Gear

Where is your favorite place to buy gear, the only real good place I know of is the outdoor emporium?

i like outdoor emporium for selection and price. i've not been able to find a good selection of spoons yet though. anyone know of a spoon place? i'm from the north end, but i've heard about some place in fife or tacoma.

Sportco in Fife...Its got everything almost and there prices are better than
O.E. example: Tadpollys at Sportco are 3.99, Ive never seen em cheaper anywere...Even distributor direct...

This may not apply to many of us but if you ever road trip to Portland, go to Fisherman's Marine Supply. They have everything on the planet and it's TAX FREE!!! We have relatives down there so whenever we head that way, I stock up. It's a great place!

Any regular tackle shop owner will admit that Sportco and Outdoor Emporium and the likes are great places to buy gear if you are only intrested in price. But when it comes to the service and the knowledge of the employees nothing even compares to a true tackle store.
They get away with the ultra cheap prices by selling the gear for less than cost. Because they sell other high profit items like shoes they can afford this. The super low prices bring in customers who in turn by shoes.
I am in no way going to pimp the place that I work at just because it is against the rules of this bulletinboard but do remember the next time you go to one of these super large stores, the guy ringing you up probally has no idea how to tie an eggloop knot--one time I had a employee of one of these stores come into the shop where I work and he asked me how to tie an eggloop knot. If he does not know how tie a simple knot do you really think he knows the safe routes to take when you go out and float the Upper Sky?? Just something to think about.
Tight Lines
Ryan S. Petzold

[This message has been edited by RPetzold (edited 03-07-2000).]

[This message has been edited by RPetzold (edited 03-07-2000).]

Low prices may not always be the best deal. In my area, one of the more expensive Portland shops gives back to the fishing community by providing free materials for fly tying classes and instructors for community casting clinics. Plus, it's nice to hit the shop and deal with a nationally known expert.
Can't get that at G.I. Joe's.

Personally, I'm partial to Outdoor Emp. For those who enjoy fishing with the fly. Patrick's is a great store. Not big but the info is great.

Hey, this is such a great board for the myriad of fishing info. & worthwhile debates!- Ryan, you work in a tackle shop. Many of them are excellant & some of them even have integrity when it comes to giving out accurate fishing reports. However, in our area, a high % of shops always overhype or outright lie about the fishing prospects to unethically increase their business at the expense & disappointment of the fishermen that support them. Fishermen, what's this situation like in NW Wash.? - Steve

The only thing I can tell you guys, is that you often get what you pay for. I won't mention the name of the shop in Lynwood, but, I have had nothing but great experiences. I am sure that I could have probably gotten my stuff cheaper somewhere else. 3 of us came out to the west coast to do a little steelie fishing, and really weren't set up that well. We stopped at T*ds, and those guys spent a couple of hours trying to help us out, and get us set up for your monsters. They shared info on techniques, and generally knocked themselves out giving us a hand. I've called and talked to them several times in the last year, and shot the breeze about how some of the gear is working here in the Midwest. They UPS stuff to me, and I get it ASAP, without fail. That has to be worth something. You can bet money on where I stop on my way to the Zipper in a few more weeks. Nuff said.

Without a doubt, Ted's in Lynnwood.

Yea you guys are right...If ya dont have a clue dont go to Srortco or Outdoor, But if your an expert and dont need advice (opinions) and fish so much you need good pricing then you will look to Sportco and the like!

Try Barrys Bait and tackle in Richmond B.C.
Great service great expert advice all over the internet. The best and cheapest Canadian made gear such as Gibbs COHO spoons,at American doller prices. WWW.berrysbait.com

Hey JQ,

I live in Fremont and I think I've checked out just about every tackle shop within a 25 mile radius of "the Center of the Universe." Outdoor Emporium does have the best prices and selection on some things and there are a couple guys behind the counter who know what they're talking about and not just running bar codes.

But you're right about the spoon shortage. Stop in Salmon Bay Tackle in Ballard to pick up some Mor-Tac spoon components and shoot the poop. It's a smaller store that makes most of it's money off of flyguys but they're the only one aside from Sporties in Redmond that has Mor-Tac components. You can order direct from Mor-Tac's web site but the prices aren't any better and you have to pay shipping. Go figure.

Of course, if you live closer to Ted's the choice is easy.

Bruce

Anyone ever been to Sportees in Redmond? they have some good stuff, and a few of the guys there even know what they are talking about.

Narrows Tackle and Marine in Tacoma also has an excellent selection of everything from Bass gear to Salmon gear. Their corky selection is fantastic as well as spoons, Wiggle Warts, rubber worms, spinners, hoochies, etc. The prices are a hit and miss kind of thing, sometimes they are higher on some things than Sportco and sometimes they are the same or even lower than Sportco. ( I'm not knocking Sportco).
Narrows Tackle and Marine is under rated when it comes to gear. If you don't find what you are looking for, just talk to Russell and he can usually get it for you.

I guess I've been buying most of my gear at Sportco in Fife. This is partly because I work only about a quarter of a mile from them and their prices are pretty good. However, lately I've been wondering about the huge decline in the bait and tackle shops that once thrived on the rivers and in the bays and harbors where I fish. I've decided that saving a few cents on a corkie isn't as important as keeping these last few on the water proprieters in business. Whenever possible, I try to buy my fresh bait, snacks and some gear from these shops. Another bonus of these shops is that they usually have a huge amount of current information on their water and what the hot location and combination has been. If you're willing to spend a few minutes talking and a few dollars on merchandise they're usually more than willing to share their knowledge.

Two thumbs up for the Narrows. With the screwed-up saltwater regs we've got, these boat and bait guys need all the help they can get. Also, check out garage sales, estate sales, and hardware/sportshop closing sales for great prices. Looking for gear at these places is a lot like fishing. You put a lot of miles on the rig and often return home empty-handed.You get used to hearing-- You should have been here yesterday! Occasionally, you get so lucky, you want to show everybody your "prize catch".

Do most of my fishing/hunting shopping at Sportco, once saw the manager-owner of a small fishing tackle store there with probably $400-$500 in tackle in his cart, I'll bet he made a little profit off that shopping trip.

On your next trip out to Forks, try "Swains" in Port Angeles. This is a great store with all kinds of stuff. It's a great place to get all of those things you forget when you leave town, sleeping bag, pliers, whatever.
"Swains has everything".

I will never shop at sporties again the owner is an asshole. outdoor for price Teds in lynnwood for price and service plus the guys behind the counter really know there stuff.

Fishguts Swain, you sound like a salesman, I agree they do have a decent selection just don't go there looking for bargains

As a co-owner of a closed sporting goods shop I think everyone would be suprised at the true prices you pay at Sportco, OE, Narrows, and the like. Don't think there are that many bargains. The biggest sales are the ones Walmart, Kmart, and Fred Meyers have. But those sales are short lived. The best think to do is shop around. Mail order if you are not in a hurry. The discount us "dealers" pay is only 10% at sportco. They don't do any favors for the small guys. As for selection, most big stores have good ones. But getting hard to find stuff is almost impossible. When my store was open, we tracked down a 20 foot, yes foot, crappie pole a guy had to have. Sportco, OE, and the Narrows couldn't do it. If anyone is looking for a hard to find item, drop an email, and I will see what I can find. I still have many contacts.

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Just because I look big, dumb, and ugly, doesn't mean I am. It means I can stomp you for calling me it!

Big Jim, Thanks for the information it is good to know. For your info, ironically, I just saw 20 ft Crappie poles in Bass Pro Shops catalog. I think they just started selling them.
Jack

b. gray
thanks for info, went down to salmon bay. nice shop to keep in mind.

Big Jim, I can't speak for anyone but myself but when it comes to tackle I usually know exactly what I want and I go get it, I don't waste my time shopping the Walmarts-Kmarts-FM's like you mentioned because rarely do they have what I'm looking for on sale, also , you ever price corkies, Maxima line, hotshots just to mention a few things at those stores, even when those things go on sale they can't compete with Sportco. As for the small tackle shop owner I mentioned above, he loaded up on hotshots that were marked 3.99 minus his 10% dealer discount he paid about 3.60 each, the next day his store was selling hotshots for 5.19 and up, should I pay $2.00 more for his "fishing knowledge" I don't think so.

I need to second whoever said Sportees in Redmond has some assholes working there. I used to work over near there and every time I went in they were complete jackoffs who acted like they were doing you a favor to answer a question or shoot the poop. Just my experience. Your mileage may vary.

The Delta Park G.I.Joe's in Portland has got the best prices and selection in the area as far as I am concerned. Talk to Bob he really knows his stuff. Also they will beat the prices of the big store next door by 10%. If you are dowm south give it a try you may be suprised. HAPPY FISHING & KEEP THE RIVERS CLEAN

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dank

Hmm, is worth spending $7.00 on gas to save $1.50 on a plug? It seems many people here think so, unless you plan on spending $200 on corkies and plugs, traveling to these big discounters doesn't save any money. I always try to support the smaller local shops, if I have to pay 12 cents for a corky instead of 10 cents big deal. Most of time the prices on the bigger items like rods and reels are the same or even lower at the smaller shops. Why would I go to OE to buy a shimano reel and a Loomis rod for the same price or even more than I could at a smaller local shop(BTW, smaller shops are generally more willing to cut a little deal with you on bigger purchases) The smaller shops are usually a more pleasant experience, and I find that the local knowledge and reports to be very helpfull.

[This message has been edited by salmontackler (edited 03-24-2000).]

One of my favorite places to go is GI Joes and Fishermans Marine in Portland.