A bait shop isn’t always the same thing as a tackle shop; if you’re going to load up on gear, this isn’t the place for you. But Alafia Bait & Tackle always seems to have a wide and inexpensive array of live bait — including multiple sizes of shrimp, and pinfish and chubs if you’re too lazy to catch ’em yourself — and doesn’t set gougerific prices for the tackle you always realize you forgot, like extra hooks, leaders, or a replacement for that dehooker you dropped overboard when you saw the size of that black drum. You can even grab a new spinning rig for one of the kids without breaking the bank, and if you are willing to spend a little extra, the shop usually has some high-quality handcrafted castnets on hand. Plus, it’s less than a minute from the Alafia River and its boat launch and fishing dock at Williams Park. 9851 US Highway 41 S., Gibsonton, 813-677-2575. facebook.com/alafiabaitandtackle
This article appears in Sep 18-24, 2014.