The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

After 55 years Gerry's has closed: http://www.gerrysofwimbledon.co.uk/holding/

There's more about it here: http://www.wimbledonguardian.co.uk/news ... _56_years/ and here: http://www.anglersmail.co.uk/news/gerry ... time-61015

Never been there, never used them, but like Bennetts of Sheffield it is, as an Angler, a name that has always been there in the press since the year dot. I hope that any employees that lose their jobs are re-employed straight away and that no families suffer hardship.

Reedling wrote:Never been there, never used them, but like Bennetts of Sheffield it is, as an Angler, a name that has always been there in the press since the year dot. I hope that any employees that lose their jobs are re-employed straight away and that no families suffer hardship.

It looks like, from the press reports at least, that this is a planned managed exit rather than enforced as with Bennett's, the family are retiring and staff have been given a good time to find alternatives.

Here I was earlier today, on a visit to London, not far from Wimbledon and thinking "Maybe I'll nip down to Gerry's and see if there's anything interesting there". If you've got a good tackle shop near you, cherish it. When I get back to Sheffield next week I'll be straight down to Dawson's on Holme Lane.

Interesting that none of the possible fishing tackle dealers thought it viable to take the shop on at a market rent. Margins must be getting very low in the trade these days.

What a shame, another classic fishing institution disappears.

It is good that they didn't go bust, I hope the guys enjoy their retirement.
Very sad that according to Anglers mail that another tackle shop couldn't make it work for them.

Always sad to hear of another tackle shop going in the so called name of progress. But is there any difference between them and B O S being put out of business by the big Internet companies and the local tackle shops that they inturn put out of business with their mail order business? It's the trouble when tackle shops only get used for low cost items such as terminal tackle and bait and the big ticket items get ordered on line.

I think the case with Gerry's is not that they can't run the business at a profit but that the current owners, part of the original family, want to retire and they don't have family members who want to take over from them

Very sad times indeed, ive Been to the shop many times when I used to live back in Croydon, I'd just jump on a train for about 45 mins and I'd be there, always used to go on a Saturday as I could get there earlier on the train for same money

I dread to think how much I spent in there over the years, used to regularly fish the wandle that was near by in around Earlsfield,
What with eBay and other online tackle sites is it really any wander half the shops are closing, I've also worked myself in the tackle trade on 3 separate occasions in my early years and 2 of em I managed

I've now seen 12-15 fishing shops close the doors in my time all around the London catchment and sadly isn't getting any better,

My motto is : SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL TACKLE SHOP

Stuart

Thames Mudlarker wrote: I dread to think how much I spent in there over the years, used to regularly fish the wandle that was near by in around Earlsfield,
What with eBay and other online tackle sites is it really any wander half the shops are closing, I've also worked myself in the tackle trade on 3 separate occasions in my early years and 2 of em I managed

I've now seen 12-15 fishing shops close the doors in my time all around the London catchment and sadly isn't getting any better,

My motto is : SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL TACKLE SHOP

Stuart

Now there's a coincidence, only last Saturday I was walking down Garratt Lane in Earlsfield (getting very hipster posh round there these days) on my way to the Wimbledon Car Boot (not what it was, I think a lot of people go to the big one on Sunday at New Covent Garden now instead) and there's many a time I've noticed the Wandle on the map and wondered if it was fishable although I've never checked it out. Incidentally, at one time a couple of guys I knew round that way Simon and Steve (the latter now sadly no longer with us) who had a duo which promised 'Blues from the Wandle Delta'.

A search for tackle shops in London on Yell produces only 21 results (one of which is Gerry's), the Wilcox Road one near our London flat closed a year or two back.

Stathamender wrote:

Thames Mudlarker wrote: I dread to think how much I spent in there over the years, used to regularly fish the wandle that was near by in around Earlsfield,
What with eBay and other online tackle sites is it really any wander half the shops are closing, I've also worked myself in the tackle trade on 3 separate occasions in my early years and 2 of em I managed

I've now seen 12-15 fishing shops close the doors in my time all around the London catchment and sadly isn't getting any better,

My motto is : SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL TACKLE SHOP

Stuart

Now there's a coincidence, only last Saturday I was walking down Garratt Lane in Earlsfield (getting very hipster posh round there these days) on my way to the Wimbledon Car Boot (not what it was, I think a lot of people go to the big one on Sunday at New Covent Garden now instead) and there's many a time I've noticed the Wandle on the map and wondered if it was fishable although I've never checked it out. Incidentally, at one time a couple of guys I knew round that way Simon and Steve (the latter now sadly no longer with us) who had a duo which promised 'Blues from the Wandle Delta'.

A search for tackle shops in London on Yell produces only 21 results (one of which is Gerry's), the Wilcox Road one near our London flat closed a year or two back.

Small world ain't it mate, I was up around that way quite a bit in my teens and early 20's, a good few years back now,

The wandle has got some good fish in if your prepared to do a bit of homework as you'd have to find em, there's a fair few chub in there with yer normal stamp of roach and perch , however the dace in there are actually quite big

There's also a few barbel to be had aswell,

The wandle mouth actually goes out into the Thames at Wandsworth, it's out in the tidal Thames here that the the once vast dace shouls regularly congregate out on the shallow gravel beds at low tide to spawn ,
There are still some roach and dace shouls out there but it's hey day is now sadly long gone..

I've now fished here on and off for the best part of 25 years aswell as Putney, Hammersmith, leg of mutton and Barnes,

You'd need to stand and wade out a little in yer wellies or thi waders and trot stick floats down to the shouls,

This is where I properly mastered the art of stick float fishing and with me Abu 501's and 506's , here it was a case of having to use close face reels, a normall fixed spool was deemed to be useless, the Thames here was like a wind tunnel at times so the close face ruled here

If anyone can trot a stick here properly in the fast tidal waters of the Thames and also with the wind tunnel affect when out in the middle of the river a low water.....you'll literally be able to use a stick anywhere

Stuart