Dan’s Bait & Tackle is a lure for tourists and locals alike

West of Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, far from bumper-to-bumper traffic south of Five Points, Dan’s Bait & Tackle is ready with bait and advice for local fishermen and anglers passing through.

In May, Dan Dennerlein and John Kiser of Lewes and John Wilkins of Milford opened their new bait shop on Route 1.

Dan’s has fresh bunker, shrimp, bloodworms and big, live minnows and at least 20 other offerings to snag flounder, croakers and bluefish. The store, just north of Milton, is open by 5 a.m. on weekends, 6 a.m. during the week.

In addition to bait, the store stocks fishing poles, lures, bobbers and perhaps most importantly – information.

Near the front door, a bulletin board posts high- and low-tide times, and it also lists the best places to catch fish in the Cape Region.

“We’re also a drop-off point for rod and reel repair. Before us, you had to drive all the way down the coast,” said Dennerlein. “Anything anybody wants to order can be found here too. We have extensive suppliers of things we don’t carry. That way, our low overhead allows us to offer decent prices,” he said.

Dennerlein and Kiser worked at Lewes’ R & R Sports Center for more than 15 years until the store closed in 2004, said Dennerlein.

“Me and John have been looking to open our own place since 2004. We wanted to open a neighborhood, local tackle store,” he said.

Dennerlein said he has more than 20 years of experience casting his lines in local waters. After working at R & R, he said he helped to set up Long Neck’s Rattle and Reel and Milford’s Cedar Creek Outdoorsman.

“Many people ask us, ‘What’s two guys who love to fish doing opening a tackle shop?’” said Dennerlein. “We’ve only been out twice this year,” he said, with a laugh.

“But we like to operate a local worm shop, tell stories and look our customers in the eye and call them by name,” he said.

After the busy summer fishing season, Dennerlein said owners plan on being open in the winter too, to supply area hunters with shotgun shells and deer scents.

Dan’s Bait & Tackle is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday; 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday; and 5 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday with extended summer hours.

The bait shop is located north of Milton on Route 1 near the Valero gas station. For more information, call, 302-684-3093.