Old time translates into good times

For decades, I have been telling readers that I am a staunch believer of the continued existence of tackle and bait shops.

Even though the big-box stores seem to rule the roost by carrying every fishing lure and every line of outdoor clothing, these stores don't always hire outdoors people and wind up paying them barely enough to put gas in their vehicles.

Twenty five years ago I went into a Kmart tackle department to purchase a lure, which was a major mistake.

I asked the kid at the register where to find a lure on the pegs called a Suick (jumbo muskie bait)? The quizzical look on his face told me I was barking up the wrong tree.

"Try looking in the automotive department - it should be there," he instructed.

This kid didn't have a clue as to what I asked for, what it was used for, and why I needed it.

That was the moment I made a personal commitment to support area dealers (even the mom-and-pop shops) because the people who owned and ran them knew the difference between a Buick and Suick.

I've been at this fishing game a very long time, and I've also known a lot of bait shop operators who have eked out a living selling bait, low-end rods and reels, and hot dogs and other assorted goods to customers who happen to return for information and fishing reports from the guy behind the minnow tanks.

You may have stopped in to buy a fishing license and some live bait, or maybe not. Perhaps you want to rent a boat and motor to explore some of the fishing holes your father showed you.

Whatever you wanted, John Hartl at the famous C.J. Smith Resort on Grass Lake Road (next to the Spring Lake Channel bridge) would supply it for a day on the Fox Chain.

Hartl and wife Melanie purchased this landmark from her dad 33-years ago, and the place has continued to be a mainstay for anglers and boaters alike.

What's really fascinating for me is that this place opened during this country's first great depression, 1929.

Chuck Smith eventually bought the shop and land from his father, Chaz. The Hartls have been dishing out minnows and night crawlers for close to 33-years.

Because the Smith property sits inches from the Spring Lake Channel, John Hartl has seen his share of big fish, including muskies, walleye, and smallmouth bass.

"I've had scores of regulars come back here and launch their boats or stake out a 'sit-down' spot just to take a crack at the good fishing that never fails to amaze me," Hartl noted.

The ever-increasing pictures on his shop walls can attest to what John sees and hears about every season.

And when the crappies are staging or the muskies are chasing suckers near the willow trees, John works tirelessly to keep his customers' minnow buckets filled to the top.

I go to C.J. Smith a lot because I can launch my boat there. It's located midway between the upper and lower lakes in the Chain. And it also gives me the opportunity to "chew the fat" with Hartl and play catch up. To contact the resort, call (847) 395-2753.

• Contact Mike Jackson at angler88@comcast.net, catch his radio show 7-9 a.m. Sundays on WGCO 1590-AM (live-streamed at www.1590WCGO.com) and get more content at www.mikejacksonoutdoors.com.