Ranking of major fishing gear suppliers in Southern Ontario

[OldTimer]

Hey,

A recent post by Michael got me wondering what everyone here thinks about the ranking of the big boys - LeBaron vs BassPro vs Sail vs Canadian Tire.

So how do you think they rate 0-10 by the 3 categories below:

1) On service and repairs, or returns

2) On helpful CORRECT expertise in the stores & attitude

3) On regular pricing (not including sales)

This aughta be interesting........... leave the wee local guys out for now.

OT

[Giuga10]

LeBaron - Okay service. Good expertise and attitude except for one time where this old lady was working there and a customer asked where a product was and she didn't know so I showed him where it was. Relatively good prices.

BassPro - Good service, easy returns. Somewhat correct expertise, good attitude. Some prices are a bit overpriced.

Sail - Never been.

Canadian Tire - Service is okay. Not the best expertise but very good attitude. Good pricing.

[MuskieBait]

LeBaron - I like chatting with the older Chinese lady and the younger Chinese guy with glasses. Prices (in general) are cheaper in LeBaron, but I find that sometimes things sell out quickly there and replacement stock does not arrive quickly. Return policy...what return policy?

BassPro - I like chatting with this younger guy Andrew there, just shotting the $hit about fishing in various places in Ontario or around the world. Prices are higher (and even though our dollar is on par, Canadian prices are still higher than US prices!). Products can often be out of stock at the end of the season. Return policy is as good as it gets.

Sail - Never been...

Gagnon Sports - Haven't been to this store much. Prices are ok and customer service is decent in general. Return policy is good. Their tent sale is great though!

Canadian Tire - Good for some of the more popular items and selection is okay for those items, but variety is not great. Pricing is decent or comparable. But sales staff is not always knowledgeable. Return policy is great.

Walmart - Same as Canadian Tire to me.

[Jeremy Ray Green]

RADIOWORLD, for Anything you need in Electronic equipment.

Personal choice for all the others out there, you can always go direct buy through almost any company if you so choose.

At the same time where possible,

Try to help you're Family run bait and tackle shop.


~Jeremy.

[MichaelAngelo]

LeBaron - Cheapest prices and great service. Unfortunately, their return/exhange policy can't compete with the big boys Bass Pro and SAIL and this is why I won't be shopping a LeBaron's anymore for big-ticket items.

Bass Pro - Haven't formed an opinion yet, but I know that their return policy is top-notch. I always feel taken care of if I have an issue. Just don't try to return stuff you bought in the states..... ughhhhh

SAIL - Great experiences with SAIL, no hassles on exchanged reels. Helpful staff whether I'm at the Oshawa or Vaughan location. Probably my favorite right now.

Canadian Tire - overpriced. Same products cost more here, eg the same ice scoop was $5 at LeBaron's and SAIL and $8 at Canadian Tire.



Take note guys that SAIL will match any advertised price. Feel free to whip up the LeBaron catalogue online at their store and match prices! This is going to be my plan of action for now.

I do support my local tackle shop through my constant bait purchases. I wouldn't say that they're "family run" though. Jeremy, anywhere besides Bass City to buy bait in Markham?

[Giuga10]

(02-05-2013 10:43 PM)MichaelAngelo Wrote:  I do support my local tackle shop through my constant bait purchases. I wouldn't say that they're "family run" though. Jeremy, anywhere besides Bass City to buy bait in Markham?

Petsmart? In all seriousness though you could probably use the crickets, feeder goldfish and minnows, and the wax worms for bait.

Giuga10

[onwind]

Lebaron - I always cannot find what I need there, got frustrated for several times.
BassPro - I can always find what I am looking for there
Sail - the list price is cheaper and they always have 20% discount promotion, sometimes I cannot find what I need.
Canadian Tire - a lot of things are even more expensive than Basspro

[MuskieBait]

(02-05-2013 11:36 PM)Giuga10 Wrote:  

(02-05-2013 10:43 PM)MichaelAngelo Wrote:  I do support my local tackle shop through my constant bait purchases. I wouldn't say that they're "family run" though. Jeremy, anywhere besides Bass City to buy bait in Markham?

Petsmart? In all seriousness though you could probably use the crickets, feeder goldfish and minnows, and the wax worms for bait.

Giuga10

Please do NOT use feeder goldfish or any aquarium fish as bait. The Ontario MNR made this illegal for two reasons.

1) It introduces exotic species to our waterways
2) It introduces exotic bacteria, virus and parasites to our waterways.

If people start using feeder goldfish as bait, I have no choice but to introduce Northern Snakehead to our waterways to control the exploding goldfish populations.

No, seriously, no feeder goldfish!!! That's how someone ruined a favourite childhood lake of mine...used to have 2-3lb largemouth and smallmouth bass in the lake and you can catch them pretty easily...until someone introduced goldfish into the lake. For a few years, all you would see were these 2" goldfish and 3" stunted bullheads...

Not sure what happened after, but the lake is now slowly recovering. At least to the point where I didn't get pestered by tiny bullheads on every cast and there were actually three species of sunfish in the lake (Pumpkinseed, Bluegill, and a couple of surprise Green Sunfish! I've fished the lake for over 15 years and this was the first time I caught Green Sunfish there!)

Too bad the good ole days of big bass, big rockbass, big perch and crappie galore were gone...

DO NOT INTRODUCE GOLDFISH!

[Giuga10]

(02-05-2013 11:53 PM)MuskieBait Wrote:  Please do NOT use feeder goldfish or any aquarium fish as bait. The Ontario MNR made this illegal for two reasons.

1) It introduces exotic species to our waterways
2) It introduces exotic bacteria, virus and parasites to our waterways.

If people start using feeder goldfish as bait, I have no choice but to introduce Northern Snakehead to our waterways to control the exploding goldfish populations.

No, seriously, no feeder goldfish!!! That's how someone ruined a favourite childhood lake of mine...used to have 2-3lb largemouth and smallmouth bass in the lake and you can catch them pretty easily...until someone introduced goldfish into the lake. For a few years, all you would see were these 2" goldfish and 3" stunted bullheads...

Not sure what happened after, but the lake is now slowly recovering. At least to the point where I didn't get pestered by tiny bullheads on every cast and there were actually three species of sunfish in the lake (Pumpkinseed, Bluegill, and a couple of surprise Green Sunfish! I've fished the lake for over 15 years and this was the first time I caught Green Sunfish there!)

Too bad the good ole days of big bass, big rockbass, big perch and crappie galore were gone...

DO NOT INTRODUCE GOLDFISH!

Don't worry I would never fish with aquarium fish or any invasive for that matter, I listed it not-thinking about what I was saying and never really caught myself.

Thanks for reminding me though.

[zippyFX]

For Ottawa and online information.

LeBaron
1) On service and repairs, or returns: No experience.
2) On helpful CORRECT expertise in the stores & attitude: Very knowledgeable and informed. In Ottawa no Carp or catfish supplies
3) On regular pricing (not including sales): Prices are very competitive. Good specials. Good selection
Centrally located in Ottawa (15 minutes from home or work); Has worms for sale; These guys are in the internet stone age though, needs a total re-work.

BassPro (on line from Ottawa)
1) On service and repairs, or returns: No experience; They get my online orders right and ship promptly; Has catfish supplies; Not much for carp;
2) On helpful CORRECT expertise in the stores & attitude: Web site is easy to use has good reviews and tutorials
3) On regular pricing (not including sales): tend to be competitive.
Great selection; Only order with free shipping

Canadian Tire (two location mainly Barrhaven and Kanta)
1) On service and repairs, or returns: They will take almost anything back; No catfish or carp supplies
2) On helpful CORRECT expertise in the stores & attitude: Very little expertise unless the guy working happens to fish
3) On regular pricing (not including sales): higher than average for most things; but specials/clearance deals are great and you can get deep discounts;
Biggest factor with CT is convenience 5 minutes from home and 10 minutes from work; Has worms for sale

Sail (Trainyards)
1) On service and repairs, or returns: No experience; Web site searches are crummy; No catfish or carp supplies
2) On helpful CORRECT expertise in the stores & attitude: Seems good from the few questions I have asked
3) On regular pricing (not including sales): competitive though I think LeBaron is slightly better (based on impressions)
Not conveniently located (30 minutes from home, 40 minutes from work); Probably the best selection and variety in Ottawa but a hassle unless I have the time.

Cabalas (Saskatoon)
1) On service and repairs, or returns: No experience; Limited catfish supplies; No carp supplies.
2) On helpful CORRECT expertise in the stores & attitude: Seemed helpful and knowledgeable
3) On regular pricing (not including sales): comparable to Sail or Basspro; Not as good as Le Baron
Vist during the holidays. Nice store. Never seem to offer good online sales or free shipping like Basspro.

Manotick Bait and Tackle (Manotick)
- Local bait store; Good to hear what the others are catching and were (they put me onto my Muskie)
- Minnows all sizes (I fish early so I pick them up the night before bagged in Oxygen)
- Sucker 8-14 inches (upto 16 inches sometimes)
- Good hours; Good for terminal tackle and odds and ends.
- The old co-op is now offering minnow; I will need to check it out;
- The kids get a free soft plastic lure of their choice winch keeps them busy until I get what I need.
- No online presence

Some other locations outside of Ottawa I have not had a chance to got (30-40 minutes out of town) Paddletales in Winchester and a proshop in SmithFalls.