Ranking of major fishing gear suppliers in Southern Ontario

[zippyFX]

FYI... SAIL is having their spring dale in Ottawa. 20% off regularly priced merchandise. And it's winter clearance sale as well.

[MuskieBait]

(02-16-2013 07:29 PM)Giuga10 Wrote:  

(02-16-2013 05:11 PM)OldTimer Wrote:  Anyone besides me wonder why BassPro doesnt support any of the fishing shows by having a booth...............

Odd?

I thought I was the only one who thought that.

I expected a really nice booth from them at the TSS and I was surprised when they weren't even there.

They don't need a public presence there...they already have enough marketing and publicity as is and it probably doesn't justify their time and cost to put a booth there. Unless there is additional benefit from such promotion, it's not worthwhile for them to spend extra resources to do so.

The BassPro store in Vaughan is really just one of 30 or so stores across the US and Canada...they can survive (actually flourish) quite well without additional promotion at TSS.

These fishing shows are really venues for smaller lure makers, rod makers and lodges/resorts to promote their business and provide exposure of their products and service. To us, it may seems like a chance to find sales and discounted items. But to the exhibitors, it's a chance to network with others in the industry, gain access to the market, and generate new distribution and supply channels for their business. If a small lure maker gets a lot of traffic at their booths, reps from LeBaron, Sail or BassPro may take notice and decide that they should stock the "hot lures" on their shelves.

BassProShop may have reps walking around at the show looking for new products to put on their shelves, but having a booth there serves them very little. It's much more cost effective to have one knowledgeable rep to walk around talking to individual exhibitors and to evaluate the products...than to set up a booth for 4 days, pay for the staffs' hours manning the booth, and pay for the cost to rent a floor space. Sure, they can make some sales from being there...but it's not anything they can't make on a day of regular business anyways.

[OldTimer]

Perhaps - but they do leave me with a negative impression for this practice. It shows lack of long term vision and support for the sport and industry as a whole.

[MuskieBait]

(02-20-2013 04:47 PM)OldTimer Wrote:  Perhaps - but they do leave me with a negative impression for this practice. It shows lack of long term vision and support for the sport and industry as a whole.

BassPro in turn sets up their own spring fishing and fall hunting seminars at their store. There are some free seminars each year for both. They also have a reel trade-in, which I think is a great program for anglers to upgrade their gear...yet the trade-in used reels are donated to fishing programs.

What I don't appreciate is having to pay $19 just to walk around a convention center full of people with very little new things that I can take away from the experience...and then to pay more to go to these seminars...and further having to pay ridiculous amount for parking, food and drinks. You have the same ole vendors year after year just trying to make a buck or two. You walk by vendors after vendors selling similar spinnerbaits at $10 for 3...or similar jigs at $10 for 4...or similar hand pour grubs...you get the idea. To me it just feels like a huge money grab and everyone is just out making a buck. After going to them every year when I was younger, and seeing the same things year after year after year, I have just all but lost interest in going to any of the fishing shows.

I'd rather walk around BassPro for free to see if there are new lures that are stocked, and then check out blogs, vlogs, online fishing programs and TV programming like WFN to see the latest and the greatest at my leisure...instead of with thousands of people hurrying here and there trying to look for good deals.

[Eli]

(02-07-2013 05:13 PM)OldTimer Wrote:  

(02-06-2013 08:09 PM)zippyFX Wrote:  Another place we have not discussed is Walmart.... Tend to have some equipment but not a very broad selection, the equipment tends to basic but prices tend to be OK if you happen to be there.

I try not to support Walmart whenever possible.

BINGO. Walmart is a very bad company.They're like the Enbridge of big box stores.

I find SAIL and Lebaron are comparable in terms of selection but they don't carry the same lure brands...which is a good thing. If I'm looking for something specific I'll call both stores and see who has it. The Montreal Lebaron is great too. Both stores have knowledgeable staff.
The only bad thing I can say about SAIL is that they're starting to carry really high-end lure brands like MegaBass. Ok this isn't really a bad thing, but for some reason I'm bothered by the idea of someone actually paying $25+tax for a bass popper. Whats suddenly wrong with a $6 chug bug?

Canadian Tire is hit and miss. Some locations are great -- take for example the one on Gardiners Road in Kingston. Awesome selection of lures and a very decent muskie section. The one in Cornwall has a really good selection of hooks. I find if the General Manager is an angler, the store will have a good inventory. The CT in Barrhaven is garbage so the Manager is likely a golfer.

Having said all that, I'm usually willing to drive a little further and pay a few dollars more for the same item from a small tackle shop. The only exception are that ones with no debit machines as I don't carry cash.

[zippyFX]

(02-20-2013 07:15 PM)Eli Wrote:  Canadian Tire is hit and miss. Some locations are great -- take for example the one on Gardiners Road in Kingston. Awesome selection of lures and a very decent muskie section. The one in Cornwall has a really good selection of hooks. I find if the General Manager is an angler, the store will have a good inventory. The CT in Barrhaven is garbage so the Manager is likely a golfer.

In Ottawa I have had better luck at the Kanata CT. Still though, it's just CT.

[zippyFX]

FYI... LeBaron (in Ottawa at least) is having a no HST sale Thursday thru Sunday.

[zippyFX]

Basspro has no shipping for the next 14 hours; Enter tony14 promo code.

[zippyFX]

Canadian tire is having a sale starting today 34% - 45% off selected items. I noticed some good deals on braid and low end utility rods.

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[zippyFX]

Note Cabela's is having a sale on fishing supplies until March 24th.