Despite the name, you are more likely to catch a cold beer at this bar than fish. 

When owners Barry O’Meara and Derrick Van Duzer, a chef and fourth-generation barman respectively, purchased the old shop to house their new bar, they decided it was simply easier to keep the original sign and surround it with a theme than renovate the exterior, thus creating an rustic atmosphere enjoyed there today.  

Red Hook Bait and Tackle was originally a fisherman’s club and bait store for Brooklyn fishermen, but the location now welcomes a younger crowd of Red Hook locals that have moved to the neighborhood in recent years. Open since 2004, it was also the first bar in Red Hook to be open seven days a week. The local dive bar offers a variety of beers on tap and often hosts live music. The taxidermy and fishing equipment covering the walls still evoke the location’s wilderness roots. 

The Red Hook Bait and Tackle is a fair stroll from the nearest train, but well worth the trip if you are looking for a nice place to have a beer without some of Brooklyn’s famous pretension. 

Update: It closed in January of 2018.