Gander, BPS, Cabelas, or Dicks?

[cassidyta]

They finally opened a Dick's here this month. I am hoping to make a drive up there Friday.
I would stongly urge all to check out their local Mom and Pop type shops. Admitedly, you won't find th esame sales, but they are usually very close in price.
My reason is not that they have a bigger selection, nor are they always the most affordable, but if it is only a 2-3% difference, I will almost always choose the smaller stores. The big chains don't need my money to stimulate the economy nearly as much as the smaller stores.
Now that I am off my soapbox.....

Of the one's listed, I have to go with BPS. Not much hunting out this way, and BPS is at least drivable for me. (120 miles away)

[MallenManson]

Originally Posted by NWOhioBear

Well.. I actually go to a chain start called Meijers for most of my stuff. Just because I hate the customer service at BPS.

I went the first week it opened here and they were rude and very unknowledgeable about basic stuff so I haven't been back since. I've had a few friends say the same thing and one of my friends was severely mistreated when he went with his family for some autograph signing thing.


I've always been a fan of more mom and pop shops then big chain stores anyway. Around here there are tons of bait shops if one looks and for hunting I always go to Clelands. Anymore I think the best bet is to just shop online anyway.


I think if you want to rate it for fishing you have to go.

1. Bass Pro (even with bad customer service since if you want it it's there)
2. Cabela's ours is decent but is geared mainly towards camping/hunting)
3. Gander Mountain (nice shop but small I think that meijers has about the same lure selection)
4. Dicks (versatile store but not to great for fishing. At least not the one I was at)

I tend to hate Meijer. Low selection and way too many mouth breathers cloggin the aisles

[Bassboss]

Originally Posted by JRL

The local Gander Mountain store has a poor bass fishing section compared to the BPS in Ft. Lauderdale.

Im convinced they didnt put one second of research into the south Florida fishing scene before they opened the doors last year.

Same here, I've been to the same ones he talking about! One thing gander did have that I could not find at the BPS, is a good spinnerbait box to fit all my 35 spinnerbaits, I found by the spinnerbaits, not the tackle boxes oddly enough!

I just wish bps was closer!

Well it's a new Gander, so I'm sure they'll have more stuff sooner or later!

btw, you ever found a shimano compre at gander?

[Bassboss]

Originally Posted by cassidyta

They finally opened a Dick's here this month. I am hoping to make a drive up there Friday.
I would stongly urge all to check out their local Mom and Pop type shops. Admitedly, you won't find th esame sales, but they are usually very close in price.
My reason is not that they have a bigger selection, nor are they always the most affordable, but if it is only a 2-3% difference, I will almost always choose the smaller stores. The big chains don't need my money to stimulate the economy nearly as much as the smaller stores.
Now that I am off my soapbox.....

Of the one's listed, I have to go with BPS. Not much hunting out this way, and BPS is at least drivable for me. (120 miles away)

Ya, there's not many mom and pop stores around here, you know any JRL?

[JRL]

Originally Posted by Bassboss

Ya, there's not many mom and pop stores around here, you know any JRL?

Oh yeah. My favorites are:

Lot Brothers (off northlake, east of I95)
Perks (off east Lantana)
Xtreme Rods (again, on Lantana just west of Congress)

There is one on Southern, west of Forest Hill, but they are so, so, on their lure selection. I use them mostly for minnows for spec fishing.

For high, to very high end gear theres a cool shop just north of Indiantown rd, on Alt A1A. Mostly terminal gear, and high end reels. They focus more on salt and big game, but the reels however are either/or.

[Bassboss]

Originally Posted by JRL

Oh yeah. My favorites are:

Lot Brothers (off northlake, east of I95)
Perks (off east Lantana)
Xtreme Rods (again, on Lantana just west of Congress)

There is one on Southern, west of Forest Hill, but they are so, so, on their lure selection. I use them mostly for minnows for spec fishing.

For high, to very high end gear theres a cool shop just north of Indiantown rd, on Alt A1A. Mostly terminal gear, and high end reels. They focus more on salt and big game, but the reels however are either/or.

Cool! Thanks! I'll check out Lot bros first! Is it a bass fishing, or salt water fishing?

[JRL]

Both. More saltwater. But they have a decent selection of lures not carried by the box stores.

[BigBassin144]

Originally Posted by NWOhioBear

Well.. I actually go to a chain start called Meijers for most of my stuff. Just because I hate the customer service at BPS.

I went the first week it opened here and they were rude and very unknowledgeable about basic stuff so I haven't been back since. I've had a few friends say the same thing and one of my friends was severely mistreated when he went with his family for some autograph signing thing.


I've always been a fan of more mom and pop shops then big chain stores anyway. Around here there are tons of bait shops if one looks and for hunting I always go to Clelands. Anymore I think the best bet is to just shop online anyway.


I think if you want to rate it for fishing you have to go.

1. Bass Pro (even with bad customer service since if you want it it's there)
2. Cabela's ours is decent but is geared mainly towards camping/hunting)
3. Gander Mountain (nice shop but small I think that meijers has about the same lure selection)
4. Dicks (versatile store but not to great for fishing. At least not the one I was at)

Most of the Dicks around here lack a good fishing department. I haven't had any bad experiences with customer service at the new BPS in Rossford. We went the 3rd day it was open and talk to some really nice people who worked there. As for Meijers, I don't know which one you do to, and I don't know which gander mtn (or if there are even two in Toledo), but I find gander mountain to be much better than the meijers near me. Walmart sucks in the fishing dept up here too. now the walmart we went to at Guntersville last year had about the selection of our gander mtn.

BB

[Bassboss]

Originally Posted by JRL

Both. More saltwater. But they have a decent selection of lures not carried by the box stores.

Ya, the figures!

[NWOhioBear]

Except the people at bps are just lookers who don't know fishing. At least here. I was there first week also. The Meijers I go to is in Rossford since I live 10 minutes from the BPS and that Meijers. I live SE of Toledo. Maybe that is why the selection is ok. It's not great but I don't see a reason to spend 30 dollars on a lure anyway. If I were to go and buy a new reel or rod I would probably just run to BPS since if you know what you want it's a fine store to go to. When I went they didn't know the difference between a rooster tail and a nugget.


The store though is definately amazin..

[Christopherkeene9]

Originally Posted by JRL

The local Gander Mountain store has a poor bass fishing section compared to the BPS in Ft. Lauderdale.

Im convinced they didnt put one second of research into the south Florida fishing scene before they opened the doors last year.

Same thing with the one they opened up here in Lk. Mary (first one in Florida). Send them all back up north where they came from

[BigBassin144]

NWOB, I'm thinking, Meijer's in rossford... where's a meijer in rossford. then...

D'OH! lol, I know where it is, we drive by on the way home from BPS. I guess most of the time, I'm too busy looking at the stuff the monkey just forced me to buy.

BB

[MallenManson]

Originally Posted by BigBassin144

NWOB, I'm thinking, Meijer's in rossford... where's a meijer in rossford. then...

D'OH! lol, I know where it is, we drive by on the way home from BPS. I guess most of the time, I'm too busy looking at the stuff the monkey just forced me to buy.

BB

Ok, my first online LOL of the day.

[Crank-Bait-Frank]

Originally Posted by Christopherkeene9

Same thing with the one they opened up here in Lk. Mary (first one in Florida). Send them all back up north where they came from

I agree with you Chris, Ganders in Lake Mary haven't got a clue. Bitters Bait Shop is the best mom & pop shop for all your bait monkey needs!