Bass Pro Shops Rant I Just Dont Understand It.

[bigbill]

I been having the best success with a BPS XPS TOPNOCKER. It's the best bass topwater lure next to the REBEL POP R. Of course BPS had to discontinue it.

Ok there stik o worm in AMBER RED FLAKE is another very successful bait and color to use here. It's on the stik o worm color chart for many years now it's gone. Nada, nothing again it's a discontinued color.

Why is every hot BPS lure or plastics that just works for any novice and knowledge fisherman discontinued. This is getting old buying the BPS brand over and over plus using it with awesome success only to have it discontinued.

When I find out a new lure has an awesome success in catching fish I give them to my son's and show them the presentations on how to use it. With the topnocker it's a no brainer. My son's catch fish right away using it. My oldest sons first cast with a 1-2-3 pop n pause caught a 4# bass with the topnocker. What more can I say. Wether I 1-2-3 pop n pause it. Hold my rod tip down and reel it so it swims erractic side to side under the water then pause it, or just walk the dog with it the topnocker very rarely lets me down. Again it's discontinued, gonzo, never to be seen nor purchased again. They have removed a very successful topwater lure from our hands.

I guess I need to start shopping elsewhere because it seems to me that BPS doesn't want me to catch fish.

Has anyone else ever discontinued your favorite hot fish catching lure?

It's just not right. To have a worm color discontinued that's a hot fish catching color too.

[smalljaw67]

It isn't the success you have that determines what they keep or not, it is their success in how many they sell which dictates what gets the can and what doesn't. Chances are the top knocker wasn't selling enough to justify keeping it because if it was selling, BPS would not get rid of it, the same think for plastics colors, they keep only what is selling and if you are doing well with a color that nobody else is using, well you better buy a bunch. My advice is to save the plastic bait you want and go to a custom maker, a lot of guys pouring soft plastics will be able to match the color for you if you send them the bait and most guys into that have a stick worm mold so you can still get that worm.

[ooga0341]

I love the Mann's Stone Jig, it is my confidence lure. Any color, any weather, I love it. I cannot find it in any stores in my area, and TW is the only place I can find it with regularity. The only problem with TW is that when I go to order $30 in jigs, I end up spending $300. It'skind of like going to Costco for milk.

[Scott F]

The lesson here is when you find a bait you like, buy enough of them to keep you stocked for years. There is a particular size and color jerkbait that I use that is VERY hard to find. I'm sure it will be discontinued before long so I bought a bunch of them. In years past, that jerkbait out fished everything else by a wide margin. Last year, it caught fish but so did a lot of other baits. Now will I be stuck with an abundance of a bait that used to be the magic lure?

[Marty]

Like smalljaw said above, it was probably due to lack of sales. BPS didn't get where it is today by taking up space in warehouses or on store shelves with products that don't yield the necessary return. Same thing happens at the supermarket; they've discontinued many products which we've liked very much.

 

Obviously, everyone has their own thoughts and confidence factors. In my case, discontinuance of lures and/or colors don't bother me because I always think other lures/other colors will get the job done just as well.

 

The only disaster for me would be discontinuance of the Jitterbug, because it's my favorite lure and I know of nothing equivalent.

[Raul]

If it doesn't sell well in a period of time it becomes a goner.

[FlipSide]

The lesson here is when you find a bait you like, buy enough of them to keep you stocked for years. There is a particular size and color jerkbait that I use that is VERY hard to find. I'm sure it will be discontinued before long so I bought a bunch of them. In years past, that jerkbait out fished everything else by a wide margin. Last year, it caught fish but so did a lot of other baits. Now will I be stuck with an abundance of a bait that used to be the magic lure?

I do the same. You never know when something is just gonna disappear. Better safe than sorry.

[Mumbly]

I am always left confused as to why a company would discontinue a lure that has worked so well for me, thinking of course that it has worked great for others as well. As some other folks have said it was discontinued probably due to a lack of sales. Trying to wrap your head around why it worked so great for you and not for others is a real workout.

 

For me it was (ironically) a Bass Pro white/blue spinnerbait that would out fish any other color that I threw at smallmouth. Also the original Berkey Power Grub in white (but it was more a creamy offwhite body) that was also a killer for me on smallmouth.

 

My thinking is that it was the confidence I had in fishing those colors that made them so great for me.

[CTGalloway21]

I hate Bass Pro cause their prices are sky high.  

[Bluebasser86]

Found a Top Knocker at a garage sale this weekend, there's still some out there.

[TNBassin']

I hate Bass Pro cause their prices are sky high.

Really? Haven't noticed. Have u ever taken advantage of their price match policy?

[Catch and Grease]

I hate Bass Pro cause their prices are sky high.

Yup their prices can be high but like already mentioned they have a good price match policy!

[gobig]

I feel the same way about BPS pricing. Its definitely on the high side. I generally go to them for specific things. I don't want to spend my extra time shopping them so they will price match. TW and local shops get the lying share of my business.

[TNBassin']

I just use the site to store option so I don't pay shipping anyway for anything I order. They price match Gander and Academy, and when the Cabelas gets built in Bristol they will match them too. It's just funny that BPS gets called out, yet 99% of online sites are just as or more expensive than BPS.

[Jeff H]

This kind of thing happens all the time.  Rapala used to produce the #5 Fat Rap in a shallow version, which was/is a big producer for me.  Gone.  No warning or nothing.  Here one year gone the next.  I have 2 left.  Happens all across the board.  Even entire companies come and go or management changes and specific lures right along with it.  PITA but life goes on.  I also deeply lament the loss of the Luck-E-Strike Guido G4 tubes.

[Dan:]

Well yeah, just because one guy buys a few and does well with them doesn't make them profitable to the company. It's obvious but unfortunate sometimes. Also, there's a chance there was an issue with the supply side...maybe the production situation changed and they are either no longer available or have become too expensive to remain profitable.

[Neil McCauley]

FYI the Top Knocker is available in Europe under the name "Hart Knocker." A seller on ebay has a bunch and is shipping to the US for reasonable prices.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201269025953

Mine arrive in a week or so, will share results.

[Cgolf]

Really? Haven't noticed. Have u ever taken advantage of their price match policy?

When I made a list of my baits I did a price compare between BPS, Cabela's, and TW. What I found on baits that all three carried was that TW was by far the cheapest and BPS was the most expensive, but not by a huge amount over Cabela's.

[the reel ess]

I liked their Uncle Buck spinnerbaits and I still have several. I caught a bunch of fish on them and they were cheap. They were replaced by a line that costs as much as everybody else's. It seems the move is toward more expensive, premium lures with higher quality finishes, etc. It may be that they'll replace this popper with a premium bait.

[EmersonFish]

BPS is a nationwide, big-box store. They are numbers driven. Smaller companies can be more influenced by a smaller sample size of anglers. A local company can be more influenced by what the local market wants. BPS has some regional flexibility in a broad sense, but a company that big makes decisions based on figures. And as big as those stores look, every inch of shelf and floor space matters. It's unfortunate that baits people love disappear some times. Happens to us all. There are usually alternatives, but if you really believe a bait is unique and indispensable, stock up as much as your budget will allow.

[Ginosocalbass]

my store has a bunch, what colors would you like. I can send a few your way... all id ask is if you cover shipping. 

 

 

I like stuff that gets discontinued especially my favorite baits. I can stock up and it gives me an edge over other people if the conditions were right.

 

I work for BPS and i can tell you they discontinue ALOT of there own brand stuff that seems to be good sellers, Like the Tourney Special rods  It is pretty annoying for alot of people.  But this market is driven entirely on new and "improved" product on a yearly basis. Even BPS has to keep up with the retail trend. 

[Turkey sandwich]

I think we've all had this happen. Someone brought up the Fat Rap earlier and d**n, do I miss the variety that used to be available. I still have a few stashed away.

I remember Berkley used to make Powerbait worms (twister tail) in a color called "Christmas Cider" that were responsible for a lot of fish on my line, and several 5lbers. They were discontinued around 1999-2000 or so. This still makes me sad sometimes.

[Preytorien]

I like Bass Pro. I shop Bass Pro. If it weren't for me getting their catalogs every other week I probably wouldn't have strayed into the deep end of fishing "seriousness"

 

That said I have 2 rants with Bass Pro.....

 

1. Their sales. They may be good prices and such, but look at the items, I bet in any given sale they've advertised 70% BPS branded items. Now I'm not a guy to get hung up on name brands, and being in retail management, I understand house-brands having generally better profit margins. But jeez guys, put more name-brand tried and true stuff on sale. It wouldn't kill ya.

 

2. Their shipping. I've used everything from their 2-day shipping to the free stuff, and none of it even comes close to TW. I don't know if it's because they use FedEx or what, but I can generally count on it taking 2-4 days longer than a comparable order from TW, another half-country away from me (Central IN)

 

Rant over.....now....to place my BPS order  

[kadas]

When I made a list of my baits I did a price compare between BPS, Cabela's, and TW. What I found on baits that all three carried was that TW was by far the cheapest and BPS was the most expensive, but not by a huge amount over Cabela's.

Yep--this has pretty much always been my findings too--then if you are ordering from Bass Pro online you have to add in the shipping that sometimes is not free--at least with TW you know going in if you buy $50 the shipping is free and we all know how easy it is to get a $50 order

[K_Mac]

Bass Pro is a very successful operation because of their ability to meet the needs of the customer at a decent price. Their customer service is second to none IMO. They are not always the cheapest and they don't always have what I want, but they are one of my go-to suppliers.

Because they are a big chain that depends on volume, they are constantly changing inventory. There are countless baits that worked have worked for me in the past that are no longer available. Tackle comes and goes. Get over it. Bashing a company on this site because they don't meet your needs in content or price is silly as far as I am concerned, and is contrary to Glenn's policy.