Remember the first tackle shops you visited?

[fineline]

Where was the first shop you first laid eyes on fishing tackle? Was it love at first sight? The first place I can remember getting excited about fishing tackle was a barber shop in Springfield back in the 50's. I was taken every so often to this barber shop on the main drag just across the street from the Paramount Market for hair cuts. There hanging on the shop walls for all to see while getting their hair cut were all the latests lures displayed on 8x11 cardstock with as many lures as you could get on them. If the shine didn't make you drool the shear number of them would. These weren't just any lures, these were the best of the best. Even though I stood only about 3 feet tall at that time (due to my youth), I knew the tackle in this shop was special. Being a kid with mostly empty pockets made these lures shine even more.The pictures of fish caught on this tackle was displayed as proof of their quality.
The second place that I can recall other than really small shops was Bimart, then the Wigwam sporting goods store, and GiJoes. I first recall going to GiJoes during the 60's when it was a lot like a war surplus store. They sure have grown. Along the growth lines Fisherman's is another growth story. The first time I walked into Fishermen's they were a tiny store with not much for the sport fisherman but what they did have was worth coming back for. Good buys on bulk hooks and the likes. Could be what fueled their growth.
Today we have an enormous amount of tackle and equipment just a short drive away or just a few keystrokes away.
What fond tackle store memories do you have?

[Silverback]

Mine was a store called Farm King in Canton IL. They had a big selection (still do)of hunting,fishing,trapping supplies along with all the stuff that farmers need. It was a big deal to go there with Dad or Mom if you had a little money in your pocket. The fishing stuff was all for bass & catfish and I still enjoy the memories of rumaging through the stuff trying to decide what to spend my money on.I don't know if it was love at first sight but pretty close!!

[Hare's Ear]

Wigwam in Tigard. I made my dad stop there everytime we went by.

[jet]

Wigwam in tigard as well. I bought my first pole there.

Jet~~~

[Mr. BrownTrout]

I think it might have been wigwam in the loyd center mall???? boy does that date me or what????

[BigWaterBigFish]

would have to be the Mercantile and Bob Wards Sporting Goods located in Missoula Montana ... wooden floors, glass cases low enough for a small boy to peer inside, rows of rods and guns, a stove with coffee on and a stack of white "barber shop" mugs for anyone who wanted to stay a spell and talk, a friendly old man behind the counter who would sometime walk with you to the front door and slip a Mepps or Panther Martin spinner in your shirt pocket with a wink and a smile ... ain't many like that any more.

Wigwam's in St.John's

[troybuz]

Growing up in Springfield, Eugene, I frequented "Bill Hunt's" Fly Shop off Harlow Road.
Bill was a great fisherman of the McKenzie River, and one heck of a nice guy.
Bill passed many years ago, but I still regularly think of him. I wish I knew a fraction of what he knew about catching fish.

[kjfernie]

Wigwam in Beaverton. It was the store just the otherside of Hwy 217.

[Small Fry]

I have to say the same as kjfernie Wigwam in Beaverton. I used to ride my bike clear accross town at least once a week during the summer. My folk would have thumped me if they knew.

[fishingfirst]

Taylor's sporting goods in Coquille.

Small town, small town shop, big time memories!

They just don't make them like that anymore.

Scott

[Get Bit]

Wigwam - Hillsboro I still have fond memories of that place. Wish it was still there. The westside has been crying for a quality sporting goods store since.

Get Bit

[hawgcatcher]

My first fishing tackle store was Jones drug store near the bridge in Oregon City. Then came another one down main street that was called the Outdoor store. They had a lot for a young kid to look at and drool over.

I first bought spinner blades, beads, hooks and wire from a jewelry store in downtown Portland around 4th Av. They taught me to make my own spinners, as that was the only thing you could catch Salmon on (No Steelhead as they were trash fish in those days). Salmon quit biting in fresh water as their throats swelled shut (wonder where those tales came from).

As I grew older, it was Foster's Sporting Goods at 82nd and Foster. Then Larry's in the Oregon City shopping center and of course the Wigwam with Bob Toman.

Lots of places over the years. Now they seem to have so much more then ever.

[3riversBob]

Stewarts Sporting Goods in Coos Bay. Keith Stewart used to have fishing program on local TV down there. I caught my first big striper the day between his filming for the show. I wanted sooooooo bad to be on TV catching a fish. Maybe another day. btw.....this was in the early 60's.

Bob

[k9jeff]

Wigwam in tigard. I still have (and fish with once in a while) a Quick 330 spinning reel I bought there when I was a kid. I couldnt save enough money for the green cardinal I really wanted. I would ride my bike down there and hang out for hours. .60 cent steelies.

[freespool]

Harless Outdoor in North Bend, it was close enough to ride my bike. Stewards in Coos Bay, but I needed a ride from mom or dad to go there. Who had that fishing show with the nice Cris Craft? I think it was the Luckey Me Show?

salmon hugger

[Lipripper]

McNoughton's ( I think that the name and spelling) on State St. in Salem. Wooden floors,tackle floor to ceiling and as far back as the eye could see. That's where I got my first rod and reel.

[puffins crew]

Ollie Damon's on Hawthorne. I thought I was in heaven.

I used to pick worms for the guy who supplied all the stores in the area with the blue and white pint container with a dozen worms, the picture of a kid sitting on the bank, straw hat on chewing a piece of grass, his stick pole and bobber in the water.

Any one ever catch fish with those worms??

Good times,

Peace, Tom

[yankemnbankem]

My first sporting goods shop was here in Battle Ground. It was Rod N Gun. I miss that store

[Salmonator]

My first that I can recall is Jareds Outdoor n' more in Albany around 1977 when we first transplanted from Southern Cal. First memorable purchase was a quick 110n and a 5' eagle claw featherlite pole. Such a fun trout combo..

[wannacatchem]

Bobs Sporting goods on the corner of Franklin and Hwy 97 in Bend. Its a used car place now. Ken Cales Hardware was on the corner of Greenwood and 97. The we got Jareds when I was about 14 or so. Seemed like it was as big as the Loyd Center. Bobs was an old wood florred building. Smelled like outboard motor smoke, tobacco and old men. Had trophys all over the walls and was a cool place for a little kid

[dogfishboy]

The first memory I have of bait and tackle shops are of Lysters and the old Barview Store. That was in the late '60s. Today, Sherry does a great job at Lysters and Marilyn and Rick, the new(ish) owners at the Barview Store, have really expaned their tackle offerings and added an eating area. When I got serious about steelheading in the late '70s, it was the old Guide Shop and Pat who helped me tremendously.

I enjoy many aspects of Ifish... everything from the stories; to the ; to the ing, and the f'ships, but most of all the great memories it always brings back.

[scoutfish]

There was more than one of as riding across Beaverton to Wigwom. I came from Garden Home once a week all one summer. Hey been running somewhere for tackle ever since then too.
Yep Love at first fin

[skookummark]

My first "tackle shop" memories go back to the kmart stores in AZ. When I moved here 15 years ago I thought I found heaven in Larry's! Bought my first steelhead set-up there and I still use the reel today (broke the rod fishing for coho a few years back)!

[dogwood]

The Fishin Hole in Oregon City. My dad bought me my first pole when the owner used to sell from his garage. I was 5 then. Later he set up shop "The Fishin Hole. Larrys Sporting Goods was also a popular place back then. I spen alot of allowances - (and paychecks) at these two places- some things never change. CW

[chummer]

The original (In Gresham) Larry's sporting goods in the middle of the gresham mall before it moved to the west end of the mall. That place was packed with cool stuff. When you're 12 year old kid all that stuff was cool. Another was the Original G.I.Joe's in north portland with the bomb shells to mark the parking. Not much in the way of fishing as I recall but a load of cool stuff for a 12 year old kid to dig thru.

[myxxolydyan]

Lysters 1979 or so, I think. We bought sand shrimp there and then went out on the jetty and caught SEA BASS! Remeber when you could catch sea bass at BarView? I musta been 8 years old. I thought those sand shrimp were the funniest little things I'd ever laid eyes on.

Thanks Dick, for that memory,

myxx

[DAB]

Larry's in Gresham.
Larry ( Personly ) used to give me some real good deals and once in a while something free.
DAB

[reeldick]

I grew up in Minnesota. The first tackle shop I saw, I saw many times, all in the dark of O'dark thirty during the winter. My dad would wake us up at 3:00 a.m. and we would hit the tackle shop in Elk River, MN by 4:30 a.m to get our three dozen minnows in a bucket so we could go ice fishing for crappies.
The shop was a wonder to us kids. It had every conceivable rod, reel, lure, live bait, ice spuds, ice jig rods, ect,etc.
My dream was to own one of those tackle shops. Heaven.

[Fish Wheels]

Larry's in OC, Wigwam on 99E, Black Bird in Medford.

[Knot in leader]

Mine was Norm's tackle shop in Winston. This was probably in the early 70's. I would ride my bike up there after mowing some lawns for money and spend my 2 dollars and get a whole bag of stuff.

[drillman]

harrys bait and tackle newport hooks and shrimp
ben franklin newport first pole was in about 1968 or 69 from there. boy does that bring back memories. huge flounder an harring jigs. all the sun perch and when you cought them all the babys would squirt out.
harry was the one who know how to catch fish in the bay . I was only 8 or 9 at the time

[joliver]

Zatabergs Grocery, had a small back room where they sold everything a child could imagine. I then made it up the big store Wigwam in Tigard. Spent alot of lawn money in there.

[fishinpoor]

a little tackle shop in hebo,across from nestucca valley sporting goods,my dad and grandpa started taking me steelhead fishing on the 'ol nestuc.when i was about 4 yrs old,that has been 34 years ago,i remember the smell of rubber hip boots and seeing all those 'lil corkies in the round plastic tubs.wow this brings back memories,that was alot of steelhead ago...............

[C-lice]

Mark's Hardware off Harvard Avenue in Roseburg. Ol' Cliff used to sell the Stee-Lees (all we used as kids) stapled to the cardboard cards by the dozen. I'm only 33, but I remember when Stee-Lees were $3.50 a dozen. :shocked:

Top off the Mitchell 300 with some Royal Bonnyl line, get a couple packs of snap swivels and a card of Stee-Lees, and fish all weekend for $5.00 or so.

Those were the days.

[reelbigfish72]

The one next door to Hebo Inn. One of my first memories of it was the snag with a ton of gear hanging on it that they had displayed (I think it's the same snag in Marty's store now?).

[SPRINGERMAN]

The Hillsboro wigwam and a very neat old hardware store in Brownsville where my Grand parents lived....Still have some gear from wigwam store....what memories

[7066]

Oh the Wigwam on 102nd and Sandy in NE Portland. That place was the best. Could not get there enough. Every trip was like a walk through fantasy island.

[Rangerbuddy]

My favorite was the "Fishing Hole" in Oregon City. I used to ride my bike down every Saturday and spend my allowance. I remember buying my first Zebco reel from Rodger. I felt like a real "man" as I did not have to ask my Dad. My Dad did have to buy the pole to go with the reel...but that is another story.

Larry's in OC was also the other big stomp.

RB

[Bait O' Eggs]

I sure miss Kimmels, :depressed: :depressed: Wish Rock was still around to whip up a tale or two also.

I spent a lot of money in that store over the years.

[bobber_boy]

Baxter's in eugene. he could fix any reel, had a great selection of tackle, and was a great guy to talk to. He closed a few years ago.

[CARTMAN]

Ahhhhh, remembering my fisrt , oh trip to a bait shop that is . It was Dave's Bait and tacle shop in the small town of Derby N.Y. just south of Buffalo along beautiful Lake Erie. It was love at first sight. Mostly because Dave's daughter was there. It wasn't untill I was a little older that I undertood the magic of that place. I have been hooked on fishing, no pun intended, ever since. Many happy memories of that place.

Cartman

[bllelk]

In the summertime in the 50's Mickey Conroy and I used to fish almost everyday. We would get on our bikes & ride down to the 79th St Causeway, Miami Fla. (Biscayne Bay). We would stop by the tackle shop about 5 Am, and steal some shrimp from the outdoor bait tank, then down the alley to a coffee shop and steal some donuts and milk left on the back step by the delivery man. We'd crawl out on the pipes under the bridge and sit on the pilings and fish most of the day. Don't remember the name of the shop but it's where I bought my first spinning reel, a red Quick 100.

NOT!!!

[floatin' fool]

I grew up in Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula. Then and now, the best place to get fishing tackle is Swains. It seemed like the folks always had a boat and we would fish the Straits out of PA, Freshwater Bay, Pillar Point and Sekiu and local lakes (Lake Crescent, Lake Mills, Lake Ozette). My dad wasn't much into river fishing, but that's my thing now.

[roguesteelheader]

The Big Y sporting goods in Medford when I was 7 or 8 my brother and I both got Ocean city trolling level winds and rods to go up tp Diamond Lake. I can still remember playing in the boat pulled up on shore and looking at all the huge spawners around the boat dock. Pete :smile:

[blacktail]

The Fishin' Hole in OC
Larry's in OC
Jared's Outdoor Store in OC and Oak Grove


Mike

[BuKuBass]

Bob's in the 70s was managed by Bill Tyson who used to own "The Powder Keg" shop in Redmond. In the fall of 1973 about the time that Oregon was starting to get "californicated", I noticed a car with CA plates parked in front of Bob's. Once inside, I loudly asked Bill for a non-resident license.
"But Roger, you've lived here all your life. Why do you want one?"
"I'm gonna bag myself a californian this year!"

I was young and stupid then.

[fineline]

Your description of the old shop with wooden floors reminds me of perhaps the same shop but one I thought was in Corvallis across the street from Baxter’s. I had an interesting talk with the shop owner who was a long time Isaac Walton member about sport fishing organizations and the need for a more unified voice. He felt we would have more of an impact if we had less separate organizations and we were more united. Something that caught my attention was the mice he sold as fishing lures. These were mice clones with a hook that he said would catch steelhead. Now I thought this was strange at first but I had heard Lucky Jim Conway tell me about catching lots of steelhead on hot shot plugs painted to look like a frog. I figured if they would take a frog why not a mouse?

Wooden floors, tackle floor to ceiling and as far back as the eye could see.

[Point-of-Sale Clerk]

Disco sporting goods, Coos Bay
(owned by my aunt and uncle :grin: )

[winkie]

In the 50's Foster Sporting Goods, Portland, Or. The Wigwam, Canyon Rd. Beaverton, Or. I recall the first time I saw 15# Mono, Scott's pink I beleive, it looked like the stuff we use on our weed eaters.

[rebell]

I sure miss Kimmels, :depressed: :depressed: Wish Rock was still around to whip up a tale or two also.

I spent a lot of money in that store over the years.

Kimmels was my first love. Growing up in Tillamook I would save my money so that I could go spend it there.

I miss Rocky also, he was a good friend for many years.

[Spoiled Daddy]

Well... It really wasn't a tackle shop, but my Grandfather had enough tackle that he could have opened his own shop. We used to sit at his work bench and he would open up the different boxes and he would let me go through his gear. That's when I got hooked, sometimes literally, on fishing.

Sitting in the garage listening to my Grandfather and his two neighbor buddies talk about fishing and the big ones that both got caught and got away is something that I hopefully will never forget.

SD

[TheCamel]

fineline:
I don't remember my first visit, but recently I took my 3 year old grandson to the local fishing shop in beautiful downtown Philomath. He wanted to touch everything that they had! I told my son later that we had an adventure that day and where we had been. He laughed and said "now I understand what he has been saying all evening"

I need to go to Fisherman's Corner

It obviously had made quite an impression on that young boy! He did not say what specifically it was that he needed at the tackle shop, but I am sure that was just the beginnings of a "fishing addiction".

[pearl]

The first one I can remember was WigWam in Tigard. Dad always took me in there right before trout season opened. I must have been about 7 years old.

Funny I can remember that but I can't remember where I put my car keys this morning :grin:

[FishinTechnician]

Foster's Sporting Goods in No. Portland. Wooden floors and tackle galore. Dick Olsen ran it and later Spike's in Longview. Foster's would have a Spring salmon derby and every fish you brought in you got to spin a big wheel and claim whatever prize came up. We won more stuff! Poles and reels, lures and Scotch fishing line in those days. When I finally got old enough I worked for Dick for a couple of years stocking shelves, cashiering and building steelhead rods and repairing whatever anybody brought in. Back in those days Grizzly/Maxwell made a one piece magnum glass blank that we would wrap. We sold hundreds of them in th early 60's. Sure miss the old place. That was a place where people could come in just to BS.

[Fishstix]

Larry's Sporting Goods on Gresham. Ahhh, those were the good ol' days.

[Trollin]

Ross's Sporting Goods in downtown Hillsboro. Saved up my berry picking money bought a Mitchell 300 spinning reel and a Wright Mcgill trout rod 1956. The beginning of a wonderful love affair. :smile: :smile:

[fishbait]

Have to think it was the Wigwam on Walnut in Hillsboro, but I do remember buying my first basseball glove at Ross's Sporting Goods on main St. Think it was around '61.

[Bonneville Dan]

Showing my age here, but anybody remember Spikes Sporting Goods in Longview? They had a live trout tank, which couldn't have hurt tackle sales. We'd stock up there for trips to the Kalama, Germany Creek, or our annual backpack trip to the lakes north of Spirit Lake. Good advice there, like Kimmels.

[Tilla]

I remember as a yound lad going into a baitshop early in the morning with my dad. It was on San Pablo Ave in Emeryville Ca. The small room stunk of stale tobacco, fish, coffee and booze. The one room shop was dark and full of people...let's just say with chacacter. The open wooden bins were full of all kinds of bait both dead and alive. Clams, Mussels, Mud Shrimp, Ghost Shrimp (Sand), Sardines Anchovies, Gobies and who knows what. The guy behind the counter would scoop up what you wanted with a big metallic scoop on to newspaper , weigh or count it , wrap it and tie it up with string. I just remember clinging to my dad with my eyes as wide as saucers! :shocked: