Anthony Johnson Q&A!

Is the dream of owning a tackle shop as good as the reality?!
“On the whole, yes it is. Who wouldn’t enjoy doing a job that is also your hobby? To be able to help and advise customers, and then to have them come back, buzzing about what they’ve caught as they show you their photos, is one of the best feelings in the world. Who wouldn’t enjoy doing that for a living? Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all a bed of roses. As everyone else does, I’m sure, you have days when you’d rather be doing something else. Show me someone who can say, 100 per cent, that they have never have a bad day at work! Fortunately, 99 per cent of the time, it’s great.”

Why, do you believe, have you created such a cult status as one of the UK’s premium tackle shops?
“It’s not something anyone sets out to do, but I’d like to think that it’s because of our focus on customer service. It’s pretty simple, really. We try to treat everyone as equals, regardless of their knowledge and experience. There is no such thing as a stupid question, and none of us know it all. Everyone receives the same level of service, be that in store or via mail order. We have hundreds of customers who have been coming to the shop or ordering from us for several decades now, and they have become friends as well as customers. Our staff are a great bunch, and we train them to carry on the family feel that we started the business with. All are experienced anglers, and they will do everything they can to make sure each and every customer receives what they want, both in terms of tackle and advice.

“I think we have also built our reputation on the products we stock. Over the years, we have always stocked and worked with the big brands. We have also, though, always looked to seek out and support the niche brands, many of which have then gone on to become big brands themselves.”

Most commonly asked question?
“I’d have to say that there isn’t a single question that we get asked most. What I would say, however, is that what we get asked most about, are rods. We have built a reputation as the go-to shop for rods, and the most frequent questions relate to which rod will be most suitable for a particular customer’s fishing—the best long-range rod, for instance. We always ask customers what their fishing requirements are: where they fish, the distances they intend to cast, the methods they’ll use, etc. We will always suggest the best rods for them, rather than, say, the most expensive, or the one that offers the highest margin. We will always recommend the most suitable one for the angler. At the end of the day, if we advise customers well, they will trust us the next time they need something.”

What is your single biggest selling item?
“Over the last 12–18 months, the item we have been amazed by has been the Nash Bushwhacker system. No one could have imagined how popular this would prove to be. It’s a great product, one that has put thousands of fish on the bank that wouldn’t have been caught otherwise. I’d also have to say the Wolf Mozzi Zappa, and the Trakker USB Bivvy Fan. They have been mega-popular since their launch last year.”

What do you predict will be your biggest seller in 2023?
“That’s a hard one—I’d love to have a crystal ball! I think the new rod range from Free Spirit will be huge. Everyone knows that Free Spirit don’t launch rods for the sake of it. Every new range will have years of development and testing behind it, and will hit the market only once the company is confident that they have produced the very best they can.” 

Does running a tackle shop get harder each year?
“Yes, I’d definitely say so. There are more and more product launches to keep up with, some good, some bad. It’s our job to work out what will sell and what won’t. I’d say also that running any retail business is getting harder. Overheads are going through the roof, so running a large shop like ours becomes more and more difficult.”

The Johnson Ross catalogue became a bit of a tackle bible for so many; was it a hard decision to drop it?
“It was a huge decision. We had been producing it for over 20 years. I put the first one together on my laptop. It was black and white with 20-odd pages, and only 3,000 were printed. By the time the last copy came out, it had reached 196 pages, was full colour and we printed just under 100,000 copies! It was the hardest decision we have had to make, but Covid killed it. We simply couldn’t produce it any longer. The printers had all shut down at the time of year we would design and produce it. It was a four-month project every year and the whole global delivery and pricing issue has meant that we haven’t been able to continue… it would be out of date before it got printed, which is a real shame.”

In the 35-plus years of running Johnson Ross, has there been an era when tackle innovation has been at its height?
“Yes, I’d say it was probably the nineties. When we started in 1987, carp fishing in its modern-day format was still really finding its feet. The range of tackle available was tiny compared to today, but the nineties brought seismic changes in terms of what was around. The likes of Nash, Fox, Trakker and Solar increased their product ranges immensely during that decade.”

Do you have much stock stolen these days?
“Unfortunately, it’s part and parcel of running such a business, and any retailer who says they don’t experience theft, is lying. To be honest, though, we possibly don’t suffer as much as other retail shops. Our customers are a loyal bunch, on the whole, but any thief knows that if they get caught, they can never come back into the shop. That’s a big enough deterrent—that, the 27 cameras and our tagging system!” [laughing]

What’s an average day like for Ant, Matt and Lewis?
“Wow, that’s a question! My job (Ant) is to oversee the whole business and make sure that every department runs correctly. I also work with our developer, Paul, and maintain and run the website. I deal with all the emails that come in, which is a job in itself. Dealing with our international customers is also a big part of my day.

“Lewis’s main job is to liaise with many of our suppliers, so ordering, making sure we know what’s coming in and when, and ensuring also that we are on top of stock—we hate empty shelves! Lewis also deals with a lot of the custom-built rod work. He runs our build schedule, making sure that rods are produced on time. Producing custom-built rods is a big part of what we do, as it has been for over 30 years now.

“Matt’s is a more hands-on role in the shop. Along with Mitch, our shop manager, he makes sure that everything runs smoothly, the shelves are filled, the shop is clean and tidy and the customers are being looked after. He also arranges the orders from several of our suppliers, and just as Lewis does, he ensures that we know what’s coming and when.

“All three of us, though, are around the shop, so serving customers is still part of our day, and we are always available to talk with them.”

Can you see yourself ever selling the shop?
“That’s a big question. To be honest, when our parents first bought the shop in 1987, we weren’t thinking a year ahead, let alone 35! I was 14 when we acquired it, so I’ve spent most of my life here. Matt and Lewis have also spent a big chunk of their lives here, too. I think all three of us would find it hard to say goodbye, so no, we certainly don’t have any plans to sell up.”

What have been the biggest changes you’ve seen, having owned a tackle shop for approaching four decades?
“Both carp fishing itself and the tackle trade have changed immensely since the eighties. I might sound like a dinosaur, but the internet as we know it didn’t exist then. That has to be the biggest change, I’d say. The availability of information now means that, as anglers, we can learn so much just by tapping on our smartphones. It’s an odd thing to say, perhaps, but internet has helped us all to catch more fish!

“From a tackle shop owner’s point of view, we have seen huge changes over the years. Old, established shops have gone, and new chains of shops have started. New brands have established themselves, and there’s now such a huge variety of tackle available. I don’t think anyone could have predicted such a rise in the popularity of carp fishing from how things were back then.”

What’s oddest question you’ve been asked, or request you’ve received, over the years?
“There aren’t too many that spring to mind, but we did once have a woman burst through the door one day demanding to know when the vet would be able to see her. We explained that we were a tackle shop, but she said that she knew that and continued to ask what time the vet would be able to see her. It took a while for me to convince her that I wasn’t a vet!

“I was also once asked for a trouser press. God alone knows why anyone would come into a shop that sold fishing tackle and bait and ask for a trouser press—particularly one with a great big sign outside advising as much! The joys of being on a high street, I guess.”