Almost every Fisherperson I know who travels to the Florida Keys, Biscayne national park, Flamingo in Evergaldes National Park, or to any of the dozens of fresh water canals in Homestead or Florida City has stopped at Don's Bait and Tackle. The shop has been a big part of South Florida's angling history since the 1950's. Founded by owners Don and Jeanette Sullivan. Don's Bait and Tackle originally catered to a mix of commercial fisherman, recreational fisherman, and people just trying to put dinner on their tables. In the early days, at their shop on Krome Avenue, Dona and Jeanette bought hundreds of thousands of pounds of fresh mullet from local commercial fisherman and sold up to two hundred pounds a day to their customers. Don himself owned a handful of boats, one being the wooden skiff named the Don Dood It that he guided out of in Florida Bay and other locations. He also owned an inboard named the Don’s Bait and Tackle and a few skiffs that other guides ran for him.

 

Over the years, Don’s bait and tackle would have three homes and at least five different owners. My first introduction to Don’s was a youngster in the late 50s and early 60s. In those years, my family would make the long drive from North Miami Beach south on US one. And those days I 95, the Palmetto Expressway, and the Florida Turnpike had not been built. US-1 was the easiest way to get there! The drive to Don‘s Bait and Tackle, where we would, buy 12 dozen shrimp, was long and mostly boring. Shrimp were sold for three dozen for a dollar at that time and there was no such thing as handpicked shrimp.

 

Leaving at four or five in the morning, I would anxiously await the spotting of a missile that was displayed on the side of the road. Once I saw the missile, I knew we were only minutes from Don’s Bait and Tackle, then located at 30708 South Federal Highway. The Sportsman Grill, where lots of fisherman would have breakfast on their journeys to the Keys or Flamingo, shared part of that building. After arriving at Don’s Bait and Tackle, my mom and sister would stay inside the car with the windows up to keep the millions of mosquitoes from entering. Walking into the shop, I can still remember the old fisherman chit chatting with the owner of the store. They seemed to always be there each time we came. We would head inside with a small bucket or cooler and buy the shrimp.  To keep the shrimp alive my dad would drop a few O tabs into the bucket, or we would put the shrimp into a cooler with ice and burlap soaked in salt water. The O tabs or wet burlap would keep the shrimp alive most of the day.

 

Charles Leepard, a Homestead resident and grandson to the late Don and Jeannette Sullivan, said, "back in the 50s almost everyone that lived in Homestead either walked through the doors of Don's Bait and Tackle or they worked there."  Over the years, some very famous fisherman and fishing guides would stop at Don’s. Currently, dozens of guides by their ice, tackle and bait at Don’s on their way to Biscayne National park, Flamingo in Everglades National Park, or gearing up to fish the offshore waters of the upper Florida Keys. 

 

In 1997, Ashley Cornelius, bought Don’s Bait and Tackle. Cornelius added high and fishing rods, reels, fly fishing equipment, coolers, push poles and more. In 2013, after a few large increases in the rent, Cornelius closed the store. In 2013, Wesley Berry and his dad Dennis reopened Don Bait and Tackle at 90 N. Homestead Blvd., where it operates today. The Berry's spiced up the store with clothing and hats with their logos, StowMaster landing nets, top-of-the-line fishing reels, and more. Walking in you’ll see just about every piece of tackle might need for a successful day neatly displayed on the shelves.

 

Since closing the store in 2013, Ashley Cornelius opened his guiding business, nervous waters, outfitters. When not guiding, Ashley can be found selling bait and tackle on the weekends at Don’s. Next time, on your way to Flamingo, Biscayne National park or the Florida Keys, instead of taking the Florida Turnpike to US-1, get off at Campbell Drive, head to US-1, pass the Air Force fighter bomber on the right side of the road and stop in at Don’s Bait and Tackle. You never know who you might run into.