Portsmouth, Va. - With rows of unused fishing rods lining silent aisles at Greg`s Bait Shop, you can hear live bait splashing around.
It’s the only noise owner Greg Milner hears at his shop these days because he says his sales are sinking.
“I`m one of the few tackle shops left around period, and we are just trying to stay afloat,” says Milner.
Milner says he`s lost 40% in sales this year alone because the city closed down its only boat ramp for the second time this year.
The ramp is just two miles away from the shop.
“They have Portsmouth handcuffed. If you want to fish, you are going to have to travel to another city to fish, which in hand takes money out of the city of Portsmouth,” says Milner.
So instead of fishing for speckled trout and stripers this fall season, angry anglers in Portsmouth began fishing for answers from city officials.
The ramp was closed down for repairs back in June and July. It was closed again right at the peak of summer fishing season.
Many fishermen like Max King were missing out.
“I got four poles and bait up in the truck on the hill. I`m ready to go fishing, but I can`t and I know the fish are biting because they sent me an email,” says King.
However, just 4 days after our story aired crews were out fixing the ramp. One week after that, it was fixed and reopened, leaving plenty of time left before the fall fishing season ends.
" I don't know how we could have gotten it done without the social media and you guys getting involved. I was thinking next spring or next winter," King said. "We now have six weeks left of really good bay fishing. Some bigger fish will start to show up around Thanksgiving and a lot of guys will be fishing. We got a lot to be thankful for."
Taking Action, Getting Results.
