Support Your Local Flyshop

[TimD]

I would like to help out but I have joined the "Freedom 46" group.

 

In the past 3 years I have about maybe 6 flies some tippet, strike indicators and a few containers of fly floatant. Other than that, my only trips to shops have been for replacing tying materials (mostly hooks) - oh and a license once a year. The nice thing about fly fishing is that one does not need a lot of gear to enjoy it.

 

Bass Pro shop - no comprende

 

Cheers,

 

Tim

[troutlover]

Now THAT! was fgnfunny Rick!!!

[mwalters]

Can't argue with the small shop atmosphere. I've only been fly fishing for about a year & a half and tying for about a year. But in that time I've become good friends with the local fly shop (Wapiti Sports) owner here. It's nice to walk in & have someone say hi & call you by name. I've even gotten to know quite a few of the other 'shop rats' around here.

 

We've only got 1 fly shop here in Canmore, but it's a nice place to visit during my lunch hour.

[Pipestoneflyguy]

Ditto MK - Nick is a great guy and I do appreciate that he always knows your name and is willing to chat. I try to shop in there as much as I can, by supporting him I hope to help ensure he is always there for my own convienence - I've bought a few rods and a ton of tying gear in there, I also buy many of my hunting supplies through Wapiti - All the staff there really know what good customer service means and they always deliver.

 

I went in to the new BPS a couple weeks ago to check things out, the guys in the fly shop were pretty helpful but I was dissapointed with the selection of rods - I ended up buying a 3 wt TFO and one of their White River reels with it, I probably would have spent twice that if they had a little more selection in a mid range (my budget was 500 for a 4 wt). While I was there they handed me a flyer and suggested I check out all the deals, the prices seemed outstanding so I ended up at the till with waders, another belly boat and a whole bunch of other stuff only to find out all the prices in the flyer were american and my total was 3X what I had added up in my head - I wasn't to happy but was willing to shrug it off and send most of the stuff back except the rod package, The manager seemed annoyed which kinda upset me as I figure we are in Canada and if a staff member hands you a flyer it would seem common sense to mention the prices are in american - (how do waders advertised at 54.99 to 74.99 become 154.99 Canadian, that doesn't add up even with the $ difference and duty etc) - The other annoyance was that my SA flyline had a sticker saying you get a free hat, but when I asked for my hat I was told that you had to mail away and it was only for americans - I suggested to the manager that they should grab a a marker and cross off the hat deal so Canadian customers are not mis-lead - she didn't even respond and just walked away. Just goes to show the Value of a guy like Nick and a small shop atmosphere.

 

As for the reel and rod I did take it out to give it a try, as with most TFO's it has a great cast. The reel is pretty nice, it was 145.00 with a large arbour, the only complaint is when retrieving you really have to manage the rewind or it gets to thick and catches the frame - I am going to remove some of the backing and see if that helps, that said though the drag adjustment is very easy to use and covers the needed range in half a turn - so far I really like it.

 

The store is stunning to see, and the staff in the fly shop were knowledgefull and very helpfull, but I found the service from the manager was very poor and left me resigned not to shop there again, she could have at least apologized for me not being told the prices were in US, instead she actually embarrassed me in front of the other customers and spoke to me in a condesending manner suggesting I should have known better, she just stood there shaking her head as she took the stuff away I sent back - so there you go, box store attitude sucks, and they'll be lucky top see any opf my money again now.

[trailhead]

I went to Disneyland too. I mean BassPro. Lots of tourists there and lots of ooohs and aaaahs. But I found it to be as the rest of you have, a sporting goods Walmart. I guess the guns are where the deals are, according to a co-worker, but as far as flyfishing I have seen lower prices at Westwinds and the other stores here in Calgary.

[agbff]

I heard that if you shop at bass pro you'll go blind...

[Guest girlsfishtoo]

The store is stunning to see, and the staff in the fly shop were knowledgefull and very helpfull, but I found the service from the manager was very poor and left me resigned not to shop there again, she could have at least apologized for me not being told the prices were in US, instead she actually embarrassed me in front of the other customers and spoke to me in a condesending manner suggesting I should have known better, she just stood there shaking her head as she took the stuff away I sent back - so there you go, box store attitude sucks, and they'll be lucky top see any opf my money again now.

If that happened to me, I would be complaining to someone above her for the "poor quality of service" and "lack of respect" that you received! A customer should not be treated that way, and considering they were providing a flyer that had "US" prices is b :$*%&: t. (Intentional? way to get more $ out of the customer?) Service is a big part of a store's success and I guess they don't think that they have to provide that. Myself I prefer to shop at the smaller stores where you do get "quality" customer service.

"Box store attitude sucks!"

[Teck71]

if it is not metioned in US dollars in the flyer then is it not prices switching?

 

that alone and the Managers attitude, leaves me not wanting to spend money there.

 

Teck

[uliwon]

April got a wack of $$$ and products for her conservation charity auction...bad, April!, a thousand lashes with a wet flyline...now pull down your waders!

[BBBrownie]

April got a wack of $$$ and products for her conservation charity auction...bad, April, bad!...thousand lashes with a wet flyline...now pull down your waders!

Respect?

[Whistler]

Respect?

 

hahaha....yeah...lots...seriously....

 

Interesting how peeps are concerned over Bass pro but this site has banner ads from all over the US...

 

Scott (uliwon) posting on Niskas computer!!!

[Taco]

the canuck innate fear of the boogie man from the south, keeps us lookin' under friggin' bed

 

 

 

Went to bass pro yesserday for the hellavit to kill a half hour, impressive store, quite a few people not a lot of buying, even bought a coupla plano boxes and a ul spinnin' rod, price was decent, don't think I'll be back unless I'm in the area with the time and I need something. Been there ,done that, didn't bother about the t-shirt

[reevesr1]

You should have thought about the t-shirt Taco. It was probably on sale.

[bhurt]

I have been tring to stay out of this topic but there are somethings that had made me upset and I wil touch on them once and that will be final from me.

 

1) Small shops are the way to go.

I have had some very bad experince in small shops myself. I went into a very respected shop when I first started out (I will not name what shop so don't bother asking) and asked for a affordable setup and was showen a 1k setup (rod reel and line) when I told the person that it was out of my price range I was instructed that I should go to canadain tire and buy a cheep setup cause I wasn't a Real Fly Fisher. Then about 2 weeks later I meet this guy on the river and he shows me his setup that he had done at the same shop (all they did was put line on) the thing though there was no backing on the reel. I told the guy to go back to the shop and ask for some backing on it and to be aware as there might be a small fee for the backing and putting it on. A couple of days later I ran into him again and asked him how things went and he told me that when he asked the guys at the shop why they didn't suggest getting some backing his replie was that he was told that since he didn't ask for it, it was his problem. I've gone ionto that shop two times after that and every time I went in I got the feeling like they were looking down their noses at me and that I was somehow an idoit compared to them, GREAT SERVICE FROM A SMALL SHOP.............

 

2) "Box store attitude sucks!"

I myself work in a big box store and I get compliants on a daily basis about how I go out of my way to help people out. What I am trying to say is that the attitude of the Big Box Store does not suck, it is the people that work in these enviorments, and to generalize it like it was was very disrespectful to me as I am not that way.

 

3) April was a sell out.

Probably the biggest line of crap I have ever heard of. I am pretty sure that Bass Pro carries the mag that april works from and did any of the LOCAL SHOPS ask her to come to their shops cause I am sure Bass Pro asked her. April as mentioned beforehas done alot of the angling community and to spout out crap like this is just uncalled for and unjustified in my eyes.

 

In the end if you are happy with the place you go to then great keep on going there but do not TELL ANYONE WHERE THEY CAN GO OR WHERE THEY CHOSE TO DO BUSINESS OR SHOP PEROID.......

[Guest girlsfishtoo]

The store is stunning to see, and the staff in the fly shop were knowledgefull and very helpfull, but I found the service from the manager was very poor and left me resigned not to shop there again, she could have at least apologized for me not being told the prices were in US, instead she actually embarrassed me in front of the other customers and spoke to me in a condesending manner suggesting I should have known better, she just stood there shaking her head as she took the stuff away I sent back - so there you go, box store attitude sucks, and they'll be lucky top see any opf my money again now.

If that happened to me, I would be complaining to someone above her for the "poor quality of service" and "lack of respect" that you received! A customer should not be treated that way, and considering they were providing a flyer that had "US" prices is b :$*%&: t. (Intentional? way to get more $ out of the customer?) Service is a big part of a store's success and I guess they don't think that they have to provide that. Myself I prefer to shop at the smaller stores where you do get "quality" customer service.

"Box store attitude sucks!"

bhurt, Let me clarify that my comments were regarding the incident mentioned above and I shouldn't have said I prefer to shop at the smaller stores where you do get quality service, because bhurt you are right that isn't always the case. I live in a city that is smaller than Calgary so my shopping experiences are somewhat different. There are a couple local stores that I will only go to because they know me and I receive exceptional service with them, so why change what is good. (These stores came to mind when I said I prefer to shop at the smaller stores because I do get great customer service from them) I have had good and bad service at local stores and box stores. I just do not put up with anyone treating me unfairly whatever the store size is. I tend to go where I am given good service, whether it is local or box store.

 

2) "Box store attitude sucks!"

I myself work in a big box store and I get compliants on a daily basis about how I go out of my way to help people out. What I am trying to say is that the attitude of the Big Box Store does not suck, it is the people that work in these enviorments, and to generalize it like it was was very disrespectful to me as I am not that way.

 

In the end if you are happy with the place you go to then great keep on going there but do not TELL ANYONE WHERE THEY CAN GO OR WHERE THEY CHOSE TO DO BUSINESS OR SHOP PEROID.......

bhurt You are totally right, it is the "employee's attitude" that sucked not the fact that it was a box store. Sorry to have offended or disrespected you or anyone else that works for a big Box Store, that was not my intention.

 

[Lundvike]

Haven't made it to BPS yet, I do plan on it sometime. I am considering driving to canmore as an attractive alternative from the long drive through the city to any of the "local" fly shops from my house in Tuscany.

 

Come on Troutfitters come back to the NW we need some altrenative to the long drive. Was so nice having a shop on my way home from work, wifes opinion was a little different on that subject.

[headscan]

Come on Troutfitters come back to the NW we need some altrenative to the long drive. Was so nice having a shop on my way home from work, wifes opinion was a little different on that subject.

I know exactly what you mean. I live in Citadel so it was really handy having a place to stop in to pick up the odd things that I needed on my way home from work. Really handy if I was doing some tying that night and was missing just a few things or wanted to get an early start the next morning without having to stop into a shop. I think Dalhousie station would be a great spot for a shop. Unfortunately I don't see many new shops opening in the current economy. I like going into Westwinds, Fish Tales, and Country Pleasures, but driving all the way down there is a bit of a commitment especially when you only need a spool of thread or tippet.

[Mudflap]

Not sure if this is just a cow town plug but Stream Weavers in Red Deer has BY FAR the best fly tying material selection than any other store in the province and I have visited them all. Best yet he is only 6 blocks from my house.

[rehsifylf]

I think BHURT hit it on the head - you can get good or bad service anywhere.

 

When I came to Calgary in '95 I went to a shop in the south of Calgary and found the two staff members I spoke with pretty elistist and less than helpful. Ended up going to Frenchy's (closest thing we had to big box then) and ran into a really friendly fellow who will remain nameless (but happens to have recently opened his own shop ) - he asked me my name, where I was from etc etc. - when I went back a few weeks later, he recognized me and asked how the fishing was going. Other times - service at Wholesale wasn't so friendly. Last week I was travelling in BC, and stopped into one of the flyshops owned by someone who posts on here occasionaly - and the reception was not very friendly - one or two word answers to my questions, so after about 5 questions I left. My one expereince at the Green Drake in Canmore was excellent.

 

I don't buy much gear (my wife probably would disagree) but i'll liley go to Bass Pro Shops because it is by far the most convenient for me.

[dharvey]

Britz and I went on opening day, I was at the Pheonix BPS at christmas for the first time, what a spectacle, so I had to see if Calgary's version was going to be as ridiculous and it was. Prices seemed to be the same as in town so we didn't buy anything, though we got a chance to drool over some nice fishing boats and eat chicken hot dogs.

[bigalcal]

I drove to Balzac to finally check out BPS/Outdoor World today. I was personally very disappointed. The store is amazing with all it's taxidermy and "bric-a-brac" but I found that pricing was kinda weird as it wasn't really clear and there was no one around to ask for clarification.

The reason I went was not specifically for fly fishing but for apparel and camping gear. I ignored the boats, fishing and hunting gear and shopped in the other areas where I was interested. The camping area was very bare and didn't really have much inventory. I don't know if it was all bought up or just not stocked yet. It was kinda Walmart stocked with lots of empty spaces in the shelves. I looked in the Fly fishing area and it was pretty lame. This is what I expected as I have looked at their FFing gear on line and they really don't have much. None the less there was a lot of empty shelves and rod racks.

I am interested in buying a pair of fishing glasses and I leaned on the counter for a while and no one offered to help.

The best deal were their PBC's (Personal Beverage Containers) They have some great BPS logo cups that fit in camping chairs for a buck something (great for all inclusive tropical getaways) as well as bigger insulated mugs at 2 for $8 and beer koozies!!

I bought some PBC's only and as I went thru the check out it was obvious that I enjoy beverages when I go camping!!

Check it out but don't have high hopes. I will still visit my friends at the smaller Calgary shops for all my fly fishing needs.

 

[KingSalmon]

I too was impressed by the scenery in there, but not so much with the inventory/prices. I picked up some beer cozies just like you MrBotangles lol

[nickt]

you would think that if you were to put up such a big store out here that you would do some research. i dont know if i am being nieve but i would have expected the fly section be massive in comparisson to the ontario one. the bass pro out there has a fly section the same size but much better. the prices were nothing special either. thecamping section was all for RVers with the gianttables and bbqs. there was nothing in there that really comptes with placs like mec, instead it is wal mart stuff. i find it ironic as well that a company that is all about conservation has so much taxidermy in there. oh well my 2 cents.

[bigbowtrout]

http://www.flygal.ca/blog/blog_commento.as...=&archivio=

[birchy]

Balls!

 

We missed April Vokey at Cowboys for a B-Day party?!