Owner Gowdy Toy (second from left) swaps stories with Ted Wong (left) and Antonio Suarez and his dad, Sal Suarez, at Phoenix Fishing Supply (photo by Trudy Thompson Shumaker).
It’s got the feel of Cheers, but instead of Boston’s cast of neighborhood characters, Phoenix Fishing Supply hosts fishermen and women from North Central Phoenix and beyond. Way beyond.
Grey “Gowdy” Toy is the friendly host who enjoys the banter, the fish stories and dispensing fishing advice as well as yummy concoctions from his ever-present Crock Pot behind the counter. Sometimes he fires up the grill out back – a gift from a customer – and grills burgers and hot dogs for customers.
And oh, there are fishing stories. His 20-year-old employee, Antonio, comes in on his day off with his dad, Sal Suarez, to tell a few and share their haul from an eight-day saltwater trip out of San Diego.
Antonio has fished since he was a little kid, and his enthusiasm shows. His hands are flying and his face is full of joy as he describes the yellow fin tuna he and his dad landed.
Gowdy listens with a big grin on his face. “You think he’s perfect for this job?” he asks a visitor. Yep. Indeed, the young man has found his calling at Phoenix Fishing Supply.
Red Rice, a 33-year-old Phoenician comes in and shakes Gowdy’s hand.
“Remember me? I would walk here after school from Madison Park and you’d ask me about school; I’d ask you where the fish were biting and you’d tell me to have some Crock Pot stuff while I looked around. You were really patient with me when I came in with a tangled mess of fishing line. I didn’t have the money to replace it so you helped me salvage it. You never made any money off me but you taught me to fish and how to take care of punky little kids during those visits, and I wanted to say thanks.”
A retired educator from the Balz District comes in to buy bait for his grandkids.
“My son grew up shopping here with me, and now he works for the National Park Service,” says Rick Stephen. “He’s taking his kids fishing and camping this weekend and I thought I’d send them off with a little bait from Gowdy’s place.”
A new customer drove in from the far west side of the Valley to explore the store and visit with Gowdy.
“I grew up fishing wherever I could find water, and I’d always heard about this place. All I can say is ‘wow.’ I’m kind of blown away,” he says as he shakes Gowdy’s hand. He doesn’t want to share his name “because I’m supposed to be at school, not fishin’.”
Then there’s the guy who walked in with a couple of inches of thick fishing line and asked Gowdy if he could match it. Two minutes later, Gowdy had a happy customer with two feet of matching line and a “no charge – thanks for thinking of us.”
What was that about? “His wife has had a toy stuffed otter for years and it had lost most of its whiskers. He brought one of the remaining whiskers in, hoping I could match it. No big deal. Happy to do it for him,” says Gowdy with a grin.
That’s the way it is at Phoenix Fishing Supply. And this is a Monday, when the store is officially closed.
Phoenix Fishing Supply was started by Gowdy’s uncle, Richard Toy, in 1987.
“My uncle owned a big shooters’ supply next door, where the Rochelle’s Salon is now. I was working IT in Texas and he called me, asking whether I’d help him start a fishing supply store. And here we are, almost 40 years later, making a living listening to fish stories,” he says, chuckling.
The Toys are a Phoenix family with roots going back three generations.
“My mom and dad owned the Chinese restaurant, the Shangri La, for many years. My grandparents owned Henry Lung Market. Blue Fin Restaurant is owned by family. Channel 8 featured the Toys on their series ‘First Families’ and my aunt told our story,” he said.
Phoenix Fishing Supply sits in its original location 4810 N. 16th St., just south of Camelback Road. It is a fishing wonderland, packed with rods, reels, lures, weights, jigs and everything a beginner or a pro needs for a successful fishing trip.
“We locally source what we can,” said Gowdy. “Even our lead weights are poured locally.”
Oh, and here’s an interesting nugget. Besides fishing enthusiasts, Gowdy has a following among pregnant women. He is a folk hero among those who suffer morning sickness, offering a wristband said to help with seasickness.
“It’s really cool to help a mom-to-be with that miserable part of pregnancy,” he said.
Gowdy is a generous supporter of organizations that help wounded veterans get out and fish, often outfitting them with what they need to land a few big ones and come home with their own fish stories.
“It’s just the right thing to do, to support our military,” he said. “And teaching kids to fish – it’s so much fun.”
For more information, find Phoenix Fishing Supply on social media or call 602-266-2624.
