Fishing tackle stores

[Bernie]

Went to a sporting goods store downtown North Bay yesterday to buy some fishing line and odds and ends. To my amazement all they have is a few fishing rods, some reels and a few spools of p-line. Had a chat with the owner and says there is not enough in it to stock the stuff anymore. Sad really that the big box stores are taking away from the mom and pop businesses. Are all the local stores going to go the way of the Dodo bird?

 

Ps...Ended up picking up a new Shimano reel but didnt buy the P-line because it looked too much like Spiderwire.

[Handlebarz]

I find that if they are not in a area that is right on the water or far enough away from bigger stores it is hard for them to keep afloat.

 

It is hard for them to compete withthe big boys when they buy in bulk. I am guilty of buying from the big stores but when I am saving $50-$100 it is hard to justify not going to them.

 

I have been looking on line at fishfinders and they differe in price big time from store to store I want to talk to two local places first but will be buying on line if they are more then $30 difference in price. I would love to help them out everytime but it will not happen as the $$$ is nice in my pocket and will get me some more fishing lures.

[Photoz]

Yeah h h h . . . . as long as we continue to support the big box (sporting goods) store(s) the medium sized, to

Mom & Pop establishments will continue to disappear. I use mostly one store to buy my gear . . . an hour's drive from Toronto, because he has EVERYTHING I need, if he doesn't have it, he'll order it for me, just on a phone call! Between this store, one in Markham, one in Pickering & one in Oshawa, and when I'm in the area, one in Keswick, the Big Box Store will never see me, as they have nothing more I need! Customer service is excellent in these smaller stores, and they can usually tell me what's bitin,' where, and what to use. And in a store that has 20 variations of each lure, you're bound to buy a lot more stuff you don't need, or will never use. Last month when I was looking for a Stradic 6000, I DID call the BIGGEST of the Big stores, got put on 'hold' twice, then was told Shimano no longer made a Stradic 6000!! There's one waiting to be picked up now, at my fave store!

[fishindevil]

Well i hope none of them ever close,because its the independant stores that are able to order the specialty things,that us die-hard addicts need,the big box stores only get all the basic stuff and that stuff you can get anywhere but there is lots of order-only things for salmon ,and walleye fishing that can only be found in places like,tightlines and gagnons,and everytime one store goes under thats just one less that can get us those special items,without ordering them from the manufactuers and sometimes they will not let you order thm direct . ..sometimes you can only get stuff through a dealer....well its a shame and i hope that none around the GTA,close as we have already lost a few ...take care...cheers

[fishboy]

I'm not sure how they manage to compete but Fishing World in Hamilton has very competitive pricing with the "big boys".

[FishFinder]

yup i have found some great deals in small taclke shops, and for the more expensive stuff i usually buy used anyways..

[POLLIWOGG]

I used to get some engine stuff off the local tackle shop, they have the same marine catalog as the marinas but he would give me great deals as he didn't need the huge mark up if there was no investment on ordered items.

[silveradosheriff]

The challenge for the little guys is to figure out how their business model needs to change.

Looks pretty obvious from the outside looking in, but could simply be naivety.

[GbayGiant]

The Internet effects everything now to, personally I buy almost everything online, even from the US after all the charges and shipping it's still cheaper and easier to find exactly what your looking for, it's even cheaper than all the big stores even when they have sales. You can see all the competition within minutes and go from there, it's pretty easy and convenient to do.

[fishindevil]

Like i said in my other post,its to bad,that they cannot compete a little more becuase when wal-mart orders ,say rapalas they might be buying for 20 stores and will buy 10,000 at a time,well its no wonder that they can sell them for 2-5 dollars less than the mom & pop stores,but i still try and spend my money in my local stores, i also like the fact that they all know me and we talk fishing and we all knoe eachother and even fish together,and you will never get that feeling in a big box store,so we should all support them as much as we can,and yes i know money is an issue as well and i agree that i wont spend 5 bucks more for a shad rap when i know wal-mart has that same lure for less,but i do try so i hope we dont lose anyone else here in oshawa we have already lost BARKLEYS sports,thats the store started by reno & angelo viola from fishin canada,...well thanks for starting the thread it just got me thinking.....take care....cheers

[Bernie]

Heres another way to look at it folks. As a business owner I pay taxes, in large amounts to our town office. These taxes support local roads, schools and so on. If you spend your money elsewhere local businesses suffer and die off. Consequently what happens is those taxes are not being paid anymore. So who ends up paying to continue support for your community? You do! Tired of your taxes rising? Hmmmm. Are you really saving money in the long run? Just a little different perspective to think about.

[trapshooter]

I think the success of smaller tackle shops depends on the person running it. Take Angling Outfitters in Woodstock for Ex. He's not close to popular fishing areas but he keeps growing his business and will beat BPS prices by a long shot. He can and will get you anything you need. It's all about customer service.

[OhioFisherman]

Just my experiance that some of the smaller shops don`t do the business justice. Some are well run and can compete, some are there because there is nothing else, once some competition come in they are gone.

 

Only one in the Cleveland area I could recommend, the rest are bait stores or small big boxes like Gander Mountain or Dicks.