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As a former BPS employee, and being on the other side of the fence, I can tell you it ain't always a pleasant experience over here either. Try helping a customer who thinks he knows everything, when it's obvious that he is dumb as a sack of hair. I have dealt with customers who were rude and impolite. Not to mention the first ones of the day with morning breath...WHEW!!!. I had a customer come to the counter one time pointing at a particular baitcasting reel he wanted for the rod he had just picked out. I pointed out that the rod he had was a spinning rod, just assuming that he had inadvertently picked it up. This fellow came unglued and informed me "loudly" that he knew what he was doing. "WELL EXCUSE ME"!!..I was thinking. Granted, there were, and will be times when someone will ask you something that you really don't know. No one can be expected to know everything about everything. At our Cincinnati store we tried to have all the bases covered. Ask me something about striper fishing and I am clueless, but let me take you to see Erik. He is an avid striper fisherman. Then there are days when you can't have everything covered and someone gets angry or just disappointed. I guess that's just life. You win some, you lose some and some get rained out. Would be great if everyone could have a pleasant experience at all the stores, all the time, but it's probably not going to happen. Anyway, that is my view from "the other side". Hootie

LMAO! Spelling is important kids.

FYI, I'm a retail associate in both the fishing and firearms section of an outdoor retailer. I know a little bit about a little bit. I know what you mean though. This time of year is the ramp up for holiday sales. There are a ton of "warm bodies" that get hired on. Maybe you get lucky and get someone who knows what they're talking about, maybe not. Usually you can tell from the first couple minutes of interaction.

Here you go! This will help. I can't read posts too well that don't use punctuation and are all lowercase. http://spellcheckplus.com/ I hope you work your other issues out.

There's one guy at my local Gander Mountain who probably doesn't know his own wife's birthday but has the lunar charts memorized out to 2018; everyone else is the reason I do all my research here.

What the heck did I just read?

oLOL George you do know he was being sarcastic, right?

Son, between your stream of consciousness phrasing and your intermittent capitalization and punctuation, your posts are a challenge to follow. Just saying .. . .

Sonar unit.

Just caught my First Largemouth Bass! New to the sport and have been fighting all summer long without any success. Went out hour before sunrise this morning and I threw rattletraps, top water frogs, senko, spinners, buzz bait and nothing. So I got in my bos and pulled out the new tube-x and rattles and t-rigged it. Fish on! buried me in the weeds! no biggie! threw it again same area. Hit 2. buried me again. getting upset. threw a few more times and got one and kept him above the weeds and he went airborne and lost the hook. Deep breath and remember all the forums on here and all the articles I read and Glenn videos I watched. All lost to my error. BAD Hook sets. Threw again. Fish on! reel down and set. Landed! Woo Hoo! Finally! only a cpl pounds but I was as happy as if it was a record size fish! Glad all the reading and video watching finally paid off. There was about 10 others around and a few of them came over and asked what I was using because nobody could get even a bite. I have a new found love for tubes.

Yeah, that was a blast! Had a great weekend of fishing with Mainebass. Just as suspected, the guys a great stick, a great host, and a great fishing partner. Yeah, the weather threw a curve ball at us, but we figured it out. It was awesome, and plan on doin' it again soon as possible. Here's a couple pics. (and yeah, it got hot!)

Relax Felix, or I'll find some Eli memes....lol.

With one leg shorter, the frog always turns to one side on the slack line pause after the twitch. I guess it's *like* walking, but not the same. I have good days and bad days walking frogs. Luckily, the fish don't care how good I am at it.

I will admit that I thoroughly enjoy when a customer enters my store with a preconceived notion about what I know or what experience I have. I try my best not to make someone look like a complete jackwagon but hey, sometimes it's well deserved.

This is what consumers asked for - lower price, more inventory. In almost every segment, the local, small retail business was edged out by a huge chain. Now we want some minimum wage employee to possess the same knowledge and personal customer service skills that those small retailers had. Do your own research. go prepared. If you can't find something, then hopefully someone will know where it is. If not, I guess you'll have to search all 5 fishing aisles for that one piece of terminal tackle you need. I rarely speak to anyone working the stores I shop, unless it's someone I know, or to pay for what I am buying. It's sad, but it's just a fact. Some places will figure out that having a few well compensated employees that actually add value beyond facing and stocking the shelves will put them ahead of the competition. Bass Pro seems to get, most of their guys are pretty good. Gander? Uh, not really. DSG? hit or miss. Usually I get asked if I need help by employees less interested in helping me, than they were told to greet every customer. Seems like this aspect doesn't matter to management, so long as internet sales and in store sales support their bottom line.

As far as the pay=service idea goes everyone should be doing the job they want, not the job they've got. Employees with the "Minimum wage gets minimum effort" mentality are doomed to be minimum wage forever or, if they work for me "looking for something that makes them happy". If a customer service person doesn't know the answer to a question they should know how to get the answer, like Hootie did.

Well, got home last night from my Pomme Musky trip this weekend...I'll just start from the top. Got to the lake by 3:30, checked in at our dump of a resort by 4, and was fishing by 4:30. One of the more popular spots, Martin's Flat, was within 200 yards of our dock, so we opted to hit that first. It's basically a big flat that comes up to about 2-3 feet from 40 marked by a bouy. As we pulled up to the bouy, I readied by GoPro as Keith made his first cast. I made my first cast as he made his second, and before I could get two cranks in, he's tied into a fish five minutes into our trip. She made it in the net and we had our first Musky, a healthy 35". Keith took a break to steady his hands as I continued casting, and about five minutes later I had another mid 30s fish to the boat, but she didn't want to eat on the figure 8. Didn't see another fish for the rest of the evening. Talk about high expectations for the rest of the weekend. Day two started at 5:30. To make a long story short, we bounced around from spot to spot and cove to cove, but didn't see any fish for most of the day. Very high skies, bluebird conditions, and no wind made things very difficult. I did have another short follow during the afternoon, but again, none that wanted to eat. We talked to our resort neighbors around 5:30 at Martin's Flat, who were with a local guide at the time. They didn't really tell us much of anything we weren't already doing, but did decide to make a run to a known productive cove for the evening window. We started at the beginning of Cooper's Cove, and within 15 minutes, Keith is hooked up again. It made one 3 foot jump boatside, and I somehow managed to catch it perfect in the net. I had my GoPro on my head, but unfortunately it wasn't recording at the time. No official measurement, but it was just below 30". Again, about ten minutes later in the same cut of the cove, I set the hook into a fish boatside, but it had only nipped at my bucktail and she was gone. After a 13 hour grind Saturday, by Sunday I was prepared to be blessed by the Musky gods for my patience. Both mornings we launched with a tournament, some local Wyandotte guys. Didn't get the club name. Couldn't have been a more picture perfect Musky morning with a nice layer of fog covering the water. We made our way to Cooper's Cove where we saw fish the day before. Nothing until mid morning, when I had another low 30s fish follow me all the way to the boat but bailed on the figure 8. The water was so clear I saw her entire body as she turned away back to the wood. Another missed opprtunity, just couldn't get her to eat. The weather was absolutely awful-more high, blue skies and not a stitch of wind whatsoever. And it was d**n hot. Water temp was up 4 degrees since the first day. And my lack of sleep/fish was wearing on me. We took a break at the marina and watched the Royals game for a little bit to try and figure something out. I'm sure Keith was over it, as he'd already boated two Muskys, buit he just really wanted me to hook up before we had to bail. I just wanted a shot at one more fish during the Major/sunset window. Had one follow me about halfway to the boat, but couldn't get her to stick around for the 8. Glad Keith is a good bud and stuck with me, but unfortunately I blanked. Great trip, but the weather made it so hard. I thought we were hitting it at the perfect time, but the weather took a turn for the warmest, and didn't help at all. Physically and mentally exhausted, but now I'm just ready to plan another mid-October trip for redemption before the season is over. Lots of follows is truly awesome when it comes to Musky fishing, but always leaves me wanting the hook up. That's all that is on my brain today. And my tail is tucked between my legs. However I will be planning another trip within the next 2-3 weeks. I'm sure Clayton did real well at Hazel and I'm anxious to see.

Breath and a t-shirt.

I don't rely on anyone to help me make my purchases, or rely on them for what they carry. I always do my own research before making any purchases. Bps is a retail store, and while it's a specialized store, anyone expecting their employees to be knowledgeable for what they get paid is crazy lol. This is the age of the "informed consumer".

Two 70 something-year-old men had been friends all of their lives. When it was clear that Frank was dying, Leonard visited him every day. One day Leonard said, "Frank, we both loved playing golf all our lives, and we started playing soon after high school. Please do me one favor: when you get to heaven, somehow you must let me know if there's golf there." Frank looked up at Leonard from his deathbed and said, "Leonard, you've been my best friend for many years. If it's at all possible, I'll do this favor for you." Shortly after that, Frank died. A few weeks later, Leonard was awakened from a sound sleep by a blinding flash of white light and a voice calling out to him, "Leonard!" "Who is it?" asked Leonard, sitting up suddenly. "Who is it?" "Leonard -- it's me, Frank." "You're not Frank. Frank just died." "I'm telling you, it's me, Frank," insisted the voice. "Frank! Where are you?" "In heaven," replied Frank. "I have some really good news and a little bad news." "Tell me the good news first," said Leonard "The good news," Frank said with joy and enthusiasm, "is that there is golf in heaven. Better yet, all of our old buddies who died before me are here too. Even better than that, we're all young again. Better still, it's always Summertime and it never rains. And best of all, we can play golf all we want, and we never get tired. And we get to play with all the Greats of the past." "That's fantastic," said Leonard. "It's beyond my wildest dreams! So what's the bad news?" "You're in my foursome this Saturday." Life is uncertain - Eat dessert first !!!

Will have a new Rarenium 2500 in a few days!!

You get what you pay for. The service will reflect the pay. If those places paid more they may get employees who care more and are more knowledgable. When you pay someone low wages you get low wage work. Of course you can get lucky and get someone who is knowledgable and cares in that line of work and pay. It's just rarer.

Depends on the spool diameter. For a 2500 shimano, 8# Fluoro is the heaviest that is manageable. 10 is doable, kinda. You will have some problems with it. I'd say a size 4000 reel could handle 10# just fine. Any heavier and you're better off going to casting gear or braid on the spinning rod.

I was smiling....lol. Hootie

Frog gigging probably

Lou is your tetanus up to date? Close call.

As I always say, Keep Calm and Buy Shimano 50's.

Today was day # 2 of the Maine bass fishing vacation. I met up with Shane J this morning. The plan was to fish a lake that is new to me. I had fished it twice before today. I decided to bring Shane there because I figured if the two of us couldn't get a good idea of what was happening then nobody could. The weather for the day was not ideal for bass fishing at all. It was very sunny with not a single cloud in the sky. There was no wind to speak of. Water temperature in the morning was 61 and warmed all the way up to 71. Todays daytime high was in the lower 80s which is crazy for the end of Sept. We got some good bites in the morning but after that it was an extremely tough day. When we went hours with out a bass in the boat. It was just an all around tough day. The good fish we caught was off of offshore structure. For the day between Shane and I we caught 12 -15 bass and a whole lot of pickerel. We did land some good fish. 4-14 on a jig with a rage craw 6-15 on a weightless worm

I've caught a few, lol. Here are some from this summer all caught on a jig. I've been told I catch more cats than the guys that fish for them.

Don't justify it. Just buy it and be happy. They print more money everyday and you can't take it with you when you're gone.

A quick search would give you all you need to know. YES YEA UH HUH YEAH ABSOLUTELY FOR SURE 100% TOTALLY You get the idea.

Today was first day of vacation. I got into the lake at about 830 am. The water temperature was a chilly 59 degrees. The water is extremely low. Some of the lowest I have ever seen. The first bite of the day was a 4 lb 14 oz on a weightless worm. Then next 4 fish I caught were dinkers. Once I got out onto the Main lake it was already feeling pretty warm. The lake was very calm and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I decided to locate some fish for when shame comes and fishes the next couple days. The first few spots I check were holding fish. At the first spot I checked a monster monster bass broke my line. That was very sad biggest fish I had on all day. After catching some fish I decided to try and find some brand new spots. It was such a beautiful and calm day. A perfect day for going around the lake. I found 3 brand new off shore spots. I caught fish off of all of them. One spot in particular I liked a lot, caught a 5-7,4-13, and a 3-4 off of it as well as a couple more smaller fish. The fishing for the day was ok. It was kind of a grind but the weather was amazing. I got a bit of a sunburn. Landed 15 largemouth for the day and 2 smallies. Of the 15 largemouth 7 of them were greater then 3 lbs weighing in at 5-7, 4-14, 4-13, 4-4, 3-4, 3-3, 3-2. Sadly I lost the biggest fish I hooked for the day. Hopefully Shane and I will have some luck the next couple days. A couple pics of the 5-7

Other than a little stretch in the 4th quarter, the Saints just never found their rhythm tonight. I don't know what that fake punt was all about, that cost them any shot they had at getting back in the game.

It ain't over till it's over, especially with the Cowboys.

Think Squirimin Wormin style. Maybe a parody.

I use mild dish soap for my sunglasses and regular eye glasses.

nice fish. i'm sure it sparked a new addiction, chasing the brown ones!

Ok, you caught the bass. Now, who's really hooked. Hootie

Fishing alone is a great time to learn new things and not have to worry about anyone else. You want to practice burning a trap or methodically pitching to isolated cover? Ripping a chatterbait through grass or working a sqarebill through wood? Spend an hour working a beaver pile or buzz down a bank with the trolling motor turned up? It's all good! Some of my best days of fishing have been alone. How many or how big are secondary to enjoying the solitude and the moment IMO.

Went to Dickerson for couple hours, and caught my personal best. It was about 21 or 22 inches and fat. It was caught on Megastrike shaky head (3/16 OZ) and Zoom trick worm. Tossed the shaky head next to a laydown and shook about 10 seconds and the line started to move. I am now a shaky head fan.

Ya that video was a bummer. I saw it when it went up. There was a post in Got'Em I think where guy lost a pair of 250's. I would say like $70 is the most I ever lost in 1 bait. If it was multiple baits then its over $100 in a day.

I once thought that all my previous conclusions would result in sure success but serendipity changed the end result have you ever experienced such happenings when you are fishing with challenges I try to not get so caught up in the obvious that makes things more difficult and understanding is complicated to the point of excursion Hootie

Here in Virginia, we don't have that. But we do have plenty of ponds and lakes with super stunted fish. I'm jealous!

I get mine from my RCBS Rock Chucker! It's the only way to go.

He does seem to be a bit of a deep thinker, if you know what I mean....

Noting that he is from Colorado, the self medication may be having an influence...

Clamp on units don't work real well with kayaks. Plus, you can get a color Piranhamax for around $120.

Facebook recommended people I may know. Yay me! People i used to know but could care less about now. Still interesting to see what people I used to know now look like. Well, ol Facebook screwed the pooch on that one tonight. Who in the hell would I possibly know that lives in Abu Dhabi!?! Or in India, or for that matter in Kazakhstan!?! Either they ran out of people to recommend to me or they are just grasping at straws now. I mean its not even recommending people who know people I know. Well I'm going to attempt to converse with my new Kazakh friend and my new Abu Dhabi friend.

I don't know about friends in Abu Dhabi but I wouldn't mind having a few friends in Abu Garcia who sent me stuff under the table..... LOL

Content on that site has gone way downhill. Even tried to fill mine up with fishing sites, reports, tackle companies. Still nothing in my news feed except selfies, babies, and humble-brags. Deleted it.