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NNSL photo

Scott Martin, 23, owner of Martin's Fishing Supplies, has been tying flies, and selling them, since he was 10 years old. Now, he manufactures lures, jigs, leaders and flies and, apart from opening his own fishing supplies store, is supplying to 14 other stores throughout the Northwest Territories. - Stephan Burnett/NNSL photo

Lured into the business

Stephan Burnett
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Dec 01/04) - Scott Martin may have opened his store at the beginning of October on Franklin Avenue, next to the Chateau Nova Suites, but he's really been in the business since he was 10.

"I started off by tying flies," says the 23-year-old. "I found there was a market for it."

Neighbours were all that Martin was interested in when he first started out in business as a kid in Twillingate, Nfld.

"Then the stores asked me to bring in some stuff and put it on consignment," he says.

Just before he left Newfoundland, Martin says he was supplying to 196 stores, "and that was when I was 14."

Martin and his parents moved to Yellowknife in 2001.

"I went out to one of the lodges and I found that I liked it," he says. "There's a big difference between a brook trout you can get back home and the 30-pounders here."

Before Martin moved here he was already working with Wolverine Sports selling them some of his lures.

Prior to opening his own store, Martin's Fishing Supplies, he worked with Diamond Glass for 14 months. Even then he was still getting orders for flies and lures.

"Now, I'm into lures and making jigs and pouring bismuth into moulds," he says.

Nowadays, there's a wide range of stock needs that go into a fishing store, including global positioning instruments and custom rods and knives made out of bone, he says.

"By the end of this week this place will be packed. After Christmas I'm getting into hunting supplies," he says.

Martin is already supplying 14 stores throughout the NWT as a wholesaler.

As a sideline to the main business, Martin has also bought The Map Place.

"When you go fishing you need a map, so it all kind of fits in together," he says.