Sarasota’s Oldest Bait Shop Steeped in History

The Hart family legend is that Deamus Hart started Hart’s Landing in 1934 with a 100-foot seine net, a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey, and a bonfire on the beach at Golden Gate Point. The seine net was used to catch shrimp. The bonfire was used as a light to attract shrimp to the net, and Deamus used the Jack Daniels whiskey to keep himself warm in the cool spring night. The next day he would sell three dozen shrimp for “two bits” (25 cents) to his fishing customers.

Hart’s Landing started at the foot of the old John Ringling Causeway which used to be off Golden Gate Point. If you look closely across the bay from the end of our dock you can still see where the old bridge came across. The bait tanks were situated in the shallow waters near the bridge because back then there were no pumps to aerate the water to keep the shrimp alive. Deamus would wade out to the tanks, scoop out the shrimp and fill a customer’s bucket with lively, fresh bait shrimp.

In 1964, after the completion of the “new” John Ringling Causeway, Hart’s Landing was moved to its current location. Today, we sit at the foot of the John Ringling Causeway and we now enjoy a beautiful view of all of Sarasota Bay.

In 1969 Dennis Hart (Deamus’ son) worked his first shift behind the counter. He was only 13. Deamus passed away in 1973, doing what he loved best, holding the short end of his 100-foot seine net catching bait with his best friend, Harry Sharp. By 1974, Dennis was managing the shop full-time for his mother, Claudia. In 1988 Dennis inherited Hart’s Landing when Claudia passed away.

Dennis was always an active member of the fishing community. He served many years as a volunteer with the City of Sarasota and Sarasota County’s artificial reef programs. Today there are many artificial reefs located both in the bay and the Gulf of Mexico that provide habitats for many species of our local fishes and produce large quantities of good-eating fish for all kinds of fishermen.

In 2017, the Baldwin family took over the Bait Shop. Our goal is to add to the beautiful history of this local gem and continue the legacy started by the Hart family. We work closely with Doc Werlin and the city of Sarasota to ensure everything from the pier to the park, to the bait shop is providing the best experience possible to the community that we love.