Wow. Bad time to need to restock on baits.

[Heron]

Personally, I have not noticed any difficulty shopping at my local Cabela’s store or any local shops

[snake95]

This is amazing... so is the consensus that tackle is running low around the country?

 

Both increased demand and lack of supply at the same time?

 

Maybe the fact that Dick's is abandoning and cutting back on fishing in some stores is a factor?

 

What do you guys think is driving this?  People with more time at home?  I thought it would go the other way because a lot of people don't have as much disposable income.

 

I have not shopped in-store here in North GA in a while, so I haven't seen for myself.

 

I have noticed on many trips around Georgia and throughout the US that the demand for fishing gear does not seem to be even, in normal times.  Seems like you midwestern guys are even more crazy about tackle than us southerners.

 

 

 

 

[A-Jay]

I purchase at least 85-90 % of all my fishing gear on line.

There's only one local option other than the generic box stores within several hours drive.

Having just opened back up, I went into the only local sporting goods store last week.

I can usually re-supply some terminal tackle if needed and some soft plastics.

The available stock was minimal- -I'd used the term "sad".

Guessing perhaps 25% of what it usually is. 

TW, as well as some of the other on line tackle vendors I use, are a bust recently;

low stocks and very long delays in order processing/shipping.

I've resorted to purchasing anything I 'need' quickly on E-Bay. 

I know they have it and the shipping times are at least reasonable. 

A-Jay

[JediAmoeba]

We have two local shops - Wacky Worm and another place that carries some stuff.  Wacky worm is pretty well stocked but definitely lean on some things.  The owner stated that getting new stuff in right now is almost impossible as all the warehouses and wholesalers are out.  This isn't looking good for the next few months.  

 

The other place I mentioned I stopped into this morning for kicks...they are literally empty.  They usually carry a lot of Rapalas...they had 2.  Yes, 2. 2, 6" jointed floating minnows.  The rest if the pegs were empty there.  They had 5 spools of line - some 4# vanish and other light line.  It was really sad.  They said everyone bought up everything and they are unable to get more right now.  

 

I don't know how this impacts us in the next year, but I can't imagine it will help us in getting tackle cheaper.  

[Cgolf]

Last time i went to a Walmart they hardly had anything. There was almost no line and baits were really picked over.  Hope they ultimately don’t use this as an excuse to further inflate prices. 

[FishTank]

22 hours ago, Heron said:

Personally, I have not noticed any difficulty shopping at my local Cabela’s store or any local shops

The Cabela's in Indy is barren.  Hooks>Nope, Sinkers> Not really, Reels> think again...... And so on....

[Fishin Dad]

On 6/26/2020 at 11:50 AM, gimruis said:

Scheels is pretty good but I've noticed some of their prices higher than they should be.  They have been building a new retail location about 20 minutes west of me for the last 2 years in an old Sears and it is scheduled for grand opening on July 11.  They claim its their biggest retail location in the country and even has an indoor ferris wheel.  I assume that all of their shelves will be fully stocked otherwise it wouldn't be much of an "opening."  I intend to go there when they open and physically buy some of the tackle I need.  Ordering items online is not something I do on a regular basis because I'm generally able to get what I need right off the store shelf from Dicks, Cabela's, or Fleet Farm.  Plus I don't like paying for shipping either.  This season those places are virtually completely wiped out of inventory.

Hey gimruis, where is that new Scheels going up?  I grew up on Lake Waconia which has to be close to you in the west metro. Just wondering where that Scheels is going to be.  Thanks.  

[gim]

2 hours ago, Fishin Dad said:

Hey gimruis, where is that new Scheels going up?  I grew up on Lake Waconia which has to be close to you in the west metro. Just wondering where that Scheels is going to be.  Thanks.  

Its in the EP Center where the old Sears used to be.

[r3825]

On 6/26/2020 at 11:50 AM, gimruis said:

Scheels is pretty good but I've noticed some of their prices higher than they should be.  They have been building a new retail location about 20 minutes west of me for the last 2 years in an old Sears and it is scheduled for grand opening on July 11.  They claim its their biggest retail location in the country and even has an indoor ferris wheel.  I assume that all of their shelves will be fully stocked otherwise it wouldn't be much of an "opening."  I intend to go there when they open and physically buy some of the tackle I need.  Ordering items online is not something I do on a regular basis because I'm generally able to get what I need right off the store shelf from Dicks, Cabela's, or Fleet Farm.  Plus I don't like paying for shipping either.  This season those places are virtually completely wiped out of inventory.

We have one with a ferris wheel about an hour south,  they sometimes have stuff that the other places don't and their sales are good

[plawren53202]

On ‎6‎/‎28‎/‎2020 at 7:43 AM, snake95 said:

This is amazing... so is the consensus that tackle is running low around the country?

 

Both increased demand and lack of supply at the same time?

 

Maybe the fact that Dick's is abandoning and cutting back on fishing in some stores is a factor?

 

What do you guys think is driving this?  People with more time at home?  I thought it would go the other way because a lot of people don't have as much disposable income.

I think it is definitely a combination of the Covid-19 new fisherman crowds, combined with retailers' inability to get new stock in, primarily from China.

 

The crowds at my public bank fishing spots in the St. Louis area have been off the charts bad since quarantine hit, as I've moaned and groaned about multiple times in other threads.

 

Based on my admittedly imprecise anecdotal evidence from being in Wal-Mart fishing sections repeatedly since this all started, the selection of gear that is out of stock tends to support that it is new anglers buying a lot of the stuff. Hooks, weights, bobbers and other baitfishing gear tend to always be wiped out (and I was recently in St. Louis' BPS to get some stuff to take my little guy fishing, and they were cleaned out of hooks and weights as well). Rods like Zebco 33 combos in particular seem to be cleaned out.

 

In contrast, I have been noticing that numerous Wal-Marts have still been having things in stock like SK 5XDs and 6XDs, swinghead jig heads, and other gear I would not expect newbie anglers to be using. 

 

Add to all that, a WM sporting goods section worker told me that because of the difficulty in getting new stock in from China and other Asian countries, they can't restock the shelves.

 

One (possibly the only) positive side effect of all this craziness is that I have rediscovered a couple of mom and pop fishing/hunting stores and have been getting a lot of my gear there. They tend to have much more in stock, and I have found that they have a surprising range of gear (baits I usually would only find online, like Megabass, Spro, Reaction Innovations, etc.), and, I have found that their prices are usually pretty darn close to the cost of TW plus shipping.

[galyonj]

24 minutes ago, plawren53202 said:

One (possibly the only) positive side effect of all this craziness is that I have rediscovered a couple of mom and pop fishing/hunting stores and have been getting a lot of my gear there.

I found a place week before last down the street from my office that I had no idea existed. Small shop but they've got a better selection than the other B&M stores here nowadays.

[GReb]

One academy by me still has a decent stock. Probably 70% full. The other is absolutely bare. I’d say less than 10% full. I don’t know why one is worse off than the other. They are literally 10 miles apart

[NavyVet1204]

On 6/18/2020 at 5:35 PM, FishinBuck07 said:

Fisherman's Central website!  They are a local place to me, was in there the other day and it is stocked to the gills!

This is a fantastic time to support your local small mom and pop shops. My local shop that I frequent nearly every week still has a great selection with only pennies on the dollar difference in price. 

[FishinBuck07]

10 hours ago, NavyVet1204 said:

This is a fantastic time to support your local small mom and pop shops. My local shop that I frequent nearly every week still has a great selection with only pennies on the dollar difference in price. 

I buy as much as possible from this place, they almost always have what I need in stock.  Their prices are usually cheaper than most of the other places anyways.  They always have a spring sale and I spend quite a bit of money during those two days there!?

 

[Hawkeye21]

I just ordered a bunch of stuff from Dick's Sporting Goods online.  They have buy 6 get 2 free on almost all baits right now.  I saved over $20.  I ordered yesterday and received half of it this morning already.  The other half is suppose to come on Friday.  Free, standard delivery too.

[gim]

The local Fleet Farm near me is virtually completely wiped out of soft plastics.  They have 16 pegs of different color senkos in 5 inch and they currently have two with items on them.  Its just BARE in there

[TnRiver46]

I could go for years without buying any tackle, but who would want to do that???

[the reel ess]

I've been able to get a good bit more on Amazon than most store sites.

[JediAmoeba]

I stopped in our local Dicks sporting goods yesterday and it is wiped out too.  Unless you want bobbers and some basic eagle claw hooks, you are out of luck.  Lol. They are virtually out of rods and reels which was crazy.  

 

There is no way we recover quickly to restock all the baits and terminal tackle...this is going to take a while.

[plawren53202]

9 minutes ago, JediAmoeba said:

There is no way we recover quickly to restock all the baits and terminal tackle...this is going to take a while.

That's my fear as well...and if we have to start going back on lockdown again, yikes. I know there's bigger issues in the world, but I seriously worry that a round 2 of lockdown (here in MO we could fish during round 1 lockdown) will be the end of some of the public places I fish (and there aren't many to start with) including my subdivision HOA pond. Between the worm box and discarded line litter, and the bucket and bobber brigade keeping every last minnow and dink they catch...yikes. And then add on top tackle supplies being wiped out for months. 

[FishinBuck07]

37 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I could go for years without buying any tackle, but who would want to do that???

That makes two of us, but like you said what fun would that be!

[galyonj]

38 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I could go for years without buying any tackle, but who would want to do that???

Mostly now I just buy to restock on stuff that finds it way into trees or something. But every once in a while I see something that I just gotta have, even if I know, deep down, that I'm never gonna catch a fish on it.

 

Which is why I'm the proud new owner of a Cavitron clacking buzzbait.

[TnRiver46]

34 minutes ago, galyonj said:

Mostly now I just buy to restock on stuff that finds it way into trees or something. But every once in a while I see something that I just gotta have, even if I know, deep down, that I'm never gonna catch a fish on it.

 

Which is why I'm the proud new owner of a Cavitron clacking buzzbait.

Hahah that buzz bait will catch the mess out of them 

[galyonj]

Just now, TnRiver46 said:

Hahah that buzz bait will catch the mess out of them 

Says you. lol

[TnRiver46]

1 minute ago, galyonj said:

Says you. lol

August/sept you are going for a boat ride up the holston for a buzz bait trip