Bait shop gets ready for trout season
By: Ryan J. Phelan
WALLINGFORD - Bait and tackle shops around Connecticut are getting prepped for a bustling opening day weekend of trout fishing on Saturday April 19, and Uncle B's in Wallingford is no different.
"It's usually the week before opening day until Friday, we'll have a steady amount of people coming in," said Brandon Szadaj, 20, who along with his father Charles, owns Uncle B's Bait and Tackle. "Friday it's like Christmas. People will come in to get their bait, their tackle, a new line, stuff like that."
Customers also come into the store for their freshwater fishing licenses, which will be required to fish the Connecticut rivers, ponds and streams. The licenses are $20 and can also be obtained at the town clerk's office.
Szadaj is no stranger to the heavy influx of business this time of year, and will be keeping the bait shop fully staffed and open around the clock, from 6 a.m. on Friday until 8 p.m. on Saturday to accommodate anglers of all ages and walks of life.
"We get new customers all the time," Szadaj said. "People who want to learn to fish. We also do a lot for kids. I teach cubscouts and boy scouts down here at night, teaching them how to tie knots or what lures to use. It's mainly for the kids, to keep them out of trouble and get them a little more interested in fishing."
"There are so many youngsters fishing, more than ever before," said Eric Gregory, 43, an avid angler and employee at the bait shop. "Gas prices are making people stay closer to home and as a result people are partaking in local sporting. There aren't as many kids going to Disney World. They're fishing."
According to Gregory, this looks to be an exciting year angling, based on last year's turnout and he hopes to see more youth coming through the door.
"We pass on our sporting interests to our kids, it's generational," Gregory said. "When parents bring their kids in for their first fishing rod, you see the children's faces get so illuminated. They light up. It's nice to see people taking their kids on outdoor activities because there's a huge lack of knowledge amongst youth about the outdoors."
Along the wall of Uncle B's is a collage of photos with local anglers posing triumphantly with fish. According to Szadaj, the customers take the pictures themselves and donate them to the store to post.
"A lot of them I fish with," said Szadaj, who has competed in professional fishing tournaments for the past five years. "Some of them are friends, some are guys that work here, but most are just customers."
The line between friend and customer can be thin however, as the bait shops are more than just the price tags on the shelves.
"A tackle shop is not just a business," Szadaj said. "People socialize in tackle shops. It's how you find out where the fish are. If you get ten people coming in saying that they're catching stripers in the Thames River - well ten people aren't going to come in and lie about it, so when people call in about where the fish are biting, we can tell them."
Uncle B's, located at 968 N. Colony St. in the Wallingford Plaza, will be promoting opening day with a raffle and their 6th annual trout challenge, where one tagged trout will be released into the Quinnipiac River, and if caught on opening day will be worth a free rod and reel combination at the shop.
By: Ryan J. Phelan
WALLINGFORD - Bait and tackle shops around Connecticut are getting prepped for a bustling opening day weekend of trout fishing on Saturday April 19, and Uncle B's in Wallingford is no different.
"It's usually the week before opening day until Friday, we'll have a steady amount of people coming in," said Brandon Szadaj, 20, who along with his father Charles, owns Uncle B's Bait and Tackle. "Friday it's like Christmas. People will come in to get their bait, their tackle, a new line, stuff like that."
Customers also come into the store for their freshwater fishing licenses, which will be required to fish the Connecticut rivers, ponds and streams. The licenses are $20 and can also be obtained at the town clerk's office.
Szadaj is no stranger to the heavy influx of business this time of year, and will be keeping the bait shop fully staffed and open around the clock, from 6 a.m. on Friday until 8 p.m. on Saturday to accommodate anglers of all ages and walks of life.
"We get new customers all the time," Szadaj said. "People who want to learn to fish. We also do a lot for kids. I teach cubscouts and boy scouts down here at night, teaching them how to tie knots or what lures to use. It's mainly for the kids, to keep them out of trouble and get them a little more interested in fishing."
"There are so many youngsters fishing, more than ever before," said Eric Gregory, 43, an avid angler and employee at the bait shop. "Gas prices are making people stay closer to home and as a result people are partaking in local sporting. There aren't as many kids going to Disney World. They're fishing."
According to Gregory, this looks to be an exciting year angling, based on last year's turnout and he hopes to see more youth coming through the door.
"We pass on our sporting interests to our kids, it's generational," Gregory said. "When parents bring their kids in for their first fishing rod, you see the children's faces get so illuminated. They light up. It's nice to see people taking their kids on outdoor activities because there's a huge lack of knowledge amongst youth about the outdoors."
Along the wall of Uncle B's is a collage of photos with local anglers posing triumphantly with fish. According to Szadaj, the customers take the pictures themselves and donate them to the store to post.
"A lot of them I fish with," said Szadaj, who has competed in professional fishing tournaments for the past five years. "Some of them are friends, some are guys that work here, but most are just customers."
The line between friend and customer can be thin however, as the bait shops are more than just the price tags on the shelves.
"A tackle shop is not just a business," Szadaj said. "People socialize in tackle shops. It's how you find out where the fish are. If you get ten people coming in saying that they're catching stripers in the Thames River - well ten people aren't going to come in and lie about it, so when people call in about where the fish are biting, we can tell them."
Uncle B's, located at 968 N. Colony St. in the Wallingford Plaza, will be promoting opening day with a raffle and their 6th annual trout challenge, where one tagged trout will be released into the Quinnipiac River, and if caught on opening day will be worth a free rod and reel combination at the shop.