The Death of the small tackle shop

[OkobojiEagle]

I read often on this (and other) board(s) that local tackle shops aren't patronized because they don't carry the items we want.  Maybe we're actually being a little picky and spoiled.  Give any of the top pros $300 and let them buy and use tackle ONLY from any one of those shops and I'm confident it won't slow their catch rate on your local lake.

 

oe

[Chance_Taker4]

We are down to one in my area and it caters to walleye in the spring and catfish in rest of the time. If you walk in and ask about the smallmouth bite that look at you like your crazy. They do sell bass rods and reels and plastics. Occasionally they will have a few bass hardbaits to.

 

I think a lot of it is the dedicated hardcore angler has other means to get their tackle i.e. Tackle Warehouse and the small shops are now having to cater to the recreational angler who doesn't quite care what he catches or uses as long as he is having fun.

[GReb]

It seems most mom and pop shops suffer from two things: location and hours. They close at 5 or 6 and aren’t located close enough for people to swing by at lunch. I don’t know many who can go buy tackle at 10 am on Tuesday or 3 pm on Wednesday. And most of their clientele is on the lake during the weekend hours. 

 

Meanwhile Academy and Dicks are within 5 minutes of most office parks and open until 9 pm.

 

Edit. It never made sense to me why my local shop doesn’t open until 9 on Saturday. 100 boats pass right by it on the way to the lake at 6 am every weekend. You’d think someone would be smart enough to take advantage of that time

[Primus]

We have a solid one where I live at and I also patronize D & R sports in Kalamazoo, MI owned by KVD's brother Randy. The local store has a solid selection of Senko's,  Zoom , Strike King plastics etc.  so I buy those items there when I can instead of buying on line. I also buy what I can at D & R . I generally buy tackle on line for the items that our local shops don't carry, that I said I prefer to keep the money I spend supporting local business whenever possible. 

[Gundog]

Lets see...in my region there is Wacky Worm (best spring sale and the owner makes his own plastic baits- knockoffs but just as good, BTW the owner has no internet sales but you can call him and he'll make what you want in bulk), Nimrod Haven (he sells guns and ammo as well) and the Tackle Box which mostly sells live bait and trout lures. There use to be about 5 more including one that had the biggest wall of crankbaits and jerkbaits you could imagine. The internet has taken its toll on the little shops but some still survive. 

[Bankbeater]

There is one bait and tackle store within 10 miles of me that sells strictly fishing items.  I think this place is still in business because they do rod and reel repair.  There are a couple of other places near me that sell bait and tackle, but they supplement their income by selling other things like adult beverages, and ammo.

 

 

[deadadrift89]

None left in our area anymore. Spent the Summer in a small rural MN town that still has one with great owners...sad to see them disappearing

[Mobasser]

Of course our goal is to catch the biggest and most bass. But there's so much more to this sport. Talking with other fisherman, trying new teqniques, shopping for tackle, even at a small baitshop, constantly trying to improve your skills, and of course hooking your first good size bass. ALL OF IT! IT It all gets locked in your memory, and stays with you all your life. That's only part of what I love about this sport.

[flyfisher]

9 hours ago, TOXIC said:

Had a good friend that owned a small tackle store in Michigan.  KD Outdoors.  He survived by his knowledge of the local lakes and what was working when.  He was an avid fisherman.  He sold live bait as well as servicing Bows and being an authorized Trolling Motor repair center.  His niche was that he carried the baits that worked no matter who manufactured them.  Ever go into BPS/Cabela's or any other box store and try to find Megabass Jerkbaits for example?  You won't.  He also carried a lot of locally owned bait manufacturers product.  It was a very tough business to be in.  Sadly he passed from an unexpected illness and the shop was closed.  

They carry Megabass jerk baits at my local bass pro not sure about cabelas.

As far as shopping mom & pop shops i have a good one near me that i frequent when i need something.  Their prices are close enough and they are about 3 miles from my house rather than 15 to bass pro.  They have the vast majority of the things i want and offer to order anything else for me.  

I do go to bass pro when i accumulate enough rewards or get a gift card.  

[whitwolf]

There's one here that I can get anything I want or need. If they don't have it,they will order it and you won't pay any different than if you bought it online. 

 

They are great folks and are always talking fishing. They sell boats also and because of that the tackle shop thrives.

 

I buy everything but jigs from them and will continue to do so. 

[burrows]

It’s not just mom and pop shops anymore it’s big corporations like toys r us and Kmart ? Sad to see them go to.

[flyfisher]

6 minutes ago, Burrows said:

It’s not just mom and pop shops anymore it’s big corporations like toys r us and Kmart ? Sad to see them go to.

Nature of the beast.  Those companies refused to embrace the online digital age and marketing and paid the price much like blockbuster.  Gotta continue to grow and evolve or you will die.

The mom & pop tackle shops are a little different though as they can provide knowledge as well as merchandise and some of that merchandise has to be purchased in person.  

[Big Swimbait]

We have a few left in the DFW area. They usually have a pretty good mix including the JDM stuff and a pretty good selection of big swimbaits. They are a few dollars more but I give them all of the business I can.

[Brad Reid]

3 minutes ago, 1201vilbig said:

We have a few left in the DFW area. They usually have a pretty good mix including the JDM stuff and a pretty good selection of big swimbaits. They are a few dollars more but I give them all of the business I can.

Anglers would be one I like to visit in D/FW. And, we also have a very nice tackle store in Eustace just north of where I live on Lake Athens. It is just west of Purtis Creek Lake and near Cedar Creek Lake on 175. I do the same: give these small shops all the business I can!  Brad

[LCG]

Up here in Canada we just don't have the selection our southern neighbours seem to have. Finding some products here can be a chore and when you do, they are so over priced you'd be a fool to buy them. Ie. a pack of zoom trick worms $11 at Canadian Tire vs $7 on Amazon. 

 

Mom and pop stores are a great thing, I wish we had more of them. I agree that they have to grow with the times and have an internet presence, but it is nice to go and walk the aisles, get advice, and interact with other anglers. 

 

We have big sport stores like bass pro and sails, but their selection is not the same as in the US. Ie. Can't get zoom baby brush hogs here, have to go for a day trip to the states to stock up on decent tackle. The small shops just don't carry much selection and its a shame. Rather give my support to the little guys. 

 

 

 

[WRB]

In my home town the only bass tackle shop closed 5 years ago. There are a few around about 25 mile drive that carry fishing tackle of all types and good selection of bass tackle including local hand pour soft plastics and swimbaits. 

I have always catered to the mom & pop shops hoping they stay in business.

Tom

 

[Mobasser]

19 minutes ago, WRB said:

In my home town the only bass tackle shop closed 5 years ago. There are a few around about 25 mile drive that carry fishing tackle of all types and good selection of bass tackle including local hand pour soft plastics and swimbaits. 

I have always catered to the mom & pop shops hoping they stay in business.

Tom

 

Me too Tom

[the reel ess]

12 hours ago, Krux5506 said:

I love a family owned mom and pop tackle shop but there's one thing all the surviving ones around here have in common....they BARELY cater to bass fishermen, besides maybe carrying some basic Rapalas and Power Worms. The only stores keeping up with bass fishing around here are Dick's and Field & Stream. Obviously Cabelas and Bass Pro but we don't have those close by to Rochester. 

 

I hate to say it, but whether it's tackle shops or hardware stores or whatever, there's a reason why I buy stuff online and it's not for the convenience of not having to leave home, but rather that 90% of the time stores do NOT have what I'm looking for in the first place. Can't tell you how many times I've had to chase around looking for specific items only to just go home and buy them on Amazon which would've saved both time and headache in the first place. Typically though with baits/lures I'm buying from big box stores to avoid shipping costs. 

Walmart doesn't even have what I want. The closest Dick's has less than Walmart. There's an Academy near the Dick's that has most of my needs. So it's there or online ordering for me. I get what I can from Amazon. I don't feel I'm hurting Mom & Pop because I'm not going to the lake anymore. If I did I would go buy their bait and beer and cheeseburger.

[the reel ess]

59 minutes ago, Burrows said:

It’s not just mom and pop shops anymore it’s big corporations like toys r us and Kmart ? Sad to see them go to.

Our K Mart went under years ago. Apparently, the purchaser had no idea where we were. They had all kinds of trout and walleye baits and tackle. Subsequently, they always had stuff on clearance. I would always troll through there and see what they were giving away. I was so broke back then (first marriage) I had to shop the clearance at K and Walmart. I still have some of those FLW and Renegade soft plastics.

[soflabasser]

4 hours ago, OkobojiEagle said:

I read often on this (and other) board(s) that local tackle shops aren't patronized because they don't carry the items we want.  Maybe we're actually being a little picky and spoiled.  Give any of the top pros $300 and let them buy and use tackle ONLY from any one of those shops and I'm confident it won't slow their catch rate on your local lake.

 

oe

I am sure any decent bass fisherman will do just fine with a yoyo reel and some live bait they catch themselves if they wanted to.That form of fishing is very cheap and more effective than you might think but it gets boring quickly if you like catching bass on a wide variety of lures .One of the best things about bass fishing is that bass hit a variety of lures, which means we get to choose many types of lures to catch bass. For me this means I will continue buying lures online if the small bait and tackle stores does not sell them or if they are selling them for more than what I can get them online (with free shipping on a lot of lures).

[Gundog]

1 hour ago, LCG said:

Up here in Canada we just don't have the selection our southern neighbours seem to have. Finding some products here can be a chore and when you do, they are so over priced you'd be a fool to buy them. Ie. a pack of zoom trick worms $11 at Canadian Tire vs $7 on Amazon. 

 

Makes me think about how many packs of Zoom Trick Worms I can fit in the trunk of my car. I can be a bootlegger just like my grandpa only without all the alcohol. 

[MIbassyaker]

There are several good "Mom & Pop" tackle stores in my area (grand rapids, MI), that seem to be doing OK even with the presence of big box outlets like Cabela's and DSG.

 

The best is probably Al & Bobs, which has been in business for decades, carries both low- and high-end brands, sells things by local tackle-makers you can't get everywhere, and sponsors numerous local fishing and hunting related events: http://alandbobssports.com/ 

 

These sorts of places are not just retailers -- they are also goldmines of detailed localized information, current and historical, about bodies of water in the area. The long-time patrons and regulars, when they come in, report on what's biting on what, where, and when, who caught what, in which spot, at what time, on what bait, and so on. Are bigguns being hauled in consistently from a particular place? Are there places that are declining or heating up? The folks at these stores tend to be able to tell you more about these things than the big box places...they just tend to be more plugged-in to the local fishing community.

[Mobasser]

36 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said:

There are several good "Mom & Pop" tackle stores in my area (grand rapids, MI), that seem to be doing OK even with the presence of big box outlets like Cabela's and DSG.

 

The best is probably Al & Bobs, which has been in business for decades, carries both low- and high-end brands, sells things by local tackle-makers you can't get everywhere, and sponsors numerous local fishing and hunting related events: http://alandbobssports.com/ 

 

These sorts of places are not just retailers -- they are also goldmines of detailed localized information, current and historical, about bodies of water in the area. The long-time patrons and regulars, when they come in, report on what's biting on what, where, and when, who caught what, in which spot, at what time, on what bait, and so on. Are bigguns being hauled in consistently from a particular place? Are there places that are declining or heating up? The folks at these stores tend to be able to tell you more about these things than the big box places...they just tend to be more plugged-in to the local fishing community.

Very true. This kind of info is always helpful. These guys talk to so many fisherman they know what's happening on the local lakes.

[LCG]

58 minutes ago, Gundog said:

Makes me think about how many packs of Zoom Trick Worms I can fit in the trunk of my car. I can be a bootlegger just like my grandpa only without all the alcohol. 

It's funny, as of tomorrow we as Canadians can buy marijuana and all kinds of alcohol, but damned if I can't buy a pack of baby brush hogs

[Mobasser]

1 minute ago, LCG said:

It's funny, as of tomorrow we as Canadians can buy marijuana and all kinds of alcohol, but damned if I can't buy a pack of baby brush hogs

I think you guys would be better with the baby brush hogs?