Rivers End Tackle

440 Boston Post Rd
Old Saybrook, CT 06475
phone: (860) 388-2283

Rivers End Tackle was founded in April 1986 by Pat Abate and Sherwood Lincoln with the idea that they were going to have the best inventory around and killer service to rival all. Knowing nothing about the retail business they took a huge risk but had the extensive fishing knowledge to back them up. They rented an 800 square store that was rumored to be two chicken coops put together and while it had no insulation and a wood stove for heat, what it lacked in comfort it made up for in character. The fixtures were scrounged from their basements and the town dump and the initial inventory was so sparse that they had to space the pegs a foot apart so it looked like the displays were full. They listened closely to what customers wanted and added items that they themselves would use. No junk, gimics or useless gadgets were tolerated and no tackle was sold that wouldn’t catch fish. Eventually they added services such as custom rods and rod repair, reel repair, fly tying and lessons, travel, seminars and classes. In 1995 Sherwood retired. In 2000, Striper Surf Day was started with a few surf rats gathering to hear a speaker and have some pizza warmed up on the wood stove. Today it draws 500 or more surfcasters from New England and the Mid Atlantic. The Saturday Seminars are standing room only. In 2002 Rivers End moved down the street to a 4000 square foot dream shop. They built a walk in cooler and freezer and added all new mechanicals. To their surprise the inventory from the 800 foot store just about filled up the 4000 foot building. Refrigerated bait tanks were added and a state of the art reel repair center was built for Van Staal reels. Throughout this growth the goal was to remain a tackle shop and avoid becoming too big or impersonal.