A family-owned fishing supply store has opened near Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, offering freshwater and saltwater gear, bait, licenses and repair services.
North County Bait & Tackle recently opened in Moonlight Marketplace at 120 Encinitas Blvd., west of Interstate 5 and not far from the beach. The family-owned shop sells freshwater and saltwater fishing equipment, live and frozen bait, apparel and accessories.
Owners Morgana Taylor and Marc Meyers began discussing the business in November after determining that anglers had few nearby options between Oceanside and Mission Bay, according to a news release announcing the shop’s opening.
The husband-and-wife team developed a business plan and secured the Encinitas location within several months. The shop opened June 18.
“We saw a real need in the community,” Taylor said in the announcement. “There are so many passionate anglers throughout North County, but very few places nearby where people can stop in for quality gear, bait, local knowledge and genuine service. We wanted to create the kind of shop that serves everyone — whether you’re five or ninety-five, heading out for your first day on the beach or your hundredth offshore trip.”
Fishing has been a longtime family activity for Taylor and Meyers, whose vacations and weekends often involved outings to Catalina Island, local beaches and boats. All seven of their children are involved in the business, according to the company.
In addition to fishing rods, reels and tackle, the store carries live, frozen and specialty bait, including worms, ghost shrimp and anchovies. It also sells California fishing licenses and offers reel spooling and rod-and-reel repairs.
The store features some locally made products, including knives from Leucadia Blade Co. and apparel and stickers designed by artist Tim Gunther of Pato de Agua.
Taylor and Meyers said they plan to add rotating art displays related to Southern California fishing, along with youth camps, senior outings and educational programs.
“Our vision extends well beyond selling tackle,” Taylor said in the news release. “We want this to be a place where families make memories, kids discover a lifelong hobby, experienced anglers share what they know and local businesses support one another. Fishing has given our family so much over the years, and we’re excited to give something back to this community.”
North County Bait & Tackle is open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The shop can be followed on social media through Instagram.
This report was partially written using artificial intelligence, then updated, edited and fact-checked against source material by North Coast Current staff. View our AI policy on the About Us page, and read more in a column by our publisher.
