Victor Wright, Gulf Breeze Bait and Tackle Shop, Pensacola

Victor Wright has spent his entire life in and around the waters that surround Pensacola. As a kid living in Pensacola Beach, he attended school in a house that a resident, Harry Gownes, let the Pensacola School System use. It was the only school on Pensacola Beach. In the 8^th grade, his family moved to Gulf Breeze so that he could attend middle school. 

Growing up, Victor’s dad taught him how to fish, catch bait, run a boat, pull a net, and pretty much everything related to fishing. His dad decided to earn his Doctorate in Marine Biology and entered the University of West Florida. There he met Vic Mitchell at UWF, and they both went to work for the Environmental Protection Agency in Pensacola.

At the EPA, Victor’s dad, John Wright, and Vic Mitchell had access to a Boston Whaler they used to harvest and study fish and oysters. “They were able to get a little fishing in on the side,” says Victor. This was in the 1970s, and after eight years, the grant that funded their jobs ran out. His dad had always wanted to open a sporting goods and bait and tackle shop so in 1981, Gulf Breeze Bait and Tackle was born.

“It kinda took off,” says Victor. “We’ve grown every year we’ve been open except when the BP Oil Spill happened.” That’s 42 years and counting. “During the oil spill, it was illegal to fish or even use a boat on the water. You would get ticketed.” All the employees left to work with the oil spill cleanup while Victor and the family kept the business open every day. “Those were tough times. There was nothing we could do. It felt like the end of the world.”

Victor owns the business with his dad. They bought Vic Mitchell’s interest in 2016 when he decided to retire. His dad too is now retired and turned it over to Victor to run in 2017, but it’s still very much a family affair. His dad, his nephew, his daughter, and his ex-wife, Anmarie, run the store. How does that work, I asked. “It’s great,” says Victor.” “She’s a hard worker and knows everything about this place.”

As we are talking, Anmarie is moving about, bringing Victor papers to sign, equipment to check out, and taking care of business while I was occupying his time. Scott Stillman pokes his head into the small, cramped office to deliver information about that weekend’s charity fishing tournament, to which Victor donates koozies, cups, hats, and t-shirts with Gulf Breeze Bait and Tackle logos. “There’s a tournament every week, and we like to support them any way we can.”

The small family-owned business is filled with everything you need to fish. Every inch of space is utilized, and they know their stuff. Victor has been involved for 30 years now. There was a time when he owned and operated two charter boats in addition to helping run the store.

“I had a 35’ Resmondo, custom-built boat made in Perdido Key called the Vitamin Sea for offshore charters with a 9-mile Federal permit, and a 25’ SeaFox with twin 150s for charters inside the federal guidelines.” Victor had to give up the charter business because the shop was so busy. “The shop is my foundation and where my roots are.”

He sold the boats and the Vitamin Sea ended up at Zeke’s Landing in Orange Beach. “Hurricane Sally hit. No one thought there would be much to it, and I saw my boat had crashed on the concrete parking lot when I watched the news. I was sad to see that.”

Victor and his family grew up catching bait with large seine nets, cast nets, and trawl nets. They had a permit to drive on the beach and had a big tank on the back of their 4-wheel drive truck. They kept live bait to sell to fishermen and stayed open for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

“You’d be surprised how many people want to fish on Christmas. Employees volunteer to work, and we pay time and a half, feed them, and give them gift certificates and other goodies.” These days, Gulf Breeze Bait and Tackle opens at 5 am, and 4 am on weekends. They stopped catching their own bait because they couldn’t keep up with demand.

Victor says he purchases 10,000 to 15,000 live shrimp that are delivered every Friday by noon in the busy season. “We sell out by midmorning Saturday, and we order more.” It’s an intricate process, with six shrimp boats pulling all night, loading specially equipped trucks, and bringing them in fresh and alive from six hours away.  “Nothing beats a live shrimp for bait,” he says. “We have special tanks that are aerated with local bay water, and we carefully manage the salinity and the 62-degree temperature.”

They carry everything you need to fish; rods, reels, tackle, aerators, terminal tackle like weights, hooks, and fishing line. They used to have people who could repair reels and such, but it’s become difficult to find craftsmen who know how to properly repair fishing gear. “We suggest that if our customers have an issue with their equipment, they send it to the manufacturer to have it fixed.”

“We have a really good crew right now.” He says, “I keep the good ones all winter.” In the summer, he employs 13 staff. He also knows all of the charter services and can make recommendations depending on what you are looking for. “It’s been a family affair with customers and employees. I’ve helped teach lots of kids how to fish, and it’s been fun to watch them grow up. We’re starting to see a third generation of grandchildren learning their way around a fishing pole.”

We talked a bit about what he’s seen over the years. “We need better limits to keep the fish populations healthy.” He stresses that conservation issues to protect fish populations for future generations need quicker decisions made by regulatory agencies. “I have a five-year-old granddaughter and I want her to enjoy fishing like I have all my life.”

“I’ve sold fish for a living, I’ve had charter boats, and my livelihood is all about fishing. We just need to make responsible decisions. We need to conserve and protect what we have before it’s too late.” He goes on, “How many fish does one person really need to keep?” 

Reflecting back, Victor says he’s had a great life in the Pensacola area. “I love it here. It’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. My dad worked hard all year but took us to some beautiful places to vacation in the winter. Hawaii, Costa Rica, Belize, they are all unique in their way, but Pensacola Beach is as good as it gets.”

Thanks, Victor. That was fun!