Bayside Bait and Tackle meets fishing, boating needs

Entering his first full season as co-owner of Bayside Bait and Tackle, Rick Jones said this year has to be better than last year.

“We bought the shop in June, and then it proceeded to rain every weekend,” he said. “It was horrible. Even the delivery guys said it was the worst weather they’d ever seen.”

While busy stocking shelves and pumping gas for a pontoon boat, Jones said he and business partner Cindy Rohrer purchased the old bait and tackle shop in Long Neck at Malone’s Bayside Marina after moving from Lancaster, Pa. He said it was their goal to open a food truck or small restaurant, but when the space became available they took a chance.

There still might be a restaurant in the future, but for now, Jones said, the two are focused on making Bayside Bait and Tackle the best it can be.

Jones may have grown up in the farm country of Pennsylvania, but he spent the summers of his youth fishing and crabbing Indian River. He said his grandparents were both Nanticoke Indians and he spent every summer in Riverdale, near Oak Orchard.

Like any good bait and tackle shop, Bayside Bait and Tackle features a wall of lures for all the different species of fish available in Rehoboth and Indian River bays. There are two freezers of frozen baits – squid, mullet, mackerel, herring, clams, bunker and chicken necks.

“We pretty much have anything a person would need for the fish in the bays,” Jones said. “We’re slowly adding to the surf-fishing needs.”

The shop has crab pots, fishing poles, nets, knives, sunglasses, drinks, snacks, sunscreen, bug repellent, boating supplies and 2019 navigational charts for the local waters. There is a boat launch, fueling dock and boat rentals. There’s also free coffee every morning, and with a screened-in-porch, it’s a great place to enjoy that coffee, said Jones.

In addition to all the bait, tackle and boating supplies, the shop features its homemade Bayside Bait and Tackle crab seasoning, crab mallets and T-shirts. There are few places around here with Long Neck souvenirs, Jones said.

Beginning Memorial Day, Bayside Bait and Tackle, 36086 Long Neck Road, will be open seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 8 a.m. to noon, Sunday. Jones said the hours on Sunday may go later if customers are coming in.

For more information on the shop, call 302-947-0234 or go to its website at www.baysidebaitandtacklede.com. The shop also has a Facebook page.