Bay Area Fishing “Clubhouse” Ernie’s Casting Pond Closes Doors

Ernie’s Casting Pond was always a funky place, and though I didn’t spend that much time there, it’s clear a lot of people did. That’s why the announcement that Ernie’s is closing its doors after 31 years seems to have stirred up so much nostalgia among Bay Area/Santa Cruz fly fishermen.

The shop – which opened in 1977 – has always been a family run gig, and when a lifelong fly shop owner shuts the doors so he can go fishing, you gotta nod your head and let ‘em go gracefully. From the San Jose Mercury News:

But Kinzli’s main reason for retiring is one any avid fisherman should understand.

“We want to go do more fishing,” said Kinzli, who will turn 74 next month. “There’s a lot of places we haven’t been that we’d like to go. We have customers who every year flop to Alaska to fish for salmon and trout. It’s time for us to go before it’s too late.”

First up on the Kinzlis’ fishing tour is a trip up the Oregon coast to do some steelhead fishing in January and February. After that, they plan to take up several of their longtime customers on invitations to go fishing in Montana, Idaho, Washington and beyond.

“I think we’ll do good,” Kinzli joked. “We’ve got plenty of equipment.”

Ernie, we’ll see you somewhere, Tom Chandler.

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