NJ small business spotlight: Castaways Bait & Tackle Point Pleasant

[DarkSkies]

Hey people, I stopped in last week to see Joe Melillo and his wife Shelley, who are now running Castaways Bait and Tackle in Point Pleasant.

Right over the canal bridge, Rt 70 and Bridge Ave.
Phone:
723-899-1363
703 Bridge Ave
Pt Pleasant Boro, NJ 08742-4544
(732) 899-1363

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Website:
www.castawaysbaitandtackle.com (http://www.castawaysbaitandtackle.com)

I'll fill the rest in when I get a chance, with pics.

[DarkSkies]

Castaways Bait and Tackle


703 Bridge Ave
Pt Pleasant Boro, NJ 08742-4544
(732) 899-1363


www.castawaysbaitandtackle.com (http://www.castawaysbaitandtackle.com)

Map and directions:
http://www.castawaysbaitandtackle.com/map.htm

Hours:
Castaways Bait and Tackle is open seven days a week. Store hours are:
http://www.castawaysbaitandtackle.com/bullet2.gif Monday -Thursday: 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM
http://www.castawaysbaitandtackle.com/bullet2.gif Friday: 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM
http://www.castawaysbaitandtackle.com/bullet2.gif Saturday: 5:30 AM to 5:00 PM
http://www.castawaysbaitandtackle.com/bullet2.gif Sunday: 5:30 AM to 2:00 PM

[DarkSkies]

Background:

Owned & operated by Joe Melillo and his wife Shelley, since Memorial Day weekend of 2009. Joe has 3 children and 10 grandchildren.

Joe is an avid fisherman, having fished for about 50 years. He has also been involved with fisherman conservation groups. He was one of the original members of the JCAA, being it's first president for 3 years.

He has owned other tackle shops -
Rod Rack in Belmar, used to be at Main St and 16th Ave
Ramtown Sports Center in Howell

He got ready to settle into retirement, but got bored. His wife Shelley was sick of seeing him moping around the house and said: "You need a job!!!" :wow:

Thus, Castaways Bait and Tackle was born.

BTW he has been happily married to Shelley for 9 years. :clapping:




Details:
He has been doing well since he opened, since he really caters to the fisherman who travels far to get to the beaches, and Joe himself fishes almost every day. He knows what is happening, and what works.


What he stocks:

The same stuff you can get in any tackle shop, rods, many different reels, plugs, gear, nets, gaffs, terminal tackle, sinkers.

Business Edge:

"We are a year round shop..."
We are open all winter, we build some of the finest quality custom rods. We also do reel repairs and overhauls. We are a full service shop.

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"Where to, How to..."

Joe will take the time to show you exactly how to work the plug, or where to place your offering so the fish will see it. He will show you how to rig and fish teasers, and the other small things that get 10% of the fishermen 90% of the fish. His phone never stops ringing from people seeking advice from him. :clapping:

Joe's website is frequently running specials and promotions of stuff they are able to get good prices on and pass along to their customers.

Take a look at their site, or better yet stop by and say hi to Joe, Shelley, and their dog Blossom, a 2 year old Maltese. :HappyWave:

http://www.castawaysbaitandtackle.com/ (http://www.castawaysbaitandtackle.com/)

Ask Joe, cause "Joe knows!". ;)

[DarkSkies]

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The trophy wall. Joe has won quite a few tournaments and awards, the guy knows how to catch. :thumbsup:

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[DarkSkies]

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[DarkSkies]

Stop in and see Joe, Shelley, or their dog Blossom when ya's get a chance! :HappyWave:

[killie]

they were real close to the marina where I kept my boat. too bad I sold it.

[DarkSkies]

When I was in there, it was their 9 year anniversary. Joe said: "Yeah I'm taking her to McDonald's tonight for dinner! ;)"

I thought Shelley would haul off and smack the guy. :scared:

Surprisingly, Shelley said, "Yeah that's OK, as long as we're together, I don't care." :heart:

Great stuff!



Another story:
Shelley didn't know a lot about tackle when they first opened up. A guy came in asking for a crippled herring, so "naturally" :D Shelley went in the freezer to get one! :laugh: They still laugh about that to this day. :thumbsup:

[DarkSkies]

They make a great pair! Nice meetin ya's! :HappyWave:

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[stripermania]

I have been going there since they opened. They are good people. Nice report on them Darkskies. I like the fact that you profile small business. What makes you decide who to choose that particular month? How can small businesses apply?

[DarkSkies]

I have been going there since they opened. They are good people. Nice report on them Darkskies. I like the fact that you profile small business. What makes you decide who to choose that particular month? How can small businesses apply?


Stripermania, I originally started these profiles because the economy was in the toilet, and I saw with the internet and big box competition, some of the smaller tackle shops were being put out of business. :(

Anyone remember Stevens B&T in Long Branch? That place was there for ages, there's a pic floating around with Bruce Springsteen on a bicycle in front of there. Brian/aka Zim who ran it was a great guy, well-regarded in the surf community.

Then his rents tripled when a new owner bought the place, and he had to close. I think some fancy coffee place or boutique is there now. And it's like Stevens never existed, except for a few web pages and pics reminiscing about how things were. God I miss having them around.

Then there was Giglio's, one of the longest lasting B&T shops in the Monmouth county shore area. All the old-timers used to go in there and BS about the catches, and everything else. They closed, and many thought that was the end of it. They have now resurrected themseves, and are doing OK.

So my thing is to find the small businesses that are on the edge, or just getting started, and give them a free publicity bump.

I know there are some tackle shops out there that rob ya, but without these local guys, all we will have left is the Wal-Marts, Cabelas, and ***** superstores. :don't know why:

I don't know about you, but I don't want that to be my reality. I'll do everything I can to give these local shops that catch my eye, a boost. :thumbsup:

And how do they catch my eye? Sometimes I'm driving and catch a glimpse of one out of the corner of my eye, and say "hey I should profile this shop."

Other times I'll be BSing on the beach and someone mentions a new small shop that opened, and says some good things about it. I originally heard about Castaways from Mark B, a member of Asbury, as we met up on the beach one day after fishin and were comparing notes. Then some other friends mentioned it, and I decided to give them a visit.

So if anyone knows of any small shops (Key word: small) that you feel would benefit from a free profile, hit me up at this site's e-mail and I'll see what I can do. It doesn't have to be in NJ, I have done the profiles for NY as well. It really depends on whether I travel to that area if I'll profile them or not.

I'm also profiling some old-time fishermen in these threads below.
NJ
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=5236
NY
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=5237

If you have any info about people in your family or circle of friends that you feel would make a good story, feel free to contact me, and I'll see what I can do.

Once the old ways of doing things have eroded like the sands of time, the new businesses that take their place may be cleaner, crisper, and more business like, but they won't have the "salt" that the old shops had. :learn:
Remember this the next time you pass a small shop on your way to fish, and ask yourself if you can't spare a few dollars to spend in there to help the local guys. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon3.gif

As for Castaways, Joe Melillo's reputation speaks for itself. The guy has been fishin for over 50 years, and does his best to put his customers into fish. He doesn't just want to sell ya clams, he wants ya to catch!! :D :thumbsup:

[DarkSkies]

Ran into Joe a few weeks back. :HappyWave:

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[rip316]

Joe used to own Lightning Jacks Marina and boat sales. He sold me my boat two years ago. They were on Rte 70 in brick. Very nice people. Didn't know he opened the shop til recently. Will stop in and say hi in the spring.

[DarkSkies]

Joe is an old time fisherman, all around great guy, and part of a kind of people that seems in short supply in this day and age. He has people come into his shop and spend $5 on a small packet of terminal tackle, and will still spend as much time explaining something to them as the guys who drop $100.

He's a hardcore fisherman who fishes every day. Many skills developed over the years. If he ain't catchin fish, there ain't none to be caught. :(

He started many years ago fishin the Long Branch fishing pier with Finchaser and a few other diehard anglers. They were part of the old Stevens Surfsters fishing club, one of the top clubs on the NJ beaches at the time.

Take a look here at posts 15-25, some great history.
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=5151


You call him or go in his place, he won't give ya the hype that some other shops dish out. You'll get honest reports, and advice on what they're catchin them on. :thumbsup:

On top of that, he, Finchaser, and some other old salts were involved with the JCAA in getting the bunker netters away from inshore, which has resulted in 10 years of trophy Spring striped bass fishing right from our NJ beaches.
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=5151

[DarkSkies]

Just a FYI, Castaways winter hours 8-2 Tues-Sun.
Closed Mondays.
In April they'll be back to the regular schedule.

Joe is out fishin almost every day now, so if it's happening in Ocean County, Joe knows. :learn:
And if ya stop in there in the afternoon, ya just might get to see some of the old fishing farts throwing verbal jabs at each other. :laugh: :HappyWave:

Consignment tackle for sale -
Just talked to Joe today about his new consignment area that's really taking off. Guys bring in used tackle, reels, rods they want to sell, and Joe sells it for them for a low markup, making a few dollars on each piece.
Word got out about it, and now there are days when Joe gets 50 new items or more into his shop.

Most of these are being sold at half price, some real deals down there.
For example, lots of guys are sweet on the old Harnell rod for bridge fishin. Joe got almost a dozen of them for sale recently. So stop in and take a look.
His inventory changes from day to day, and he's selling it at around 50% off from new prices.

[DarkSkies]

Joe's doing great with the consignment business...I don't believe there's another shop in the area that has as varied an inventory of good deals that he has right now.....rods, reels, gear, and used plugs, something for everyone....

I think until Mar1, he's closed Tuesdays...

Was in there the other morning with Fin, the amount of ball busting and old stories they talked about was entertaining as hell....got to meet some of the guys I had always heard about but never met in the flesh...these guys made their bones before the internet...back when newspapers actually had 2 daily editions...


and Russ Wilson, Milt Rosko, John Geiser and Al Ristori, and some other writers were one source of "intel"... the other source, was to go out there, and actually catch something instead of reading about it on the internet.....

And these old timers meander into Joe's shop, every day, for the free coffee...stop by if you get a chance, ya never know who will be in there, and who will be made fun of next.....:thumbsup:

[DarkSkies]

Castaways B&T

Where all the old salts in Ocean County hang out....
Joe and the crew....:HappyWave:

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=15071&stc=1


Mike Commune, Joe Melillo, and old Salt friend

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=15072&stc=1

[DarkSkies]

all you have to do is walk in, buy something.... and they will tell you exactly where and when the fish have being caught,,,,and what's working....no BS...because they really do need your business.......





Gift Certificates.....
Please consider gift certificates as well.....
I was in Castaways B&T this morning, BSing with the old salts.....

a woman comes in, wants a rod and reel setup for someone in her family for Christmas.....
Joe Melillo, instead of selling her just any one that the person might not be happy with.....
Instead sold her some gift certificates....that way, the person can come in and Joe will outfit him with exactly what he needs, nothing more, nothing less......


Great ideas for Holiday Giving.....:thumbsup: :fishing:

















**********


And these old timers meander into Joe's shop, every day, for the free coffee...stop by if you get a chance, ya never know who will be in there, and who will be made fun of next.....:thumbsup:




Also, for those looking to get into some nicer fish.......
An unusual number of low to mid teen fish have been weighed in at Castaways in the last 48 hours.......

Go see Joe....buy something from him.....and ask him for advice.....that old Fart :kiss: :HappyWave: knows more than any 10 surf guys put together......
And as I saw today, tackle shops are a great source of real time info as the most senior guys from all clubs tend to congregate in the ones run by old Farts (salts) ;) These guys know where 95% of the big fish caught in NJ are actually caught,,,,either land based or boat based......


(Or maybe they just come in for the free coffee......:laugh: :thumbsup: :fishing:)

[jigfreak]

These guys know where 95% of the big fish caught in NJ are actually caught,,,,either land based or boat based......


(Or maybe they just come in for the free coffee......:laugh: :thumbsup: :fishing:)

Before everyone got their reports from internet and cell phones, tackle shops were the pulse of the fishing community. Guys sitting around at the old Giglio's. Or chewing the fat at Stevens in Long Branch. Didn't Mellillo use to have another tackle shop as well back in the day?

[finchaser]

yes we had the rod rack

[DarkSkies]

An unusual number of low to mid teen fish have been weighed in at Castaways in the last 48 hours.......

Go see Joe....buy something from him.....and ask him for advice.....that old Fart :kiss: :HappyWave: knows more than any 10 surf guys put together......
And as I saw today, tackle shops are a great source of real time info as the most senior guys from all clubs tend to congregate in the ones run by old Farts (salts) ;) These guys know where 95% of the big fish caught in NJ are actually caught,,,,either land based or boat based......


(Or maybe they just come in for the free coffee......:laugh: :thumbsup: :fishing:)


Just an update on this,,,,within the last 10 days, just about everyone on the "Who's Who List" of NJ top surfcasters, guys, club Presidents, VPs, and top surf guides has passed through the doors of Joe's shop.......and sat at the table where the old farts BS and drink coffee.....:laugh:
It's incredible to me the amount of fishing intel that is shared in that shop....there are no club boundaries, as rivalries that are publicized on the internet do not exist at that table..........these old farts seem to know about 90% of the larger bass that are caught in a 50 mile stretch of shoreline.....

But ya can't get that intel without going to the shop and talking to the old farts.....


How do you find that table?
Just go in there, ask them where the old farts table is.....:laugh:
And tell em that crazy DarkSkies sent ya.....(If they don't recognize my name, just tell em ya know the guy who fishes for 2 days at a time and smells like a dumpster.....guaranteed to get you some immediate laughs......) :cool:







**Also, Joe just got a limited supply of Daiwa SPs in the regular colors, for anyone who needs to pick one up.....:thumbsup:
These tackle shops that are still open really do need your business.....and if you can spare it, spending a couple extra dollars today could make a difference for them to open next year........:learn:

[ledhead36]

Just like it used to be in Giglios in the 70s and 80s

[hookset]

Lose another tackle shop and where are the old timers going to sit and BS? at the dunkin donuts? Sacrilegious!:scared: btw does anyone know if castaways is open in january or does he go on vacation.

[finchaser]

open everyday 6 to 12:30 except tuesday

[DarkSkies]

Ran into Finchaser and some of the other NJ surf greats yesterday...they hang there early every morning.....bust each others balls unmercilessly.....make fun of each others' ailments...and talk about the great fishing times we used to have.....

Extra bonus....there is a 'Wall of Fame" there....with some of NJ's surf greats...in their prime....with some very large surf fish they used to catch......
Even finchaser is up on that wall.....a few pics...back when he was younger...and actually handsome...instead of the grizzled ol grouchy basstid he has become today......:laugh: :kiss: :HappyWave:


Was good to hang out with you and the old timers at Castaways for a bit yesterday morning.....
Always a pleasure.....:thumbsup:
Thanks for selling me that reel.....I desperately needed it.....