The Death of the small tackle shop

[LCG]

1 minute ago, Mobasser said:

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

ME too, I would get far more use out those. Maybe I can hit up my local politicians for a push to legalize fairly priced fishing tackle at a local store level. 

[TnRiver46]

11 hours ago, 12poundbass said:

Small town USA is a good thing in my book. 

+1!!!!!! Glad to read that so many members like to patronize local stores. Cruising through a lot of other topics and discussions it seemed to be the opposite. I enjoy the internet for fishing knowledge but not for putting people out of business

[Bluebasser86]

There's one in town near me but they cater more towards the crappie/catfishing crowd. Plus the owners smoke like a chimney and leave all the windows and doors closed so I can't hardly walk in there without hacking up a lung. I've bought minnows a couple times, mainly just to dump in my pond to give the bass something to chase around. 

[NorthwestBasser]

Spokane/CDA area... Becker's Tackle Shop. Located in Coure d'Alene Idaho. Sits across a parking lot from a big box type outdoor store. We have Cabelas, Dicks, and Sportsmans Warehouse here. Along with a few other outdoors hunting/fishing stores. Becker's is hands down the best, not only does Blake, the owner, carry all the same and every day type items he also has all the unique, hard to find stuff too. His Customer service is EXCEPTIONAL. He closes on Sunday and Monday. Sunday is for church and family, Monday... He fishes. And he is more than happy to tell you exactly what he's throwing and where he's throwing it. He takes time and his own money to sponsor youth, highschool and local college level fishermen and women who are chasing dreams or just out having good fun. He donates to our local clubs and charity tournaments. This is a small shop, not even a fraction of the floor space the other guys have. But his inventory puts them to shame and he hangs in there punch for punch with those big money guys across the street and down the road. And that can only be credited to him and his family. Although, he'd be the first to tell you all glory goes to God. If you're every in the area it's worth your time to stop by and say hi. Even if you don't spend a dollar, he'll spend ten minutes talking about the local bass scene and if he meets you once, he will NEVER forget your name. 

[Harold Scoggins]

13 hours ago, Gundog said:

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. 

Hey Gundog, should you ever wander into Five Mountain Outfitters in Shickshinny, tell the owner, Brian Swingle, I said hi.

[smalljaw67]

21 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.  

My local Cabela's has a full end cap of just Megabass 110s and half an isle of S-cranks, Ito Shiners, 110+1s etc. and I've never saw any empty pegs.

[N Florida Mike]

17 hours ago, SC53 said:

We still have them although not like it used to be. 

Bitters Tackle is our store here in town. It’s owned by John Bitters, Jim Bitters brother. They have an unbelievable selection of plastics that no one can hold a candle to, not even Bass Pro or Cabelas. They make their own line and have every color imaginable (and some you didn’t even know existed). In addition, they have every other type lure or tackle you could think of for bass. If they don’t have it, nobody does here in town.

I've heard of them, arent they in the Orlando area ?

[N Florida Mike]

In my area they are nearly extinct. The surviving ones are saltwater bait and tackles nearer the beach. There used to be several local ownwd freshwater bait and tackle shops around but now we have Dicks, Academy, and wal marts all over, and fixing to get a bass pro shops.

None of these sell live bait, except worms , which makes it much harder for the casual fisherman. I learned to catch live bait as a kid here but we have so many people here now that arent skilled at that because theyre not from here. Freshwater fishing has gone backwards here and definetely the emphasis is salt water, and that from a boat because thats where the money is.

Our local b/t ( Thats long out of business ) had a bass tourney every spring. You could fish anywhere, and bring them the fish for weigh in. Top 10 for the month ( and big fish ) won some nice prizes from the store. I placed several times and LOVED it. Its really sad to see these stores go, because thats where most of the local knowledge and trading of info, and friendly fishing fellowship ( FFF) was.

[Krux5506]

14 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

You're not entirely wrong, especially considering some guys who are what I would call gear whores who have every latest and greatest bait/lure, but in my experience with shops around Rochester, unless you go in with the general mindset of "buying anything to catch a bass" vs "I'm looking for some spinnerbaits" then you're probably gonna be disappointed. A great example is the last time I went to a local shop that's been around forever (great owner by the way, the kinda guy you can meet once and feel like you've known for years) I was specifically looking for skirted spinnerbaits. He told me he hadn't gotten any in in almost a year because his rep never calls him back, but he's been trying to get them in. 

 

Ok....so what does the customer do? wait until they are back in stock or go around the corner to Walmart and buy a bunch of Strike Kings? In other words, I'm not one to shop brand specific and I'll try anything that looks to be of decent quality, but if a shop just doesn't have anything of a specific category of lure then it gets frustrating.

 

I think the shops around here survive on live bait sales and the salmon/trout lake guys. 

[SC53]

Yes Mike in Longwood

https://www.bittersbaitandtackle.com/

[Logan S]

I buy most of my stuff online...TW and others, plus some tackle from Japan more often than I'd like to admit .  I also shop at BPS quite a bit since gift cards are a popular gift item for me and they also have boating gear, clothes, etc.  Our BPS has a decent selection including Megabass and other higher end stuff.  We have a DSG in town but I choose not to shop there anymore for a variety of reasons, their selection in the fishing department is garbage anyway.  

 

There's a relatively new tackle shop that's north of Baltimore (so about an hour+ from me) that's really the only 'local' tackle shop that caters to bass anglers....I've been a few times but to be honest, it's not worth the drive.  They have a nice selections and prices on par with online retailers, but then add tax, gas, and time - It just doesn't make sense.  It's also still not up to par with TW and others online in terms of selection.  

 

Times change, even the great 'local' tackle shops have an online presence.  Susquehanna Fishing Tackle in PA and Tackle Supply Depot in CT are good examples...I'd bet both do far more online business than local.  I've been to both, TSD actually doesn't even keep their products on the shelves, just 1 example of each...You fill out a little order sheet and they run back to the warehouse to get everything for you.  

[bigbassin']

4 hours ago, N Florida Mike said:

I've heard of them, arent they in the Orlando area ?

They are, and definitely worth checking out if you ever pass through the area.  For the price they are the best soft plastic brand out there imo.

 

I will say their senko and brush hog knockoffs don't compare to the real thing, but their flukes, swimbaits, and craw-style baits have completely replaced all other brands for me.  Plus like @SC53 said, they offer colors that I've never seen anywhere else.

[crypt]

21 hours ago, SC53 said:

We still have them although not like it used to be. 

Bitters Tackle is our store here in town. It’s owned by John Bitters, Jim Bitters brother. They have an unbelievable selection of plastics that no one can hold a candle to, not even Bass Pro or Cabelas. They make their own line and have every color imaginable (and some you didn’t even know existed). In addition, they have every other type lure or tackle you could think of for bass. If they don’t have it, nobody does here in town.

I live an hour away from Bitters and still go there for all of my bait needs. great store better people.

[greentrout]

 

At age 21, Johnny fell in love with the emerging sport of bass fishing and spent five years on the professional circuit. After noticing growing interest in the sport, Johnny started Bass Pro Shops with eight square feet of space in the back of his father's liquor store in Springfield, Missouri, the company's sole location for the first 13 years of business. Johnny's passion for the outdoors and his feel for the products and shopping experiences desired by outdoor enthusiasts helped transform the industry.

 

BassPro

[Catt]

To me as sad as it is to see mom-n-pop stores closing is the fact that not many youngsters are willing to take over or open a new one.

[Log Catcher]

13 minutes ago, Catt said:

To me as sad as it is to see mom-n-pop stores closing is the fact that not many youngsters are willing to take over or open a new one.

From what I have seen if it involves more than using a computer or cell phone the younger generation doesn't want to be bothered with it or know where to start.

[Mobasser]

21 minutes ago, Catt said:

To me as sad as it is to see mom-n-pop stores closing is the fact that not many youngsters are willing to take over or open a new one.

Very true Catt. It's a big gamble, especially now days.

 

35 minutes ago, greentrout said:

 

At age 21, Johnny fell in love with the emerging sport of bass fishing and spent five years on the professional circuit. After noticing growing interest in the sport, Johnny started Bass Pro Shops with eight square feet of space in the back of his father's liquor store in Springfield, Missouri, the company's sole location for the first 13 years of business. Johnny's passion for the outdoors and his feel for the products and shopping experiences desired by outdoor enthusiasts helped transform the industry.

 

BassPro

Johnny came along at a perfect time for all this

[GReb]

2 hours ago, Catt said:

To me as sad as it is to see mom-n-pop stores closing is the fact that not many youngsters are willing to take over or open a new one.

Hard to start a profitable small business today. Insurance, taxes, legal fees, lack of 401k/benefits etc. Cost of living is high. The economy is still not what it once was and the level uncertainty is high.  Most college grads are also $50k in debt at 24 years old. 

 

I wish more children of store owners would be willing to keep it going.  Most seem sick of working at the business their entire life and want to go their own direction. 

[Scott F]

The biggest reason mom & pop tackle stores have such a hard time is the small profit margins to the retailers on fishing tackle. Even the big box stores couldn’t survive if all they sold was fishing gear. Clothing takes up most of the floor space at Bass Pro, Cabelas’s, Dick’s and all the rest because that’s where all the store profits come from. 

[Catt]

36 minutes ago, GReb said:

Hard to start a profitable small business today. Insurance, taxes, legal fees, lack of 401k/benefits etc. Cost of living is high. The economy is still not what it once was and the level uncertainty is high

 

Ya think it was easy 40-50 yrs ago? 

[fishwizzard]

4 hours ago, Logan S said:

There's a relatively new tackle shop that's north of Baltimore (so about an hour+ from me) that's really the only 'local' tackle shop that caters to bass anglers....I've been a few times but to be honest, it's not worth the drive.  They have a nice selections and prices on par with online retailers, but then add tax, gas, and time - It just doesn't make sense.  It's also still not up to par with TW and others online in terms of selection.  

I assume we are both talking about Anglers' Express.  I feel like the B-more reservoirs being closed to boating does not help them much with foot traffic.  I would shop there far more often if I could toss my kayak into Loch Raven while I was up there.  

[BassNJake]

3 hours ago, Log Catcher said:

From what I have seen if it involves more than using a computer or cell phone the younger generation doesn't want to be bothered with it or know where to start.

To me it seems all the issues with the younger generations are products of the older generation.

 

I for one, do not want my children working 14 hour days pouring concrete like I once did.

I dont want my kid riding his bike 21 miles a day to work for 5 bucks an hour like I did.

I dont want my kids hitchhiking because their bicycle is broken down and they cant get to their job.

 

So I try to do things that make my childrens lives easier than the one I grew up knowing.

When I look back at what my dad did, I see the same approach was taken with me.

I heard when I was growing up how easy we had it as kids and we didn't suffer like the kids did years ago ...

(like suffering as a kid was a good thing?)

My dad didn't raise a spoiled brat and neither am I.

I'm just trying to provide a better start to their journey than what I had.

 

 

I hear all the time people slamming the kids getting participation trophies..... Most of the people I hear complaining about kids getting participation trophies are from the generation that handed them out. 

 

Kids are smart if they are on the computer and their phones, thats what the future holds for them.

 

 

[GReb]

20 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

Ya think it was easy 40-50 yrs ago? 

Depends on what your business is. For a brick and mortar tackle shop? Yes. Less competition and fewer barriers. Higher profit margins. It’s basically impossible today without selling guns and flipping used equipment. Or processing meat. Fishing tackle cash flow isn’t going to sustain any business alone like it could have 40 years ago. Even then you weren’t turning huge profits with 10x as many people walking through the door

[Mobasser]

13 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

Ya think it was easy 40-50 yrs ago? 

No way Catt. I know it was always a hard business. The better tackle shops - these guys worked long hours, weekends, and some hard physical work too.Plus, you always had to be prepared for the slow season, in some areas this could be a few months. I always admired folks who could hang with it, and build that type of business.You would have to love fishing to stick it out

[Logan S]

10 minutes ago, fishwizzard said:

I assume we are both talking about Anglers' Express.  I feel like the B-more reservoirs being closed to boating does not help them much with foot traffic.  I would shop there far more often if I could toss my kayak into Loch Raven while I was up there.  

100% True.  If I could fish those lakes I would stop in for sure at least every once in a while.  Such a shame to have 3 beautiful lakes so close that are closed off.  

 

There's a nice tackle shop (Precision Tackle) in/near Anchor Marina on the Upper Bay (NE River) that seems to do OK because it's got bass boats in and out every day year-round.  They also host and sponsor lots of local tournaments.  There's several ramps closer to me so I don't go to Anchor often though.  

 

59 minutes ago, GReb said:

I wish more children of store owners would be willing to keep it going.  Most seem sick of working at the business their entire life and want to go their own direction. 

I think it's more that the tackle shops operate on a razor-thin line and they don't want to commit their life/career to something that risky.