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Fishing business picking up at Northwoods, just in time for Father’s Day

Sue Johnson/Daily Mining Gazette A great gift idea for the avid hunting sportsman might be a crossbow. Rick Freeman Sr., of Northwoods Trading Post in Hancock, holds a state-of-the-art Grizzly 2 Mann Crossbow which is made in Canada.

It is summertime in the Copper Country, which means warm weather, outdoors and fishing. Northwoods Trading Post in downtown Hancock has a huge stock of fishing and outdoor supplies to keep you on the water and enjoying nature just outside your door.

Rick Freeman Sr., former owner and still part-time employee, said he expects to have a very busy summer for business.

“It’s been very busy already. Last weekend was really good,” during the DNR Free Fishing Weekend, Freeman said.

A large draw for local fishermen is Northwoods’ live bait selection.

“We carry live bait, like minnows,” he said. “We have three different sizes of minnows, we have shiners and pike suckers, too.”

Sue Johnson/Daily Mining Gazette Ashley Freeman, co-owner of Northwoods Trading Post in Hancock, showcases the Readywise survival backpack and a duffle bag kit. both include essential dry food and nutrition items to keep on hand in case of emergency use. These items make a great gift idea for an avid hikers and campers, who are used to extended stays away from a convenience store.

Each bait size is meant to attract a different fish; suckers are pike bait, mediums for walleye and smalls for panfish and perch.

“The shiners are good walleye bait as well,” said Freeman. “We keep them in a 130 gallon tank with flowing and cycling water, like a stream. It stays at 48 degrees. We’ve used this system for probably 15 to 20 years.

“Of course we carry worms and nightcrawlers, too, in a fridge out front.”

The products in stock are not just out of order catalogs, but requests and specialty items at the request of frequent customers.

“From what we see from the customers, what they want, we have a lot of specialty stuff out there that they like. We will order in anything they need,” Freeman said. “That’s why Rick Jr. (his son and the current owner) put in that Rappola lure display. We had very few Rappolas, but people wanted a wider variety of Rappola options.”

Many Northwoods customers already know what they want when they arrive, and Northwoods prides itself on being able to order specialty items their knowledgeable customers may need if it’s not already stocked.

“Most of the people already know what they want, but some people do come in for advice,” Freeman said, “and I learned most of what I know about fishing by listening to our fishing customers over the years.

“More than just bait, we do carry a wide variety of fishing lines. If somebody comes in and they want a specific line they want to put on their reel, we do have a line spool, so we can put the line on their reels for them. A lot of people are really specific about their line, or if they want to replace it because of wear and tear or because it’s just an old line, we can replace it for them. If they like the reel they have, we have many different kinds and weights of line we can put on them.”

Northwoods carries a variety of poles from stream and river poles to sturdier, deep water poles for lake fishing.

No equipment detail is too small for Northwoods. Lines, leaders, swivels, sinkers, and a lot of hooks.

“Some people even like a specific hook,” said Freeman. “Different manufactures can make different hooks, sharper hooks, and sometimes red hooks to make bait look like it’s bleeding to appear as easier prey.”

Fly fishing has been growing in popularity recently, and Northwoods has added a large selection of pre-made flies, and supplies to make your own flies.

“A lot of people have been switching to fly fishing because it’s a lot of fun, there’s a lot more action with it,” Freeman noted. “We really like to listen to the customer; even if it’s just one lurer, we’ll order it for them. With our suppliers, we can order one thing or dozens of them.” Ordering used to take a while with the pandemic, but things are loosening up now, so it takes about three to five days for an order to come in now.

“We’re starting to acquire a clientele of tourists or out-of-area people who will call ahead of when they’ll be here, and they’ll special order something like live bait, and let us know when they’ll be here so we can have it for them then,” he said. “It’s just old fashion customer service, which is really nice in a small town like this.”

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