If you open any of the fishing magazines, a mail order catalogue will fall out and you’ll find a good many pages devoted to mail order sales. As a tackle shop owner, I should be spitting feathers and crying foul.

But, I like looking at them too. And I have bought from them – before Harry’s of Bridlington was up and running, of course!

What we have to do as tackle shop owners is to learn from what they do well. They display stock logically and attractively. They describe the rods, reels and bits well, giving us a hint of the huge fish we might catch using them. They are open usually longer than we are – often 24/7 with internet shopping. Then there’s the prices, often but not always competitive. Plus, there’s no miserable, cumudgeonly so-and-so to deal with.

But what do we miss out on using mail order? In my opinion, a whole lot. Firstly, we know the fishing inside out in our local area. We can tell you what works, and make sure you catch fish rather than a cold.  You can tell us what you’d like to buy and we’ll move heaven and earth to source it for you. We’re happy to talk through what you need, recommending something that is best for you, not what’s on promotion this week. We’re here, delivering high quality fresh bait when you need it.

A friend who owns a huge restaurant chain made me laugh recently. He said there’s an old saying that a man who can’t smile shouldn’t open a shop. I agree totally. So you’ll find a genuine Yorkshire welcome here.

Next time you’re thinking of ordering over the phone, or online, give us a call or drop in. We might just shake up your expectations.