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[Wool]

  Advice at Walmart or Canadian Tire? Which bubble wrapped Zebco thumb button GI Joe / Mutant Turtle reel is better? Maybe buy our roe there? Not throwing any crap on anyone, but, I like the boys at Sea Run and Freds when I'm buying higher dollar ticket items. The thought of asking some high school kid about tackle or what to choose or how to use it... Lol.

[Drewhill]

  Advice at Walmart or Canadian Tire? Which bubble wrapped Zebco thumb button GI Joe / Mutant Turtle reel is better? Maybe buy our roe there? Not throwing any crap on anyone, but, I like the boys at Sea Run and Freds when I'm buying higher dollar ticket items. The thought of asking some high school kid about tackle or what to choose or how to use it... Lol.

You should probably go back and read the post again, bud. I'm saying those places don't give out any advice. And with anglers starting younger and younger there are a lot of high school kids that know more, and could out fish, some of the old timers. They also tend have more knowledge of newer gear and techniques than some old timers who get stubborn with age and won't stray from what they've been using for years. Just because somebody has been doing it for 20,30 or even more years doesn't mean they have been doing it right.

[Wool]

Maybe your right. Sorry.

[dufflayer]

You should probably go back and read the post again, bud. I'm saying those places don't give out any advice. And with anglers starting younger and younger there are a lot of high school kids that know more, and could out fish, some of the old timers. They also tend have more knowledge of newer gear and techniques than some old timers who get stubborn with age and won't stray from what they've been using for years. Just because somebody has been doing it for 20,30 or even more years doesn't mean they have been doing it right.

You're totally right. If I walk in to a shop and buddy has overpriced gear that he can't move but swears by it because 'this is how you're supposed to fish'... I'm sorry, I'm walking right out. On top of that, if you're so worried about getting the best gear, and you're walking in to crappy tire expecting the pimple faced dweeb wandering the aisles to give you advice; give your head a shake. It's 2016, you're grown enough to do the research and figure it out yourself. We have encyclopaedias on the internet for crying out loud.
Once a month I drive two hours to shop at Wholesale Sports. There I can buy huge quantities of line, lead, terminal tackle, etc... I walk in, find what I need, and pay for it. On top of that their prices are at least 25% less than my local tackle shop AND they provide a service discount to active military, police, and fire. I once asked a kid there where I could find a baiting needle and he replied "uhhh...the fishing section". That was my own damn mistake. The aisles are laid out in an organized, self-serve system - unlike Mr. Tackle's cluttered crawlspace packed to the ceiling with primitive bucktails, J-Plugs, and grease lines.
Yeah so two tackle shops have closed down since Wholesale moved in... but to be perfectly honest, the service there was garbage unless you wanted to buy an $8,000 custom mountain rifle. I'm sorry, I'm not waiting 30 mins to  buy a handful of spoons on my day off...

[banx]

well, there's something that hasn't really been mentioned and one of the reasons I support the local shops.  Its youth, it's the younger guys employed at shops making money doing something they are in love with..... that has the potential to turn into a career.

no one is in love with working at whole sale sports. seriously. maximizing profits are key, service is secondary.  I assure you, when wholesale sports figures out how to do it, they will be pushing for self serve checkouts just like walmart.

in the grand scheme of things you think your saving money, but your not really.  Your money is taken out of the community instantly as opposed to be being injected back into the community.



also, in regards to actually contributing to enhancing the sport we love. the big box stores don't give a rats bottom.

three years in a row I raised a few bucks for local fishing charities/organizations.... when I approached the big box stores to hang a poster in their fishing section, or sell tickets for me.  they told me to beat it. literally. canadian tire, walmart and whole sale sports (which I drove to from vancouver)

every single local tackle store that I approached not only helped, they encouraged it.  Posting on their own weekly newsletters, selling tickets, putting up posters and donating prizes. 

the way you spend your money now will dictate the services you will have in the future.... choose wisely

[Fish or cut bait.]

Nice post banx 

[Drewhill]

well, there's something that hasn't really been mentioned and one of the reasons I support the local shops.  Its youth, it's the younger guys employed at shops making money doing something they are in love with..... that has the potential to turn into a career.

When I was talking about guys starting younger this is what I meant. That pimple faced kid at any tackle store may actually have more knowledge than we think. At Wholesale Sports and my local shop it's actually the younger guys that seem to know more about what's going on currently. The older guys at the shop are great to chat with you want to hear some great stories but might not be getting out as much. We all saw how much the Vedder has changed over the course of just one year so how can you trust info from somebody who might not have fished in the last 5 years or is only getting out once or twice a season. Usually it's the younger staff at either big box stores or local stores that tend to hit the water consistently.

[Dave]

Nice post banx 

x2

[Rodney]

I had a chance to get into Abbotsford's Cabela's yesterday evening for a sneak peek at their media night. I've never been to one so it was bit of an eye opener.



Personally I don't think nearby stores such as Fred's Custom Tackle have a whole lot to worry about because they are geared towards more experienced anglers who are looking for specialty items.

[Dogbreath]

I find local shops are great if you're starting out. They'll give you more basic advice than a Wal Mart or Canadian Tire. The problem is if you're an experienced angler suddenly they are very tight lipped about everything. Usually they start asking you for information because they don't have the time to get out due to the demand of being in the shop. It's hard to justify spending more at these shops when that happens.

Yes I find that to be true and it's one small facet of why I shop less locally- that and the outrageous markups local shops charge.

[clarkii]

Yes I find that to be true and it's one small facet of why I shop less locally- that and the outrageous markups local shops charge.

Whats outrageous?  Look at cabelas.ca and you will find most of the local guys have very similar pricing.

What I find interesting is bass pro has been talking about coming in for years (2011).  Cabelas meanwhile proposed a store last year/end of 2014, got the permits, started building in the fall and is open in 11 days.

Bass pro is still building with no date yet set. (From what I've seen)