Large Fishing Tackle Outlet

[Zeeter]

As for Amazon, yes Prime - for sure. But if you also have their credit card you get some pretty good rebates.

[kadas]

18 hours ago, A-Jay said:

 

Me too  ~ I've even given it out as Gifts to several family members & friends.

And "Ray the UPS Driver" and I are very well acquainted  ..  ..  .. 

Nice Guy.

A-Jay

 

LOL--yes you know you are buying a lot when you get on first name basis with the UPS driver--mine is named Steve!

[primetime]

But....When those Liquidator overstock tackle shops get in the good stuff and you arrive on that day, It is simply a great feeling. Many times they are hit or miss, and often times you can ask the owner if he can get any of a certain brand, reel etc. Alot of times the outlets are not as in tune to what to buy because when buying closeouts you often get random mixes and simply buy for price since that is all some customers care about.

 

If you see any bait or lure you like that you know will sell on say Overstock shops online, or a bait on clearance everywhere, if you tell the owner he can usually get those baits for you. 

 

The small mom and Pops located on lakes or near them are facing tough times with the Academy's and BPS and online stores growing so fast, and I have no problem paying a dollar extra for a few bags of worms before a trip since you will get 10x the value of local info and knowledge, networking you won't get at bass pro. If another customer or the Staff at a local shop can put you on fish, That is worth paying more money since it solves the hardest problem in fishing which is Finding fish and catching them each trip.

 

On big lakes, Fish Camps know where the fish are, patterns, and if you spend some money, they tend to help you out more. They also carry the right stuff, right colors, and can give you tips. Plus, hearing stories of the big fish landed over the weekend and seeing pictures gets your mind ready for the trip.

[Paul Roberts]

We're spoiled now. Mom-n-Pop shops are pretty much gone. And now the big boxes are in trouble. Dick's, Cabela's, Gander, even Macy's is in trouble. Even when I drive out to BPS, or Cabelas from here (hour drive in crazy traffic) I rarely find what I'm wanting. I'm spoiled.

 

I know exactly what I want and no store could stock all of what's out there now. With Amazon, TW, and others you can get exactly what you want. Back in the day we fished with what we could get. I remember what ordering was like back then. I remember waiting 6 to 8 weeks for shipping -from a nearby state. Now in that time frame, or sooner, we can get what we want -or a good facsimile- for a song directly from China.

 

The idea that you are supporting local expertise is not what it used to be either. The fly-fishing industry was trying to support local shops bc of the expertise provided, which was important in something as technical as fly-fishing. But the internet has pretty much torn the lid off of that black box too.

 

I think we all appreciate the freedom and sheer empowerment in this trend. But, I don't know where all this is headed. A trucking company here in CO just tested their first automated self-driving rig. Hmmmmm.... Pretty soon we'll be ordering at the touch of a button and our stuff will arrive without any paid person actually touching anything. What will all those people do?

 

I'm old school -or at least remember it. My son doesn't appear to be worried; He's even excited. And if I have any questions about the modern techno way of doing things, he knows. "Oh, that's simple... It's WAY better than it used to be -and he's talking about last year.

[The Fisher]

Living in the Dallas area, we have several local fishing stores. One specializes in Dobyns and is usually well stocked. If he doesn't have it, he'll call Dobyns and get it. Also carries Falcon, St Croix, etc. plus all the major reel brands and lots of tackle. I think he carries every color of GY Senkos. We have all the Big Box retailers but I never go there. I'm a lucky guy. 

I try to support the local guy even though TW has no tax and the occasional 15% sale.

[Spankey]

Some of you guy are lucky to have a shop on the water and converse with the staff. Have a real interest in what your doing. And I whole heartedly agree with paying the extra cash for the conversation and possible insite to conditions. I have years of time and cash tied up in bass fishing that's not even the issue. Can't kick though, trial and error and common sense have treated me pretty good. 

[TxHawgs]

I buy the majority of my stuff on line. But if I do need something while on the water which is rare there are some pretty decent stores around the lake. It's a 2hr drive for me to go to BPS but the one near me is actually really good with selection ect. but it's also on a pretty famous TX lake. Well on my way back from Florida last week I needed to stretch my legs and happen to find a BPS along my route. So I stopped thinking it was going to be like the one on the lake, lol not! The place was a joke to any serious bass angler, I couldn't believe it. They didn't even have the slim dropshot weights just the round? Yeah I took it for granted that they were all pretty much the same but learned that couldn't be further from the truth.

[Zeeter]

Makes sense to stock what is needed for the area. Unfortunately I live in Maryland where there is a big salt water fishing segment. Probably cuts down on the stock they can carry.

[Spankey]

Zee I've been down to your BPS many of times, when I first started going there I believe the bass fishing selection was better a number of years ago. My service call put me near there and I never went home until I stopped by BPS. The saltwater selection has really grown. I'm not knocking that or mean that in a negative but that's just my view of it. I don't care how much house brand they carry but they have plenty of buying power to be full line dealers especially in areas where bass fishing is a serious thing.

[WRB]

On March 12, 2017 at 5:22 PM, Zeeter said:

 

It's really what the world is coming to. Either drive from store to store filling out the shopping list, or order online. You can research online, look at reviews, and generally get exactly the style you want. Plus if you order enough they usually give you free shipping, so all that gas money driving from store to store is saved, too.

 

Brick and Mortar stores just can't do that. And it's not just fishing. The only reason to really go into a store nowadays is for food and clothes. Just about everything else is easier to buy online. And heck, if I know what style and size fits me in a pair of jeans I'll even order those online. 

I know the vast majority of bass anglers agree with this thinking and do their shopping online from TW, Amazon and EBay being the consensus of 33 replies to this thread. The local tackle shops are closing because of the change in shopping habits and will be lost forever. Everyone of those mom & pop tackle stores were owned and operated by dedicated anglers that opened a small business of thier dreams only to be ignored by customers who share their passion. BPS will soon be the only walk in store that carries something you may be able use, not state of the art or limited production tackle or lures and that is a end of an era.

Tom

[Zeeter]

2 hours ago, WRB said:

I know the vast majority of bass anglers agree with this thinking and do their shopping online from TW, Amazon and EBay being the consensus of 33 replies to this thread. The local tackle shops are closing because of the change in shopping habits and will be lost forever. Everyone of those mom & pop tackle stores were owned and operated by dedicated anglers that opened a small business of thier dreams only to be ignored by customers who share their passion. BPS will soon be the only walk in store that carries something you may be able use, not state of the art or limited production tackle or lures and that is a end of an era.

Tom

 

I feel for the mom and pop stores like that, but then again times change. In the past if I wanted something that the store didn't have I could ask them to order it for me. Then in maybe a week or so they would get it in stock. Now I can go to TW or Amazon and get it two days later. 

 

As a consumer this is a good sign. Maybe we'll get bit if we find we need something on tournament day, but I know I've become accustomed now to not letting anything get down to the last couple of days. 

 

As a store owner it sucks. Just the same as it sucked for horseshoe makers when cars came along.

[WRB]

1 hour ago, Zeeter said:

 

I feel for the mom and pop stores like that, but then again times change. In the past if I wanted something that the store didn't have I could ask them to order it for me. Then in maybe a week or so they would get it in stock. Now I can go to TW or Amazon and get it two days later. 

 

As a consumer this is a good sign. Maybe we'll get bit if we find we need something on tournament day, but I know I've become accustomed now to not letting anything get down to the last couple of days. 

 

As a store owner it sucks. Just the same as it sucked for horseshoe makers when cars came along.

What's is lost mostly is the face to face conversation with folks that share a love for the outdoors and telling fishing or hunting tales. Today we interact on the internet like this forum, bunch of strangers trying to connect with a common goal. The younger generation can hide behind a keyboard and lack personal contact experiences, having a harder coping with real life. I started my career with the F4 aircraft Mercury space program and retired with the end of Stealth and Shuttle program's, not exactly the horse shoe and buggy era but times are a changing.

Good luck to the next generation of bass anglers.

Tom

[Zeeter]

I think coming here is a good first step. Also, joining clubs. I learned more from the few tournaments I was in than I did through any online research.

[wdp]

Guess I'm fortunate. I still go to my local fishing stores often. I frequent a Sportsman's Warehouse we have & I'm on first name basis with a few guys in the fishing dept. One of them guides locally & he's always good to talk about fishing & what he's been using & having success with. 

 

Same goes for one of our Bass Pro stores. Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking. But a couple of the guys fish local tourneys & belong to clubs. They have pretty good info. Plus, I like just going & talking fishing. I know Bass Pro is lacking when it comes to some high end stuff & they're bad about pushing their house brand. But it's the only place I can find RES & Baby 1 minuses in the colors I want. 

[blckshirt98]

Where society is nowadays with technology, everything is quick gratification.  Driving around burning gas and dealing with traffic and parking to shop is a lot of work if you had the option to just open a web browser, click a few buttons, and have what you want show up on your doorstep in *** days.  I wouldn't be surprised if sometime down the line that BPS also doesn't start shutting down stores because the foot traffic isn't there.  The new BPS in San Jose is dead whenever I go, even on the weekends - there are usually only 2 checkout counters open, with 0-2 people in line in front of you.

 

There's a couple of mom and pop shops still open but in the past few years two have closed down, and one had to move to a smaller location and cut their inventory by 2/3.  There's one tackle shop (Coyote Bait and Tackle) I try to go to once every month or two, and I'll pay full retail to support them (they also have a stamp program where for every $50 you spend you get a stamp on a card, and when you fill up the card with 10 stamps you get $50 off anything).  They also have THE best staff/service of any shop (not just tackle shop, any kind of shop) that sets them apart from other places.  Great service and friendly/knowledgeable staff to build relationships is what the mom and pop shops really need to focus on because that's how they can set themselves apart.  Another mom and pop tackle shop that gives me the same vibe is Glory Hole Sports out in the Sierra Foothills - next time I'm in the area I plan on stopping by and spending some money.

[Zeeter]

That's another thing with online. We can shop online. We can also talk with people online whom we might never have a chance to talk with in real life. You don't get that personal, look each other in the eye thing. Yet if I put up a question about pitching I can have twelve to twenty people comment on it and can take the best advice from all of them. 

 

Not saying anyone here is an old timer, but old timers aren't happy with the situation. Me? I like to get as much information as I can from as many sources as I can. Even when someone gives you wrong information you still learn something from it (what not to do).

 

And I can get this information seven days a week, 365 days a year. Previously it was, "I'll have to ask Otis next time I hit the Beer, Guns, and Tackle shop." That might not be for a couple of weeks. Now we can ask Otis in real time, plus all of Otis' friends.

[KDW96]

9 hours ago, WRB said:

. Everyone of those mom & pop tackle stores were owned and operated by dedicated anglers that opened a small business of thier dreams only to be ignored by customers who share their passion. 

Tom

 

. We used to have a small tackle shop. Once or twice a week,id stop in to visit,and talk about upcoming tourney,etc

 

I bought my first baitcaster there and still have it. I would always buy something even if i didnt need it. West Quincy Tackle was a great little place. My time there was worth more than anytime in a BPS or CABELAS. You see, bps etc have become the walmarts,in the fishing industry. Pushing out not just the local tackle shops,but local business period.

[WRB]

36 minutes ago, Zeeter said:

That's another thing with online. We can shop online. We can also talk with people online whom we might never have a chance to talk with in real life. You don't get that personal, look each other in the eye thing. Yet if I put up a question about pitching I can have twelve to twenty people comment on it and can take the best advice from all of them. 

 

Not saying anyone here is an old timer, but old timers aren't happy with the situation. Me? I like to get as much information as I can from as many sources as I can. Even when someone gives you wrong information you still learn something from it (what not to do).

 

And I can get this information seven days a week, 365 days a year. Previously it was, "I'll have to ask Otis next time I hit the Beer, Guns, and Tackle shop." That might not be for a couple of weeks. Now we can ask Otis in real time, plus all of Otis' friends.

I am a old timer and forgotten more about bass fishing then you may ever learn online.

The only reason I am on this site is to share information that may be of some help to both new and vetreran bass anglers. I will gareente you 1 day on the water with a skilled old timer and you will learn a lifetime worth of bass fishing skills. The Internet is filled with both good and misleading information because anyone can state or vedio anything. Little more difficult when you are face to face with a real person.

Tom

[KDW96]

35 minutes ago, WRB said:

I am a old timer and forgotten more about bass fishing then you may ever learn online.

The only reason I am on this site is to share information that may be of some help to both new and vetreran bass anglers. I will gareente you 1 day on the water with a skilled old timer and you will learn a lifetime worth of bass fishing skills. The Internet is filled with both good and misleading information because anyone can state or vedio anything. Little more difficult when you are face to face with a real person.

Tom

Well spoken sir !!!!!!!!!!!

[Deeare]

Buy what you can from local tackle shops!!!  You might spend a few extra bucks but  it's worth it.  You can get a lot of local info, etc if you ask.   BPS and Cabelas are a joke.   They don't have any of the colors, sizes and brands I want.  And most of the employees don't have a clue.  

[kroberts9]

6 hours ago, Zeeter said:

I think coming here is a good first step. Also, joining clubs. I learned more from the few tournaments I was in than I did through any online research.

I like what you said here. WRB just took a small whack at you but maybe he didn't read your post I quoted. and no offense to anyone but you can be 20 or 100 when you state something like"I'm an old timer and I forgot more about fishing then you may ever learn online" shows insecurity. if you can use  tools like this forum you can put them to real life trials and build a nice arsenal of skills.

 

you can  post anything online but real life experience will always trump keyboard warrior insight. you need to know how to sift through the bull ,but there is some great people out there like most of us like minded people on this site. 

 

 I miss mom&pop tackle shops the local knowledge you can gain is amazing. I like going to BPS at times their lost leaders can be beneficial to my wallet and this is why mom&pops stores go under. it's all about the mighty dollar and when BPS owns the fishing market they have so much capital and avenues to distribute their product it strangles the small shops. 

 

next is the online wholesale/retail shops. they offer some great prices and have hard to find specialty products. then since everything has to be shipped they do it in bulk and have a stranglehold on that market. case and point I just shipped a fishing rod basic ups ground, TW ships for free on orders over a certain value it cost me 45.00 bucks. 

 

 

 

 

 

[OCdockskipper]

"I've forgotten more about this *%@$!*# game than all of you combined are ever gonna know" - Bobby Knight

 

Don't look now, but I think WRB just threw a chair at the MLF official... 

[blckshirt98]

For posterity sake here's a list of the mom and shop tackle shops in the Bay Area that have closed within the past 5 years -

 

Ly's Fishing Goods (San Jose, CA) - Ly went into the machining business because he had a couple of kids and a tackle shop wasn't paying the bills.

 

Mel Cotton's Sporting Goods (San Jose, CA) - Opened in 1946, closed recently when the offer they got for the land was better than the cost to fix their place up, and, the co-tenant on their lot took the offer from the development company.  Hotel incoming.

 

Walton's Pond (San Leandro, CA) - Jon Walton liquidated his shop and moved to La Paz, Mexico to be with his girlfriend and is now helping to manage/guide the Mosquito Fleet charter boats down there.  Moreso than the shop that was lost, he knew everything there was to know about saltwater fishing in NorCal.

 

The Angler's Choice (Capitola, CA) - One of the few tackle shops along the coast just a 1/2 mile from the shore.

 

Fisherman's Warehouse (San Jose, CA) - Not closed yet but they did have to move locations and downsize significantly.  Whenever I visit it's pretty dead, I'll be surprised if they make it another 2 years.

[dwh4784]

I have a local hardware store that is expanding their "fishing hole" by leaps and bounds. It's great. There are some serious bass fishermen working there as well. The tackle they carry is significantly better than Cabela's or Dicks, and the employees know what they are talking about (and ordering in). Rod/reel selection is not great though and always full MSRP. I'm watching the bigger stores for sales on that end of it most of the time.

[Zeeter]

15 hours ago, WRB said:

I am a old timer and forgotten more about bass fishing then you may ever learn online.

The only reason I am on this site is to share information that may be of some help to both new and vetreran bass anglers. I will gareente you 1 day on the water with a skilled old timer and you will learn a lifetime worth of bass fishing skills. The Internet is filled with both good and misleading information because anyone can state or vedio anything. Little more difficult when you are face to face with a real person.

Tom

 

So Tom, what you're saying is that you come here, online, to share information to help new and veteran anglers so that they don't learn the wrong things by researching...online. 

 

Nobody ever suggested that someone will learn more online than being on the water. That's a given. Yet this is March and there's not too much fishing to be done. This is research time up north. 

 

I think you missed my point. Some guy in a tackle shop can be filled with as much BS as a guy online can. Yet online I'm getting 20 responses and can sift through the BS. I'm sure you're a fine angler, but perhaps you do something wrong or that doesn't work for everyone. If I listened only to you then I am doing that same wrong thing. Yet if you say it on here I can read it, plus the other responses and say, "hey - Tom may not be right about this." 

 

And as for videos? I don't have someone who is going to teach me how to pitch and flip (weak spot for me). The only way I'm going to learn the technique is by watching the videos and then going into my backyard and practicing. Sure, I could wait until it gets warmer and go out with one of the guys in the club and have him teach me, but why do that when I have fifty videos of guys showing the proper method? I'm not talking Joe YouTube here, I'm talking about the pros.