do you support local shops or chain stores

local when open. and on the off season i stock up on the basic stuff from wally world.

I allways go to my locals first even if it costs a little more. These are the people who will be abil to help you out if your haveing trouble. The guy at wal mart may be nice but prob knows nothing other than he is makeing $5 per hr.

see lost plug bag thread.

Local (including local online) 85% - Chains and big online stores 15% - #^&#^&#^&#^&s Overpriced Sporting Goods ($220 for a 965?) - 0%

:bshake:

Originally posted by Scotch Bonnet
:bshake: Well, $100 for a FG is, well, f great but 9 times out of ten they are higher than both SA and your local shop, at least the one I've seen up in Warwick... Full list on nearly everything else... $10 more on Power Pro than SA & the local online shops for 150 yds...

:laughs: The butt wiggle was for washrat and his nasty pm telling me I should be ashamed of myself for shopping at a chain store. Technically, I was there looking for a ski jacket and stumbled upon the reels.

95% local B&T's
5% clearence sales

I try & give business to the sponsors of the site , but sometimes I have no choice but go to W/M:rolleyes: :D :D

Definately the local shops whenever possible. I don't like the idea of making some bigwig CEO richer when I can help out a mom and pop place.

Majority goes to local shops other than a small percentage to big-whatever-marts. I think most would be lying if they didn't admit to around 10% at least to the chain stores for some terminal tackle in a pinch, off hours, off season, etc.

I've been buying all of my stuff either at Wally World or online. I've visited my local tackle shop (Quaker lane) three times since I've moved here and every time I put the (overpriced) stuff back on the rack when I realized I was going to have to wait at least a half hour to pay for it! I do buy bait, and "emergency" tackle at either snug harbor or Kenport.

I prefer local shops. If you check out the prices on everything you buy , I challenge anyone to get a lower price than through some of the local shops like M+D's. Sure , one item here and there may be onsale at walmart. Overall , for the better quality stuff , you make out just as good at the local shops and you can also get reports for where and what's hot for that area at that time. You can also special order stuff instead of driving around to twenty #^&#^&#^&#^&/walmarts/Kmarts etc. At 1.60 per gallon , how far are you willing to drive to save $5?

off season I buy stuff from everyone online, literally dozens of sites as well as ebay. 50% cableas and 50% everyone else. no local shop is even open by me off season.

During the season..100% local. I visit the shop 5-7 days a week. I do spend a lot of money there but IMO it is well worth it. I know them and they know me. They do not gouge me and gives me a good break on the big ticket items. The info I have gotten in return priceless. I pick his brain all the time. I enjoy listening them them recant their past fishing trips. It is hard to beat several generations of local knowledge when you are the new guy around town...even if you are an experienced fisherman.

Fishing, boating and skiing are my only expensive hobbies and it keeps me occupied all year. I could add up how much I have spend at my local shop (its all on my CC invoices) but I don't want to..it will not change my buying habbits anyway. I love fishing and will buy whatever I need to do it as often as I can. What I really need is more time not more gear anyway.

most the time its local
But when I need a bulk spool of fire line online I go.

I buy about a third of my stuff through Cabela's...not sure how you'd count that. (I use them for waders, sometimes reels, sometimes lines, sometimes lures)

Another third at local tackle shops. (usually line, lures, terminal tackle and of course eels)

Another third through online (mostly local) and Ebay. (lures & misc other stuff)

Very rare, if ever, that I buy at Walmart, #^&#^&#^&#^&s, etc.

I'm pretty much all about convenience. If I'm fishing and need something, I'll buy it at the tackle shop pretty much no matter what they're charging. Most everything else I buy online or through catalog since I find that the easiest way to get all the stuff I want efficiently.

#^&#^&#^&#^&s Sporting isn't bad in MD... I once went to a local shop that runs by a Gallaudet University football coach and a 9 ft stilstar and a 7 ft stilstar combo sets and the 7 ft sucked at casting. The reels aren't great. However, the 9 ft I have now is good for chunking and it costs me $65. But the line tend to coil itself sometimes when I make a cast. I was thinking that the guide of the tip might has something to do with it. I would go to Sports Authority and Wal-Mart for cheaper stuffs like plugs, hooks, leaders, terminal tackles, waders, and combo sets. I didn't buy a lot of new rod this year. I got my breathable wader and it wasn't hodegeman or orvis, but it's cheap and reliable for me now. No leaks though and it comes with a mesh bag and can be used for putting eels in.

Local shops are what I like most. Information, prices, quality equipments, and customer services are what I look for. Let it be smal or big. Besides, they know their stuffs better than those guys at Wal-Mart. But the crappy part is that some of them close for the season when winter hits.

chain stores dont have eels !
I support my local shop and RI shops and Mass shops . I also buy on line for some items and from sponsors here on the board .

when SA came in to town and put my local shop out of business . I went to SA and ordered some bunker and night crawlers from the sales guy in the fishing area . He looked at me like " what real bait ?!? we dont sell bunker or worms here . So I not so politely told him to get the hell out of town !

I like to shop at our sponsors shops whenever possible. I do find myself at Benny's and Wally World more often than I like, usually when I need something NOW. By the time I get out most of the real shops are closed :smash:

And early, too.


Okay, here is a question to all of you, when you see a new and beginner angler looking for a local shop to help them to get started on their fishing pursuit, whom would you refer him or her to? Pick a few, not too many. And state your reasons.

I buy all my bait at the same local bait store when possible, and the owner of that bait store always offers information, always knows what we're up to, always asks how our boat is doing and all.. I find that relationship very valuable, as sometimes information is exchanged that is beneficial...

As for fishing equipment, I'd say 50/50... I buy all my fish finder, sinkers, steel leader hooks, and have my spools relined at the local bait shop... but I'd buy a rod or a reel at a retail store or online, depending on the prices. I bought my Penn 9500SS at the local bait store though, but my Penn 605 or something I bought online via Cabelas cheap.

When I see a new angler I try to tell them to keep things simple, regardless that I already know they aren't going to listen to me :rollem: and do their own thing. The biggest problem I see is beginner anglers trying to absorb too much to quickly and wind up not understanding the basics and generally getting confused. Its not very refreshing to get an e-mail or PM stating, after the fact, that perhaps my initial advise should have been followed and it might have been better listened to in the beginning.

With that said, unless someone directly takes you under their wing (I was fortunate for that - though I'm still learning tons of stuff from others and on my own), new anglers really need to find a couple QUALITY local shops to build a rapport with. New anglers need both realistic advice and a guiding hand. Once you start achieving successes then you can branch out and expand your horizons a bit.

small business rules. We will hve no choices if people go to wally world, the depot, ect.
You know what sucks though....when you try and support a local guy you thought you had good relationship with and he is fishing on the cape. you than ask the guy filling in for him at the shop what plug would be best and he trys to sell you a shi**ty plug that he would never use just b/c he thinks you don't know any better.

15% cabellas/bass pro shops (hey the catalog comes and I cant resist)
20-25% "chain stores" ...which I hate...the problem happens when I am in the store for something else and I start looking around and find something I want/need (another for the "I cant resist" list)
and the rest goes to the locals

This is a good thread by theway!

this past season a little tackle shop opened about a half mile from me and I bought everything I could from him! The unfortunate side to that coin is being small and just starting out stock was limited but the good news is he always had what I needed!:D

one thing about a local shop if you see they dont carry what you are looking for alot of them will order it for you . At least that has been my experience .

When you say local, Do you consider Red Top, Goose-Hummock, Fishing the Cape(Orvis?) or Estman in Falmouth as local. or stores much smaller.

When I visited Red Top two weekends ago, this young fellow didn't look very friendly and didn't sound very friendly either, may be because he doesn't know me. But when I go to Eastman, Fishing the Cape, or Bucko's they are very friendly.

The most friendly store on the Cape is Sunrise Bait & Tackle in Harwichport.:D :D ;)

The Red Tops and Goose Hummocks of the world are considered local. Local because they are privatly owned and opperated.

Sometimes they get to big for their britches and when that starts to happen the first thing out the window is customer service.

When I started fishing the beaches I always went to the baitshack he had the best hours and his bait was always the freshest.

Many other local shops are not cutting the cake. Frozzen sand eels and an attendent telling me that they work better than fresh dead is not something I'm ready to deal with after driving 6 miles in 2 hours down rt 6A

Privatly owned b&t's should pick their position in the crowded marketplace and marry it. If it fresh bait you do, do it across the board (brindye), if its hard baits stock them floor to celling.

There are two types of shops; ones that have it all and ones that have the best price.

95% local shops
5% chain stores

I will try to support the people who support me, be it local chains or local shops.

I like Weekapaug B&T. I have always been treated well. They even have a way to pick up bait after they have closed.:D

I forgot to mention "POWDERHORN OUTFITTERS" in Hyannis. They are one of the most friendly and knowledgable people on the Cape.:) :smash: