Jack’s Live Bait Shop: a Whale of a Tale The early bird may catch its worm, but locals in the Komoka- Kilworth and Delaware area go to Jack’s Live Bait Shop to get theirs. Nestled between the Delaware Variety store and the Mine Rescue Station, Jack’s has been an icon in Delaware for over 40 years. It’s a veritable candy store for people who love fishing and need tackle, live bait, or a fishing license. Owner Rick Clark is happy to share tips on where the fish are biting, who’s catching what, and a good story. He also has a fridge full of live worms, including green ones, that he buys from the same supplier they’ve used since his father, Jack Clark, started the store in the 1980s. Initially, Jack rented the building where the shop is now as a place to live. A fly-fishing shop sat next door, whose owner made custom fly poles and sold bait and tackle. “The owner was an avid trout fisherman and closed on Fridays to go fishing for the weekend,” Rick recalls. “When he was gone, customers would knock on my dad’s door to ask about the fly- fishing shop.” One day, Rick noticed Canadian Tire hooks and sinkers on the windowsill and asked his dad about them. “I knew Dad didn’t fish because of bad hips,” explains Rick. “He said if customers from next door were going to bother him for basic tackle, he might as well make a buck for a beer at the Legion.” Jack’s solution morphed into the bait shop locals know and love today. “Dad was open 24 hours. He had a sign that read ‘I may doze but I never close’ and he didn’t!” adds Rick as he shares the story behind the sign. “One regular customer loved sunrise fishing after working a late shift at 3M in London. He’d bring a coworker and trick him into buying the bait by betting they’d have bass worms soon after leaving London. They’d drive to Jack’s at 4:30 am, and Dad gladly sold them their worms.” By 1990, Rick and his wife, Susan, decided to buy the store from Jack. The plan was for Susan to look after Jack while he
Rick Clark, owner of Jack’s Live Bait Shop. His motto: My worst day fishing is better than my best day working!
taught her to run the store. Unfortunately, Jack passed away before they could make that happen. Rick and Susan purchased the store from the estate, leaving the name to honour Jack’s legacy. Rick proudly adds that Susan ran the business from 1990 to 2006 without knowing the difference between a fishing swivel and a leader. “She created this store rule that kids had to eat a worm for good luck,” laughs Rick, who carries
on the tradition, making the kids pick theirs from the bucket of Gummy worms under the counter. “One grandpa drove from Lambeth just because his grandson insisted on eating a worm.” Two years after Rick and Susan bought the business, the fly shop closed, and Jack’s Live Bait was, and still is, the only tackle shop within 11 kilometres of Delaware. Susan suffered a stroke in 1996, and their daughter Becky managed the store for almost two years while Susan recovered. After Rick retired from Ford in 2006, he and Susan ran the store together until poor health forced her to stop. Susan passed away in 2018. Today, Rick runs the shop by himself. “Most of my customers call me Jack. I take it as a compliment to my dad.” While Rick has little time these days to fish, he’s happy to send you on your way with everything you need: hook, line and sinker. Oh, and don’t forget your worms! Located at 11576 Longwoods Road in Delaware, Jack’s Live Bait Shop is open six days a week and most holidays, 9 to 5 pm weekdays, 9 to 4 weekends, and closed Tuesdays. Photos courtesy of the Clark family
Rick & Susan Clark back in the day
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Page 13 KKD Villager September 2025
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