R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press At Blade’s Bait and Tackle in Kipling, owners Paul “Blade” and Lacy Bloedorn enjoy talking with customers.

EDITOR NOTE: The Daily Press will be featuring a series of articles on local businesses, highlighting their history and what makes them unique. The series will run on a regular basis in the Daily Press.

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KIPLING — Paul “Blade” Bloedorn was a financial advisor in southern Wisconsin with a fishing hobby that gradually occupied more of his time, to the point that the solution to obtaining the best gear and bait seemed to be for Blade and his wife, Lacy, to open their very own shop. They found a location nestled in Kipling, a community tucked outside Gladstone on Little Bay de Noc, renowned as a fishing capital.

The area at the head of the bay, north of the narrows, freezes more reliably — earlier, thicker, and for longer — than other places, so even though Blade’s Bait and Tackle was only open during the ice fishing season at first, such an undertaking was a monumental one. When the bait shop business began to dominate and Blade felt that the time had come, he passed the reins of his financial business — sold it — to his two partners down in Wisconsin. It was earlier than Blade intended to “retire,” but he and Lacy believe their investment into the shop ultimately provides “a benefit to the community.”

2023 is the third year of Blade’s Bait and Tackle’s operation, but the first for open-water season. It was quieter than winter, but that gave Blade and Lacy — and their two dogs, Red and Cedar — time to bond with people coming through the door.

“Some of our success, we believe, is because we treat people that buy minnows like they invested a million dollars with us,” said Blade.

The couple has been listening to new and returning customers, and they noted the nuances that changing weather patterns have on fish activity and angler practices.

“We’ve seen a lot of cycles just in our three years here as a bait and tackle shop,” said Blade. “‘Course, we’ve been fishing this for like, 25 years, but when you’re here every day and taking note like we do now, it’s a lot different than just coming here and fishing.”

In June, Lacy said with a laugh, “We’re literally asking people what they’re using this summer, getting it in, and then by the time winter comes, we’ll be prepared for next year.”

Blade was proud to show off “the highest-end kayaks you can find anywhere” — equipped with motors, cruise control, pedals, and room to stand — that occupy the retail floor seasonally. But all that open-water gear is being replaced with winter inventory, of which there are mind-boggling quantities.

“We have a whole trailer of just augers,” said Lacy.

“We have four 21-foot trailers, plus this trailer here, plus probably four garages in Kipling — neighbors — full of ice fishing gear,” said Blade.

“That’s how cool this community is,” said Lacy. “Since we opened, we’ve had stuff in every house in this community’s garage. … Everyone’s so amazing.”

The retail aspect is just part of Blade’s Bait and Tackle. They also rent out equipment, including drop-down hardwater ice fishing shelters. The four-person trailers have power, heat, toilets, and come with live bait and transportation to and from the customers’ location of choice “anywhere north of Gladstone that has safe ice.” Blade said weekends are usually booked solid through the winter. This year, they’ll begin taking reservations on November 6 — the Monday after the Ice Fishing and Hunting Expo.

“What drove us here — and pulled me out of my financial career early, is — Lacy and I stayed out here for six weeks in one of our trailers the first year of the pandemic with our two dogs,” Blade recounted. “We’d only go back to our house one day a week. That was to shower, get supplies. So we stayed out there on the bay, like we outfit people now. … And we’d been doing that for 25 years anyway.”

Another well-received service Blade’s Bait and Tackle provides is through a blog on the website that reports on the fishing and weather conditions on the bay as Blade himself sees it. Sometimes it includes a measurement of the ice, a photo of an angler’s catch, or a warning for places to avoid, but it’s always good-natured and conversational. Since this information is meant to help anglers make educated decisions, Blade’s sign-off catchphrase is “increasing your odds.”