing. Advances in boat design from builders like Rybovich, development of powerful gamefish reels from Finn-Nor, and the design and construction of sturdy rods capable of handling tuna and marlin created an excitement for offshore fishing. The exploits of the authors Zane Grey and Ernest Hemingway also fueled interest in the sport. 

Locally, even the Long Island Rail Road took notice. From 1932 to the 1950s, the Fisherman’s Special carried anglers with rods in hand from Manhattan and surrounding areas to Montauk for a day of fishing. But as this generation of devoted anglers and voracious fishing-products consumers passes, a new generation has yet to take its place. Kids today, as every parent knows, are preoccupied with electronic devices of every size and shape and, sadly, less inclined to participate in outdoor sports like fishing, which don’t always offer immediate gratification. 

The proliferation of online and big box retailers like Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s also pinches profits at neighborhood tackle shops. Large buying power and the ability to offer promotional discounts makes them formidable and sometime unfair competitors. The situation will likely worsen if Bass Pro Shops follows through with its plans to purchase Cabela’s. 

Seasonality, the bugaboo of many tackle shops, strongly impacts tackle stores on the East End. The fishing season begins in April with the opening of the trout and striped bass seasons and typically ends when the striped bass leave local waters in late October to head back south. If the fall run of striped bass  is lackluster or fails to materialize like last year, store sales of rods, tackle, and bait suffer as a result. The blackfish season does extend into December but that fishery is less lucrative for shop owners because it’s only accessible by boat and, yes, mostly enjoyed by a minority of anglers who like to fish with their fingers frozen.

Tony Tochterman believes that exceptional customer service has been the key to his store’s success over a century of operation. Paulie Apostolides, owner of Paulie’s Tackle of Montauk on Edgemere Street since 2006, believes the same. His shop is known for its friendly atmosphere and accommodating tone. It’s not unusual for fishermen to congregate inside and outside with a cup of coffee in hand to discuss all things fishing. Starbucks has nothing on Paulie’s, except the free Wi-Fi. 

Ken Duke, managing editor at Fishing Tackle Retailer, a leading industry publication, says that independent tackle shops need to have specialty products that are not available at larger competitors and to address the unique needs of local anglers. At Paulie’s Tackle it’s custom-made wire-line rods designed specifically for fishing the waters around Montauk Point. The strategy at Tight Lines Tackle in Sag Harbor is to offer a deep selection of saltwater lures and flies, including those created by Glenn Mikkelson, a master fly-tyer, for those who ply surrounding flats and bays. 

Premium surfcasting equipment including CTS rods, ZeebaaS reels, and Salty’s lures is an edge for the Tackle Shop in Amagansett, located near ocean beaches. Locally hand-tied fluke rigs, jigs, and poppers as well as fresh live baits, some supplied by local sources, are key for Mrs. Sam’s Bait and Tackle in East Hampton.

The survival and indeed success of local tackle shops is critical to every fisherman’s full enjoyment of their sport. It’s hard to value local advice, but certainly it offsets any price savings found on the Internet. So, whenever possible, buy local. 

Action is heating up along with the water temperature. Ken Morse at Tight Lines reports striped bass catches of up to 14 pounds in Peconic Bay creeks. In Springs, Canyon Ross hooked his first striped bass of the season at Louse Point. No word if his dad caught one too. Sebastian Gorgone at Mrs. Sam’s Bait and Tackle reports that squid are appearing in Gardiner’s Bay and that small bass are splashing around Sammy’s Beach. The first wave of bluefish, long and skinny “runner” specimens, typically follow squid into the bay. An angler working the Gerard Drive shoreline caught a couple of these at dusk, according to Harvey Bennett at the Tackle Shop. 

Commercial fishermen have netted some porgies, but recreational anglers will have to wait until Sunday to catch one for dinner. Anglers continue to take schoolies around Montauk Pount and off ocean beaches. 

On the freshwater side, largemouth bass are falling for Daredevil lures at Big Fresh Pond in North Sea. Fort Pond continues to be great for walleye and bass.

Fluke regulations remain unchanged from last year, with a May 17 opening day, an 18-inch minimum size, and a five-fish-daily possession limit, according to an announcement made at a Marine Resources Advisory Committee meeting. In addition, bluefin tuna retention limits have been liberalized for recreational anglers.

Have a tale to tell or a catch to report? David Kuperschmid can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @ehstarfishing.