Staff Writer
Workspace: Rick Hale, Rick’s Bait, Tackle and Marine
It might seem that owning a business related to the sport one loves would be 100 percent fun and stress-free, 100 percent of the time.
Rick Hale, the owner of Rick’s Bait, Tackle and Marine in Jacksonville Beach, says it’s not, but it’s pretty close.
“Thirty percent of the time I’d consider it work,” said Hale. “The other 70 percent is pure fun for me.”
Hale has been in the business for 20 years in three different locations, the last four years in the rustic shop at 224 N. 20th St., keeping the same attitude and outlook he had when he started.
“I’m a blue-collar Beaches guy,” he said. “I love it down here.”
Hale said his shop fills a niche in the pier, surf and inshore fishing market, though he does offer some offshore wares.
Besides fishing equipment, the store also sells live bait bought locally, from fiddler crabs to finger mullets, and while the goods sometimes can come with a particular aroma, Hale prides himself on the clean atmosphere customers experience.
While the economy has been suffering, Hale’s business has been its best the past two years.
He attributes it to people not traveling as much and turning to pier and inshore fishing as an inexpensive pastime.
The bigger challenge for Hale isn’t the economy, but something far more grand.
“Mother Nature,” he said, smiling. “There is nothing we can do about her.”
From storms that scare off customers to weather patterns that might affect bait numbers, it’s one challenge he knows he’ll never be able to conquer.
“Last year, we couldn’t get shrimp; this year has been a great haul,” he said.
He also keeps an eye on legislation that affects fishing and has recently become more politically active to secure his trade. He was also a Jacksonville Beach City Council member close to 20 years ago.
Hale’s long been active within the angling community, serving as president of the Florida Pier Anglers Association and as a local representative of trade organizations.
He stills fishes many times a week, including participating in almost 30 tournaments the FPAA hosts each year, but spends more time July-September working at the shop, recharging and spending time with family.
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