From firefighting to fishing, this NJ shop owner makes a living out of his passion

Growing up enjoying summers at his grandfather’s house in the Manahawkin section of Stafford, Old Bridge native Frank Giacolone III fell in love with the sport of fishing at an early age. 

And through Gabriel Tackle Co. — the Brick-based shop he and his son, Frank Giacolone IV, launched in 2017 — he hopes to pass that joy on to fellow anglers of all skill levels.

“I was very close with my grandfather, and though he didn’t fish himself, he bought me a little tackle box and a rod and reel and I loved it,” recalled Giacolone, 51, a Brick resident and licensed fishing captain who started freshwater fishing at age 7 and got into saltwater fishing in his late teens.

“When you’re out there fishing, it’s peaceful and quiet and you can forget about the stresses of life," Giacolone said. "Also, I love all of the scientific factors you need to understand to make a fishing trip successful, like the moon, tides, and wind direction.”

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In July 2017, after a distinguished 23-year career as a firefighter and fire marshal in Old Bridge, Giacolone sustained an injury that led to his retirement and he wanted his next professional move to involve something he enjoyed as much as his previous vocation.

“Besides my job as a firefighter, the only other thing I loved to do was fish,” said Giacolone, who decided to parlay his affinity for angling into a business.

“My original plan was to move to Florida and open a tackle shop,” he explained, “but I stumbled upon a local tackle shop in Brick that was struggling and I could see what needed to be done to make it successful.”

“I spoke with the owners, who were willing to walk away, and my son and I stepped in and opened our shop, Gabriel Tackle Co., in October 2017,” Giacolone said.

“Gabriel is my middle name as well as my dad’s, my grandfather’s, and my son’s,” Giacolone said of the shop’s name. “And my mother, who passed in 2018, always loved the name Gabriel, so I feel like the shop pays homage to her in many ways.”

'From beginners to experts'

In the 1,000-square-foot store, “we offer products that support everyone from beginners to experts, whether they’re fishing in-shore or offshore or crabbing at the bridge,” he said. “We’re an authorized dealer of all of the top brands of rods and reels and have a large selection of fishing accessories and crabbing supplies as well as a state-certified scale to weigh in fish. We also offer rod and reel repairs and a wide variety of lures as well as live bait, including killies for fluke and bass fishing, eels for striped bass fishing, and all types of frozen bait.

“Rods and reels are sold in combination or separately and can range from a $40 combo to a set-up for offshore or surf fishing that can cost $1,100 to $1,200,” Giacolone said. “We have something for everyone and will recommend the best product for their goals and budget.”

According to Giacolone, working with and developing long-term relationships with customers is something his shop is known for.

“A lot of our customers are novices and we take pride in getting them to areas where they can catch fish and helping them understand what time of year to fish for different species, what equipment and bait to use, etc.,” he said.

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“The fishing community is a tight-knit group and you develop a lot of friendships there,” he added. “We enjoy educating and guiding customers and helping them achieve an excellent outcome.”

That opportunity became accessible to even more customers in 2021, when Giacolone opened a second location in Lavallette after the chance to take over the space occupied by a generations-old tackle shop in Chadwick Beach presented itself.

Though he wasn’t initially sure whether he was ready to invest in a second shop only a few years after opening his first, “it was a great opportunity and one of my friends agreed to partner with me in Lavallette,” he said.

“The clientele there is a combination of die-hard fishermen and beginners/tourists on vacation and it's rewarding to help them,” he said. “We’re working to build that business back to what it was in its heyday over 50 years ago — a full-service tackle shop.”

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'They'll be treated well'

Regarding industry trends, Giacolone said tackle has gotten lighter, stronger and more durable every year. “There’s also been a lot of innovation in both reels and fishing line, which has resulted in less wear-and-tear on both fish and fishermen,” he said.

As for challenges, “regulations in the fishing industry have gotten increasingly restrictive, and owning a business that’s dependent on the weather can be tricky because fish become lethargic and less active in cold weather and/or cold water,” he said.

At the same time, “current supply chain shortages and shipping delays have made it difficult to get all of the products we need to serve our customers and recent price increases have also made it harder to sell products because people are watching their money now.”

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Among additional challenges, he said that online competitors can create fallout. Specifically, “customers who aren’t as knowledgeable about fishing can end up ordering the wrong size rod and reel online or else cheap products that won’t serve them well in the long run,” said Giacolone, who confirmed that the area is also rife with brick-and-mortar competitors.

“There are a lot of tackle shops at the Shore, but any shop’s success gets back to their customer service and reviews,” he said. “Customers know that when they come to us, they’ll be treated well.”

With five employees at their Brick location and three in Lavallette, Giacolone and his 26-year-old son have a hand in all aspects of the business in both locations, including preparation of the shop’s morning report, which features local conditions/weather, notable customer catches, and a rundown of the fish that have been active in each of the area’s waterways.

While the sport of fishing experienced a surge during the pandemic, the Giacolones are excited to resurrect certain practices that got curtailed over the past two years.

Among them, “we used to run seminars in the shop until COVID hit and we also used to do monthly product giveaways of rods, reels, lures and other equipment, but we had to cut those back because it was getting hard to get product,” Giacolone said. “However, we’ll be resuming our product giveaways soon and will be starting up our seminars again this fall.”

Looking ahead, “my goal is to stay in business for a long time,” said Giacolone, who plans to expand the shop’s online presence and eventually move to larger space.

“Fishing is an addiction and I love helping people experience the joy of fishing and forge bonds that will last forever,” Giacolone said. “My favorite part is seeing a father with a son or daughter who just caught their first fish. The excitement on their face and the memory I helped them create for a lifetime is priceless.”

Gabriel Tackle Co.

Locations: 561 Mantoloking Road, Brick, and 73 Pacific Way, Lavallette

Phone: 732-714-6609 (Brick) and 732-250-1026 (Lavallette)

Owners: Father and son team Frank Giacolone III and Frank Giacolone IV

Opened: 2017

Website: gabrieltackle.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Gabriel Tackle shop in Brick, Lavallette is for those who love fishing