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Best Cape Cod Bait And Tackle Shops
By: Tonya Jean Kelsey
Visit Cape Cod bait and tackle shops for all your fishing needs, from worms to waders. Local bait shop owners are also friendly hosts who can steer you the right
If you plan on bait fishing, you’ll need to find what the local fish are like, and the best place to go is a bait shop. Don’t waste precious fishing time trying to catch your own, just pick up some eel, squid, or herring on the way.
Most Cape Cod bait shops also carry lures, lines, rods, reels, and mosquito repellent. Many carry boating necessities. Some have waders, hats, and rain gear. Cape Cod bait shops have helpful staff willing to help you make the right choice, whether heading out on a boat, surfcasting, bait fishing, or fly fishing. Even if you don’t really need anything, stop in at a bait shop on your way out for the latest tips, sage advice, or just a friendly hello from a true Cape Codder.
Upper Cape Cod Bait Shops
There are popular bait shops all over the Upper Cape region. Buzzards Bait in Bourne is conveniently located off Main Street on Miller Cove. Maco’s Bait & Tackle has two locations in the area with bait and tackle plus boat storage onsite.
Red Top Sporting Goods offers rod repairs, line spooling, and rigging services. Toward Sandwich, Canal Bait and Tackle feature lures selected for working the Cape Cod Canal. Or stop by Forestdale Bait and Tackle for bait and gear, plus fresh fish and lobster rolls at their very own fish market.
Down in Falmouth, Falmouth Bait & Tackle Co in Teaticket can fix you up for fly-fishing with complete lines. They also offer shellfishing gear, rentals, and line spooling services. Eastman’s Sport & Tackle has a huge selection of gear plus knives, outerwear, and all the accessories you never thought you’d need, and JC’s Offshore Tackle specializes in
Then, at the end of Falmouth Inner Harbor, West Marine is a full-service marine shop. They have boats and everything you could possibly need for your boat, kayaks, fishing tackle, clothing, and more.
Mid Cape Cod Bait Shops
Fish Snax Lures in West Barnstable is Cape Cod’s local manufacturer of high-quality soft baits, hooks, and lures in the Mid Cape area. Sports Port Bait and Tackle in Hyannis and Sports Port Too in Osterville are classic family-owned local bait shops with all the right tackle and great advice.
And West Marine also has a location in Hyannis with an assortment of tackle, boating equipment, clothing, accessories, and services the company is known for across the country. Further east, Riverview Bait and Tackle in South Yarmouth and Harwich Sports Bait and Tackle in Harwich Port stock just what you’ll need to fish for everything from bluegill to bluefin Tuna, as well as hunting gear, apparel, and accessories.
Lower and Outer Cape Cod Bait Shops
Moving on to the Lower and Outer Cape area, more local bait shops await to make sure you’ve got everything it takes to have a successful day on the water. In Chatham, Cape Fishermen’s Supply offers fishing supplies plus lobster traps, safety gear, mooring supplies, rainwear, and more, and the bait shop at Cape Cod Charters can hook you up with live bait too.
In Brewster, stop by Ace Hardware
Island Bait Shops
The bait shops on the Islands are also the best source of information on what’s biting, where they are, and what they’re hitting. On Martha’s Vineyard, Larry’s Tackle in Edgartown has tackle, bait, hunting supplies and the latest fishing reports, and Coops Bait and Tackle offers expert advice along with some of the best fishing gear you can buy.
West Marine has a site in Vineyard Haven, where you can get everything you need for fishing, boating, and paddling. On Nantucket, Bill Fisher Tackle is a local gem, owned by members of the fishing community who are keeping this Nantucket tradition alive.
While they sell bait and tackle, it’s the tips, service, and encouragement that keep visitors coming back year after year. Nantucket Tackle Center also offers great service. They have a wide selection of rods, reels, and lures, including well-known locally crafted Spofford’s Lures.