Staff writer
Rachael Naerebout is taking her love for fishing and turning it into a bait and tackle store to open sometime mid-April near Marion Reservoir.
The store will be on her property 2 miles north of the reservoir on 230th Rd. She hopes to offer a full range of hunting and fishing supplies.
“There used to be places around the county where you could get different types of bait and hunting supplies,” she said. “It’s getting harder and harder to find. Getting ahold of bait is tricky, and we have to go out of town oftentimes to get all we need. This way there’s one place people can go to get live bait and worms.”
Naerebout and her husband both love to fish and hope the store will be a destination for others who enjoy the pastime.
“I want it to be a store to supply the things people want,” she said. “I want and hope people to let me know what they want so we can stock it.”
She said that if anyone has anything special they want her to stock to contact her via Facebook.
“Once the store opens we will have a suggestion sheet at the checkout counter so people can write what items they’d like to see on the shelves.”
Her goal is to be at least partially open by mid-April and be fully operating by May, in time for summer camping and boating weather.
“We had been thinking about doing this for several years,” she said. “After we moved closer to the reservoir I thought why not?”
She said the shop being so close to their home would allow her to get things done around the house and still be open when people need items. She said her two sons and husband will also help with the store, but she will be the main one running it.
“My husband is an avid hunter, so I’m not sure how often he’ll be in the store,” she said. “It’ll be mostly me, but I’m pretty excited about it.”