Shaundessy's Bait and Tackle

Shaundessy's Bait and Tackle on the shores of Wood Duck Lake is a landmark of sorts in Spearfish County. It was owned and run by Emil Shaundessy.

"Yes, you could buy live bait at Shaundessy’s – a pretty good collection of it, along with all sorts of fishing tackle. He rented boats and let you use the boat launch on Wood Duck Lake, for a price. What’s more, you could get good advice about where to catch from Emil, because he knew better than anyone what worked and what didn’t in varying conditions... That wasn’t all. Outside there was car gas and boat gas and firewood, and inside odds and ends of grocery supplies and a thousand and more other things that cluttered the cramped aisles of the little store. "^BHF7

Mentions

• The Spearfish Lake Record-Herald stocked papers at the shop. More than once Mike McMahon delivered them himself, noting they "sold about five papers a week in the winter, but made up for it with fifty a week in the summer, so it was worth the stop, only a mile or so off the main road. It took a minute to go in and deal with the papers, but a good five minutes to get out of there, shooting the bull with Emil over where the perch were biting and where the ice was still safe -- nowhere on the river or the smaller ponds, but there was still some good ice out on the east side of the big lake."^BAR6

• When Jennifer Evachevski was talking to her agent Fred Knox, and he had trouble accepting her words "No Reporters", she threatened "if anybody shows up at my parent's place carrying a video camera, he's going to find himself down at Shaundessy's Bait Shop, getting cut up for muskie bait. And I am not shitting you. Spearfish Lake is off limits."^BAR23

• When John and Candice Archer went kayaking with Josh, Tiffany Archer, Brandy, Phil Wine, Jennifer and Blake Walworth around Woodlark Islands, they knew the nearest phone was at Shaundessy's Bait and Tackle.^FtS29

• When the Spearfish Lake Police Chief Charlie Wexler was preparing to raid what turned out to be the Spearfish Lake High School Football team beer bash, units were stages at Shaundessy's to be less conspicuous.^BOF18

• Fire equipment was staged at Shaundessy's so they didn't block County Road 919 while they waited for an access road to be made to the Birdwatcher Hill Fire. Wood Duck Lake was used as a water source to refill tankers.^BHF6

• Emil Shaundessy was Sven Stromsen's biggest dealer for bundles of firewood. He sold a lot to people at the nudist place. He usually takes five or six truckloads a year.^OC17