“This is where I was designed to be, and we’re doing well with it,” said Knapp, 38, of Altoona, who has become an avid fly fisherman himself. “Jesus called fishermen as his first disciples, so this is kind of our ministry. We reach people who visit our business, and we’re the last encouraging word that they hear, before they go fishing.

“Having been a counselor for 20 years, there really wasn’t anybody who was happy to come see me — my last gig was in a prison,” Knapp added with a laugh. “But now everybody I see here is happy to see me, which is kind of a different change.”

Knapp’s Aquatic Imitations business is an all-purpose store for fly fishermen and bait fishermen alike. He’s busy there six days a week, all year around, but he’ll be particularly busy this week, with the official start of the 2025 Pennsylvania trout season set to begin at 8 a.m. Saturday.

“We took over this business last year on April 3 — which was three days before the opening of last year’s trout season,” Knapp said. “Although we had record sales after we opened, last year’s fishing season itself was a blowout because the rains kept coming and the waters here were too high for fishing. The weather would get real warm and then real cold in the first months of last season, so that affected a lot of the early season fishing as well.

Aquatic Imitations co-owner Krista Knapp gathers live minnows. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

“So far this year, the weather has been better, and I believe that this week leading up to the first day will be an absolute madhouse for business here,” added Knapp, who said that his store will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. this Friday and from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday’s opening day. “The first two months after we bought the shop last year, we had a lot of people come in who had never before set foot inside this door. This year, with the better weather, we can only expect that to double.”

The Aquatics Imitation store caters to both fly fishermen and bait fishermen and offers something for the preferences of all anglers.

“We’re not (just) a bait shop — we are a total fishing store,” Knapp said. “We’re like a hybrid store, because most times, you won’t see a fly fisherman in a bait store and you won’t see a bait fisherman in a fly store. Fly fishermen come in here, buy their stuff, tie their flies all winter and fish all summer. They don’t need much else once they purchase their flies.

“Then the bait fishermen fish all summer, so neither of their paths cross much,” added Knapp.

Fly fishermen attempt to match the insect hatches when they happen on trout streams — thus, the genesis of the name of the Aquatic Imitations store — while bait fishermen use a variety of tackle, ranging from various types of lures, minnows and worms.

Aquatic Imitations co-owner Jeremy Knapp chooses fishing flies for an order. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

“Green nightcrawlers are a big hit for bait fishermen, butter worms are always a big hit, and the shiners and fatheads (two types of minnows) are always good,” Knapp said. “Wax worms are great — I sell a lot of them, too. If butter worms were cheaper, (fishermen) would use butter worms all the time, but wax worms are just as good, absolutely.”

Arizona native Barney Giannola, who has lived in Pennsylvania for the last decade and now resides in Hollidaysburg, is a regular customer at the shop.

Giannola initially stopped at Knapp’s shop to purchase nightcrawlers for fishing trips to Canoe Creek and Raystown Lake. He now fishes with various fly patterns using a hand reel without a rod.

“He’s really knowledgeable about fishing, and he knows his stuff,” Giannola said of Knapp. “Any time that I catch a nice fish, I’ll stop by his business and show him pictures of the fish.

“He’s got a good price for some really good nightcrawlers, and he gave me about a half-dozen egg pattern flies the last time that I talked with him,” Giannola said. “I’ll be testing them out this Saturday on the first day of the trout season. I’m looking to go somewhere that isn’t packed and where people aren’t standing three feet or less away from me.”

This past winter’s cold weather made area lakes optimal for ice fishing as well, which was another boon to Knapp’s business.

“It’s been a number of years before this that people have had good ice to fish on, but people who wanted to ice fish got that opportunity this past winter,” Knapp said. “So we’ve been busy all winter long — we’ve never stopped.”

Knapp said that he is personally busier now as a self-employed merchant than he was during his working years for another employer, but he isn’t complaining. He relishes what he does for a living.

“I appreciate, and I am very thankful for, the continued support that our business has received from our community in accepting me and my wife, and in helping us to continue to build what we have here,” Knapp said. “I believe that this season will be the best season that we’ve had in years.”

Aquatic Imitations

Location: Two miles east of Hollidaysburg, on the left side of Route 22, in the Mielnik’s Shopping Village

Days and hours: Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m; Fridays and Saturdays,

7 a.m. to 7 p.m; Sundays, 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., and noon to 5 p.m. Closed Wednesdays, and on Sundays from 10 a.m. to noon. There will be extended business hours from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. this Saturday.

Phone: (814)-309-3474

If you go

What: The 2025 Pennsylvania trout season

When: Season begins at 8 a.m. Saturday.

How: A valid Pennsylvania fishing license is required for those 16 years old and older. While anglers do not need to display their license, they must be able to present them in print or on their digital device when requested by an officer.

Fish for Free: Fish-for-Free Days are Sunday, May 25, and Friday, July 4. During these two days, anyone (resident or nonresident) can legally fish on Pennsylvania waterways without a fishing license. All other fishing regulations still apply.​

For more information: Fees, stocking schedules, regulations and more can be found at pa.gov/agencies/fishandboat.html