McCORDSVILLE – Chris Proehl grew up fishing up and down Brandywine Creek in Greenfield.
He has fond memories of visiting the bait shop run by the late Charlie Schrieber near Riley Park.
“Charlie was a really good guy for a lot of people my age – because that was our generation – that was where we went to get worms and stuff like that. And if we didn’t have money to buy worms, Charlie would let us count nightcrawlers and stuff in his shop, and then he’d give us free ones.”
Proehl, who’s spent much of his career as an over-the-road truck driver, wanted to have something to keep him busy when he gets ready to settle down and not drive so much. As the avid fisherman mulled what that could be, he soon thought about bringing a bait and tackle shop back to Greenfield.
While his initial plan of starting one in the city didn’t work out, he’s not too far away in McCordsville. He and his wife, Kimberly, opened The Bobber Shop earlier this month at 6130 W. Broadway, where they offer a variety of bait, tackle and other angling accessories from suppliers across the state and country.
“We wanted our store to be a little different,” Proehl said. “Usually when you walk into a bait and tackle shop, it smells like dead fish and everything else, it’s got a horrible odor to it. We didn’t want that, and we wanted our store when you first come in to feel welcoming.”
A fish tank in the lobby is filled with goldfish but will soon hold bluegills and sunfish. Several trophy catches are mounted on the wall, including a 59-pound striped bass. A Christmas tree fashioned from fishing poles was on display ahead of the holiday.
Nearby are many of the fishing reels the business has for sale.
“Everything from budget stuff all the way up to $300 reels,” Proehl said. “We’ve got a little bit for everybody’s pocketbook. We wanted to be able to outfit the guys on a really tight budget, and we also want to be able to accommodate the guys that spend money on the stuff that they want.”
Proehl said he has an excellent supplier for nightcrawlers, adding he’ll also have crickets and bee moths.
Like the shop’s reels, its fishing poles also span a wide price range.
“We’ve got some nice stuff here for the kids to get started in, then we’ve also got stuff all the way up to the pro anglers as well,” Proehl said.
He plans to carry lightly used gear and accept trade-ins too.
Much of the shop is divided into areas of products ideal for different kinds of fish. One thing that’s always annoyed Proehl about the big box retail fishing world is that so much of it is geared toward bass.
“They really don’t have a lot of small stuff for the panfish fisherman,” he said. “I wanted everybody to have a section in here.”
The store offers material for those who like to make their own bait, often done with rice, oats and flavoring. The Proehls also own a business called Hawg Sauce, through which they make and bottle bait flavors like tangerine, Georgia peach and even cheesecake.
“Of course, since we’re called The Bobber Shop, we’ve got to have a great selection of bobbers,” Proehl continued, adding they’re on their way to stocking about 30 different kinds.
The shop carries a line of alarms that are triggered when a fish is on a line that can even be personalized with music.
“A lot of times you’re fishing late at night, you may doze off, and if you doze off, you miss fish,” Proehl said.
Anglers will be able to stock up on minnows from a tank able to hold about 80 pounds of the small fish. Behind the shop stands a vented bait house that will soon have two tanks about 10 feet long, as well as a cricket cage.
Proehl consulted with multiple pro fishermen specializing in a variety of species about what kinds of products they like and what kinds of gimmicks he should avoid.
“I think that’s what made us a little bit more unique than a lot of the stores – is the fact that I don’t claim to know everything about every type of fishing,” he said.
The Proehls had initially planned on opening their bait and tackle shop in the former Florida Cracker property in Greenfield, but it didn’t work out, prompting Chris to look for other opportunities.
“I just happened to be driving past this place when the landlord was putting the sign out there,” he said, adding he saw its potential. “So I stopped, talked to him, and here we are.”
The property, which formerly housed a barber shop and then a dog-grooming business, isn’t far from the Geist Reservoir.
“We’re only two and a half miles away from the boat ramp down at Olio Road, so that’s a real big benefit to us,” Proehl said.
The business eventually plans to offer deliveries to that boat ramp.
“Kind of like Grubhub for fishing worms,” Proehl said.
If anglers are out on the reservoir and run out of bait but don’t want to call it a day, instead of pulling their boat out of the water they can ring up The Bobber Shop to get loaded up with nightcrawlers or other supplies.
“Maybe they snagged a tree branch and lost a couple lures and they want something specific,” Proehl said. “If we got it, we can run it down there to them as well.”
Kimberly Proehl just caught her first fish a few months ago but grew up in Geist and has fond memories of a bait shop there and watching people fish on the reservoir.
“I always thought that was something cool – to own my own business someday – and he’s very passionate about this, and we own a transporting business as well, so why not?” she said. “Bring something back to the community that hasn’t been in the community for years.”
While The Bobber Shop doesn’t have concrete hours, Chris Proehl said they’ll likely range from around 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and depend on traffic. He anticipates being open more once spring hits and fishing season gets in full swing.
If a bass tournament at Geist Reservoir starts at 4 a.m., he’ll be at The Bobber Shop to accommodate that.
“Our hours are going to fluctuate a little bit depending on what’s going on down there,” he said.
