Bass Pro Shops Vs. Walmart

[WRB]

If I can find what I need at a local mom & pop bass tackle shop that is where spend my hard earned money.

Refuse to enter a Walmart store, they kill off local business. I like to touch and feel stuff before buying, however in the past, mail ordered from BPS and Cabelas, no longer do that. I wil mail order things I can't find locally from TW, Amazon or direct.

Tom

[bowhunter63]

Im lucky,Lews just built there new building and store about a half mile from my house.Plus our Bass pro is the biggest around.I dont go to wal-mart.

[MIbassyaker]

I have not entered a Walmart in over 10 years, and have no intention of doing so for exactly the reasons mentioned by Dogbone and WRB above. The closest two BPS are two hours away; I will stop and browse if I'm in the area, but I don't stock up on anything there. I have DSG, Cablea's and Gander in town, and will occasionally visit them for deals.

 

But it's my local independent store that always gets my in-person business first; been around for 50 years, and the tackle guys there know every local species and body of water like the backs of their hands. If they don't have what i want, they can order it, or I'll order it online from TW, or get it direct from the company; online storefronts of regional tacklemakers will always get a look.

[deaknh03]

So let me help you out. The Hooksett BPS store is 20 minutes from my house. It has mostly everything I want/need. However, before the Hooksett store opened two years ago I would have to go to the BPS in Foxboro by Patriot Place. Those two stores are night and day. Foxboro is 2 floors, has a pub, and likely 4x the space. I love it but is is 45+ minutes away, so most of the time I can get by with the Hooksett store. Also, being in NH it is tax free so when making big purchases like graphs etc it rocks. 

 

Also, the new cabelas (this year) opened in Hudson, MA is on the way to Foxboro from your neck of the woods, so you can hit up both. One thing that drives me crazy is that after the explosion of the ned rig, I can't find it in any stores and still have to order it on TW. 

 

Pretty much right on.. the Hooksett store is like a poor mans BPS, the Foxboro store is the nuts, plus it's next to the stadium where the greatest NFL franchise ever plays their games. I am doing a job around the corner from the new cabelas in Hudson Ma, and hit the lowes next door often..so of course I had to hit the cabelas since I was in the parking lot..it sucks..went in one time, bought nothing, never go back.

[Jrob78]

In this day and age when you can order anything you want online, tax free with free shipping, I see no reason to worry about whether a store has what you want.   If I have to rely on Walmart for fishing tackle, I might as well find a new hobby.

[Penguino]

DSG is tha bomb.com. Easily best deals in my area. I have 4 walmarts within 40 minutes, all the tackles and fishing stuff is bottom quality. DSG has some really nice St.Croixs and G Loomiss, and has a lot of really good reels. Also, at DSG, the clearance section is always filled with high quality tackle

[milehisnk]

It definitely varies.  I recently took a vacation to Florida and couldn't believe the amount of tackle the Walmart had down there for bass.  Where I live (Colorado) they have a couple packs of Mustad hooks, a few bags of Strike King plastics, a couple square bills and the rest of the aisle is rooster tails, small rapalas, etc.  Trout gear.  There's more powerbait trout dough than crankbaits.  Bass Pro hasn't been here very long, but their selection is big, and they are expanding.  I still tend to get more from tackle warehouse than anywhere else though, because they don't have much of a selection of what I use most.  They just recently started getting War Eagle spinnerbaits, and their Lucky Craft selection is almost non-existent.  They also have pretty much gotten rid of G Loomis except the new e6x, St. Croix (except Triumph and Premier) rods and have replaced them with more of their house brands. 

 

Cabela's and BPS are both about 30 minutes away.  I've got Walmart and Dicks about 10 minutes away and Gander Mountain 15 minutes away.  They all have different things.  I've gotten lucky at Walmart, they were clearancing out Strike King Tungsten weights for $1.00.  Gander is the only one that carries Spro cranks.  Cabelas has different brands as well.  Anymore, I only go to BPS because that's where my bass club meets monthly.

 

 

Edited:  Hit submit too soon.
 

[tomustang]

In this day and age when you can order anything you want online, tax free with free shipping, I see no reason to worry about whether a store has what you want.   If I have to rely on Walmart for fishing tackle, I might as well find a new hobby.

Well said.

Why a bass fishing superstore is being compared to a general merchandise store is already perplexing.

[FrogFreak]

Walmart-Evil, won't buy from them, heck I would be happy if the whole d**n company went away!

Cabelas-OK but they think bass fishing is an afterthought up north

Academy-None locally but good for online purchases

BPS-None locally and it's a hassle to buy from them online

TW-The best place to buy online in my opinion.

 

I got sick of driving around town looking for jigs so I started making my own. I order most of the parts from fishing skirts.com.

[Logan S]

I always have rewards points to spend from my BPS credit card, plus I get BPS gift cards pretty frequently.  Yea, it's a little more expensive than TW...But I can't spend that 'money' anywhere else so it doesn't really matter .  I also happen to enjoy going there in general just to be able to check things out and walk around.

 

My local BPS has really improved in bass fishing stuff over the past couple years so if I need or want something, they typically have it now.  I've never been to a Walmart that had anything more than basic fishing stuff, to me there's no comparison.  

[PourMyOwn]

I always have rewards points to spend from my BPS credit card, plus I get BPS gift cards pretty frequently.  Yea, it's a little more expensive than TW...But I can't spend that 'money' anywhere else so it doesn't really matter .  I also happen to enjoy going there in general just to be able to check things out and walk around.

I do the same with my Cabelas card. I haven't paid cash for a rod or reel since 05. Everything but the car payment and mortgage go on that card, points pile up fast.

[Big C]

The Foxboro store is the nuts, plus it's next to the stadium where the greatest NFL franchise ever plays their games.

 

 

I didn't know the Foxboro store was in Indianapolis.

[Jd_Phillips_Fishin]

I like BPS because of good selection, but the prices can get a little high.

Academy seems to have better prices in general, but smaller selection.

Walmart doesn't carry much and I don't but a lot from there. But they at times will have VERY good sales. I found reel grips that normally go for $5, and i got em for .99

[lo n slo]

My local Walmart carries some items that I use alot, Gamakatsu hooks in the 25 pack, Seaguar line, Spike it, limited Zoom and Berkley plastics, Startron, and Quicksilver synthetic blend oil. They're usually cheaper than BPS and Gander Mountain. I'll use my Christmas BPS gift cards on the March Madness sale and then buy in bulk. BPS is a half hour from the house, a new Cabela's south of Charlotte, but that stretch of I 77 is brutal.

[RMcDuffee726]

I always support the one Local tackle shop I have around my house, I always find that they have stuff Bass Pro Shops would never carry and they also do my reel maintenance which is super clutch.  I don't hate Bass Pro shops by any means, I just wish they carried a little more variety.  Somebody above said they favor big companies (Strike King and such) and I understand why.  It was just such an odd situation I encountered I felt like I had to make a post about it.

[bassarmy7]

Man yall are lucky i live 15-20 minutes from toledo bend . Our walmart sucks and theres no big fishing stores within 2hrs. We do have a dicks and academy about 45 min to an hr away. Luckily a guy i work with also owns a tackle shop so he helps me out with deals.

[kcdinkerz]

Location location location lol they carry what sells can't blame that. I'm a tw guy tough. Can't just walk into a store and pick up a few jigs or a pack of worms, I start seeing stuff I want then 10 bucks turns into 50 real quick.

[the reel ess]

I order whatever I can off Amazon because we have Prime so shipping's free. If they don't have it, I drive past a Walmart 20 more miles and look at Academy. They rarely let me down. If Walmart carries an item that I really want because it's in-season, they'll be out of it. ie: Bubble Gum color Trick Worm. This, Limetreuse and Methiolate are the BEST producing colors. WM usually is out of Bubble Gum and doesn't carry the other two!

 

I also need gold in a lot of lures. WM carries the basics. I wen't on a Sunday a few weeks ago to get a boat drain plug. Standard Item, right? They had an empty box on the shelf. Was there a run on drain plugs? I was fishing the next day. I rigged one with a screw, washers and the rubber from the broken plug.

[the reel ess]

And Dick's doesn't even seem to know we fish for bass around here.

[bassinhole]

I've been dissatisfied with BPS for years. However, they just opened a new one near me, and they completely redeemed themselves. Even though I am in a coastal area their Bass fishing sections were just as large as their salt. and they had a large assortment of non-BPS gear which is something I have found lacking in the Ft Lauderdale, Miami, and Ft Myers stores. Another thing I have to give BPS the nod for is their Fly Fishing sections. It's tough to find decent selections of flys/materials anywhere else unless you happen to have a local fly shop nearby.

[Sam]

RMc, your post highlights the "buyers" input on what fishing tackle each store will stock.

Stores near saltwater fishing will have more saltwater than freshwater equipment.

Same is true for a store with a high population of freshwater fishermen - more freshwater gear.

Both stores have a specific number of fee for each product offered. Whatever is selling best goes into those specific feet of space.

This is why shopping on the Internet is so attractive to bass fishing guys.

We can find what we need and have it shipped to our homes without taking our time and treasury to drive to each local retailer.

For example. Castaways Tackle shop in Chester has the most Senkos of any store I have visited.

The Wal-Mart on Forest Hill Avenue in Richmond caters to the freshwater guys with catfish and freshwater equipment.

Tackle Express on Midlothian in Chesterfield County has a good selection of Zoom products.

So to have your BPS or Wal-Mart carry what you want to buy you need to ask for the buyer and speak with that person.

Just remember, if it does not sell previously the product will not be offered.

[Todd2]

If I can find what I need at a local mom & pop bass tackle shop that is where spend my hard earned money.

Tom

This....

[Neil McCauley]

These big box stores always seem to collapse from within the bigger they get.

Bass Pro used to not only be the best tackle store in terms of availability and variety, it also had the best website in the late 90s. But now they seem more focused on selling 10 thousand different varieties of scented candles and beef jerky seasonings. They have an art gallery for crissake. There is not enough profit margin for selling quality items. Selling junk assembled by 7 year olds in China to idiotic impulse buyers- soccer moms, kids, gift shoppers, people who've never fished or stepped foot outdoors in their lives- is far easier and more lucrative.

Still the best places to buy tackle are the small father/son tackle shops. The prices aren't always bargains but I almost always find lures and tackle I'm looking for. Size 14 snap swivels, oversized 8" crankbaits, whatever. They cater to a different crowd.

[blckshirt98]

I've only been to one BPS, and that's the one in Manteca, CA.  It's in the central valley closer to the Sierra mountains than the coast.  It's huge but they have a ton of floor space dedicated to clothing and hunting gear.  Their fishing section is large and it's primarily freshwater stuff, a decent trout section too.  Their saltwater section is an afterthought.  They're probably targeting the people from the Bay Area passing through on their way to one of the bajillion places to fish in the Sierras.

 

One thing I noticed is that their rods/reels/lures are stocked very heavy on their in-house, Strike King, Berkley/Pure Fishing, Zoom, and Rapala/VMC brands.  I'd guess those companies make up probably 80% of their stock.  Now if you're looking for something from those brands, their color selection can't be beat and you'll probably find something to your liking.  If you're looking for something from a smaller regional or niche tackle company, you're probably out of luck.  I'm assuming BPS buys in such huge volumes to stock all of their stores that they can get the best bulk deals from those big brands, which provide the biggest profit margins, so they focus on those.  BPS also NEVER has sales/closeouts of any note, not even on their website.  Maybe a dozen items on ine, or a small bookend rack at the end of an aisle in-store, and even then it's mostly their in-house brand items.  One really odd thing I noticed was that I was looking to buy some barrel swivels (like the Spro Power Swivel style) and the BPS had NO barrel swivels of that style.

 

There's a new BPS opening in San Jose in a month or two, so I'm curious to see how they stock that store.  I'm guessing they'll have a larger saltwater selection.  All of the local Sports Authority stores got rid of their fishing sections a couple of years back after BPS announced their plans.  The local Wal Marts have an aisle for fishing, but it's the usual essentials with a little bit of everything freshwater/saltwater/trout/panfish/catfish/carp/etc so the typical family could get what they needed if they wanted to go fishing.

[Jaw1]

Location location location lol they carry what sells can't blame that. I'm a tw guy tough. Can't just walk into a store and pick up a few jigs or a pack of worms, I start seeing stuff I want then 10 bucks turns into 50 real quick.[/quote

Toledo tackle? I live in the home state of walmart and there was a time when or local ones had a great fishing department. That was a long time ago they suck now. I thought it would get better when they started their affiliation with the flw back up ,but it hasn't. We had a bps open a little over a yr ago about 45 min to an hour from me and I shop there when I'm in town but it's really just a place where my son and I can hang out while my wife and daughter are shopping elsewhere. The prices are higher at bps and I enjoy hitting the smaller shops that I've always frequented. The smaller shops usually have newer stuff sooner and their rod selection is better. I also hit academy for better prices. The gandermountains fishing section isn't very good around here and dsg is a 2hr drive one way so I don't see it very often. Not sure where the closest cabelas is.TW gets most of my winter business.