BY MIKE STEVENS
ENCINITAS – The angling community in North County San Diego gained an all-new tackle shop that’s about as ideally located as it gets. North County Bait and Tackle not only is a no-brainer to emerge as a premier shop for surf anglers, but it also fills an important gap between tackle shops in coastal San Diego.
Western Outdoor News stopped by for the shop’s soft-opening last Friday and spoke to Merrick Meyers who manages the day-to-day “front of the house” operations at the shop including making the calls on inventory. The shop is owned by his dad and step-mom, Marc Meyers and Morgana Taylor, who will handle the bulk of the behind-the-scenes management of the operation making this a true family-run shop.
While only about half stocked in time for the soft opening, Meyers told WON there was a ton more inventory on the way, most of which will be in house in time for the June 18 official grand opening. It was clear that North County Bait and Tackle will carry the right brands of both fresh and saltwater gear for west coast anglers, and unlike most coastal shops, it will be about a 50/50 mix of fresh and salt. Brands already on hand or on the way include Calstar, Tady, JRI, Yo-Zuri, Owner, Izorline, Nomad, Deps, MegaBass and Optimum just to scratch the surface. It’s also obvious the shop is taking a no-nonsense approach with no cheap “filler” products taking up space.
Live, frozen and even dehydrated baits are already on-hand for local surf and lagoon guys to grab-and-go. Having grown up in Encinitas, Merrick is well versed in that brand of shorepounding as well as fishing from sportboats and freshwater for largemouth bass. He told WON he plans to also offer completely-outfitted (gear, license, tackle and bait) surf fishing workshops in the future.
The shop fills a huge tackle-shop desert between Oceanside and Mission Bay, and it also stands as the first tackle shop in Encinitas since Bob’s Bait and Tackle which closed in the late ‘90s.
North County Bait and Tackle is very conveniently located just west of I-5 off the Encinitas Blvd exit, tucked in the corner of the Lazy Acres center, just a stone’s throw from Moonlight Beach.
For more info, visit NorthCountyBT.com and follow instagram.com/northcountybaitandtackle
