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Date: 8/3/2021
GRANBY – A longtime local business in Granby is helping foster a continued love, enjoyment and participation in fishing.
Granby Bait & Tackle Shop on 178 South St. is a family-owned outdoor fishing goods company that sells fishing rods, shad darts, worms, shiners, crayfish, eels, frozen bait sandworms and bloodworms. Owner Paul Delp said, “Fishing is an American pastime and it’s a good family thing to do. Everybody in my family fishes. I have three sons and a daughter and all three of my sons work for me full-time."
Delp said he began the business as a teenager, selling worms, and has continued to expand his offerings over the years. ”I did it so young, I started this at 14 years old. Now, I’m 58. I started doing this when I was in high school and on-the-job training through a course in school. I started picking worms and selling them to other shops,” he said. “One thing led to another and it expanded from worms to fish to crayfish. We pretty much carry everything in our retail store and we have a wholesale business also."
Delp said the shop remained open and did very well throughout the pandemic because there wasn’t much for people to participate in other than outdoor activities. He said the lack of activities led to a lot of people taking an interest in the sport of fishing. Delp said based on his understanding of state law, the shop was allowed to remain open as they were classified as essential.
He said this was due to a “good percentage” of fishermen that Delp sold bait to via retail or wholesale sales, eating fish they caught as a meal. “The competition for that time was limited. People weren't playing in the ball fields. They weren’t having games and movie theaters were closed, so being outdoors was the thing to do,” he said. “I think the path of outdoor sports like fishing, hiking and everything else were the ones that really benefited from it.”
Though the shop is still doing well, Delp said this year has slowed down compared to last year when there wasn’t anything to do. However, he’s continuing his dedication to serve the community of Granby.
The Granby Bait Shop is open from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. nearly every day of the year; it is only closed on Christmas day. Those with questions and needing more information should call the shop at 467-7322.