"We survived the winter and we'll survive this too" - UK tackle shops vow to beat Covid-19

On March 23rd Boris Johnson declared that all non-essential shops in Britain had to close to the public – and these included hundreds of fishing tackle outlets spread right across the country.

But rather than getting downbeat, owners and staff at these stores are remaining optimistic, and are hopeful of a surge in customers once the sport returns to normal later in the year.

Nottingham’s Matchman Supplies is one such shop. Although they’ve been forced to shut, they’ve been able to keep things ticking over through online trade.

“Fingers crossed, we’ll get through it,” says sales assistant Bill Bywater.

“The final stock deliveries were done the day after the government’s announcement, so we’ve got quite a bit of tackle to sell online before we open our doors again.

“It’s strange here at the moment,” he adds.

“We’ve usually got three members of staff in the shop, but now we’re coming in one at a time to sort out online orders.”

Bill hopes this trickle of trade will be enough to pull them through these unprecedented times.

“I’m optimistic that we’ll get through it. The people I worry about are the small tackle shops that don’t sell online. These guys could really struggle,” he says.

Graham Duckworth owns just such a shop – J.T Rodgers Ltd, in Leeds. As a traditional, local tackle shop, Graham has no online sales presence.

“I was absolutely gutted when we were forced to close,” he says, from the safety of his garden.

“I didn’t take over the business to make loads of money, it was just to pay the
bills and to keep the local angling community’s tackle shop going, so when the news hit it really hurt – especially after one of the worst winters for fishing in
recent memory.

“In fact, things had just started to perk up and we’d had two good weeks of business before everything ground to a halt.” 

Currently, Graham is looking into what government grants he is eligible for, and despite the bleak short-term outlook, he has faith in the future of his shop.

“We survived the winter and we’ll survive this too,” he says.

“As much as the current situation hurts, we have enough customers to keep going, and once the ban has been lifted anglers will hopefully be out in numbers.

“Everybody needs to keep their chins up. We’ll get through this.”

Dan Brydon, owner of Norfolk’s Wensum Valley Angling, also thinks that angling will thrive once the fishing ban is lifted.

“I get the feeling that people won’t want to risk going abroad this year, which will mean more people spending their holidays fishing here in the UK,” he tells us. 

“Some may even be put off booking holidays in advance over the next couple of years  and that would give angling in this country a real boost.”

While Dan is able to sell odd bits and pieces on eBay, it won’t be enough to keep his shop going. But alongside some financial help from the government, he has come up with an ingenious idea that should help to keep his shop afloat.

“We’re selling corona vouchers,” Dan revealed.

“These give anglers up to 25 per cent free once they can return to the shop. For example, you can buy a £100 voucher, and we’ll give you £25 free on top. 

“My mate jokingly came up with the name, but we’ve already sold a few, so hopefully they’ll keep us going while also encouraging people to return to the shop once we’re all out and about again.”

Interested in buying some corona vouchers? Contact Dan Brydon on
01603 929090 or 07766 658948.