Tackleshop or Mail order?

[solentranger]

Plenty of posts on here recently referring to ebay, mail order or shopping elsewhere for fishing related purchases.
Are the days of the tackle shop numbered? whats your preference?

[cuckoo]

Hi mate ,
well you cant beat what we have here in hamble , a local tackle shop that is also mail order , great service and great prices !!!!!!
www.nailorsfishing.co.uk

lee.

[monkeynuts]

i know a few tackel shops that are struggling, so i think mail order is the only way to keep them afloat as well as running a traditional shop for bait also its hard to tell the action of a rod with out holding it, so thats a another reson to keep the shops

[anthonyk]

Not living near the coast most of the tackle shops with in striking distance were mainly all coarse fishing orientated. You could bye the main things, reels, end tackle and rods, but what you could not get was bait or local knowledge. With the advent of computers and forums along came the knowledge and mail order. Iam sorry to say all the tackle shops near me have closed down except for Gerrys of Wimbledon, but that is carp orientated mainly.

[topbanana]

i think some tackle shops are a bit clicky and the quality of bait is not allways the best,ive just started using a digger local to me who i found on ebay and the bait is allways fresh,i use one tackle shop alot nice polite couple who run it but the bait isnt allways that good so at the end of the day its down to quality and price for me

[Pete B]

topbanana said:

i think some tackle shops are a bit clicky and the quality of bait is not allways the best,ive just started using a digger local to me who i found on ebay and the bait is allways fresh,i use one tackle shop alot nice polite couple who run it but the bait isnt allways that good so at the end of the day its down to quality and price for me

I agree, I have used all of the tackle shops local to me at some point & obviously still use one regularly for worm.
Some are very clicky, a group of blokes huddled round the counter must be very off-putting to the beginner seeking advice or travelling angler wanting some venue info. The shop thats hailed as my area's best is a classic example of this, hence I never use it.
Ive never really understood the 'support your local tackle shop' campaign that Sea Angler mag banged on about for ages. I get on very well with the bloke that owns the tackle shop that I use but I dont feel any obliging loyalty to his business. If I know what I want I shop around for it. If I find it cheaper on the net I ask my local shop if they can match it - if they cant I go elsewhere.
Heartless b*stard >:(I know!! ;D

[dean macey]

need to support shops as they are a starting point for new anglers.bait would be hard to come by with out them.bought a good headlamp today after trying them all out in the shop not possible on the net.i get advice from the local shop even though it has a clicky side but doesnt everthing,the advice i get is more than worth it.how do give a younster any advice of the mail order,my son knows where to go for a bit of help.
tackle shops will be like post offices as they dissapear people will realise how much we need them.sea angler were spot on with their campaign no tackle shops,a lot less people fishing.

[Pete B]

deanm said:

need to support shops as they are a starting point for new anglers.bait would be hard to come by with out them.bought a good headlamp today after trying them all out in the shop not possible on the net.i get advice from the local shop even though it has a clicky side but doesnt everthing,the advice i get is more than worth it.how do give a younster any advice of the mail order,my son knows where to go for a bit of help.
tackle shops will be like post offices as they dissapear people will realise how much we need them.sea angler were spot on with their campaign no tackle shops,a lot less people fishing.

I agree Dean, but we shouldnt feel obliged to buy from a tackle shop just because its there! If its crap its crap!.
I thought 'Sea Angler' mags campaign was a bit of an empty gesture combined cleverly with a hint of classified ad generating, all those pages of little tackle shops ads that went out alongside it were'nt handed out for free. Ironically just after that campaign ran Sea Angler then done a spread about 'buying your bait from the supermarket' - good work

If punters can buy exactly what they want for a reasonable price & get it there & then they will do so. I dont want to have to wait & risk my expensive rod through the post.
Hopefully good tackle shops will always be around (to save me digging my worm ) the 'support your local tackle shop' ploy I found a little patronising, if your shop provides a good service you use it, if it dont, you dont.

[squideyebarnes]

our tackle shop is clicky but go in there to look at the rods and reels then look for cheaper on the net.just cal me Judas ;D
As with bait we need them and small tackle items.

[reelbargains]

Never mind the clickiness - what about the fact that most tackle shops - even the big, popular ones - haven't got a flippin clue about fishing tackle. I get bloody annoyed when I hear a tackle shop employee trying to sell something completely useless or wrong for the purpose to a novice or unknowing angler (sometimes me).
My personal opinion is that tackle shops are responsible for the fact that anglers in the UK don't have any fun fishing anymore and therefore newcomers don't always hang in there and stick with it. I really can't see why a tackle shop would sell a novice boat angler a stiff 30lb outfit like a pool cue, a heavy hard to hold giant multiplier full of braid you could tow a car with. When in all fairness the angler is most likely to encounter pouting, dogfish and the odd better fish.
I'm not afraid to say that I have had a lot of fun in my time catching pouting, dogs and the like by using light gear and being a bit 'sporting'.
Tackle shops are in a position to start a revolution in fishing tackle and turn the UK into a nation of sporting fisherman but they seem to be stuck in the past where 20lb cod where once the norm.
In their defence, I suppose that's because when you open a tackle shop you don't get much time to actually go fishing. They're business men I guess.

[maghouse]

Gotta add my local shop - Allans Marine is tops ... great advice from genuine anglers, genuine offers of help & reports on local fishing and you cant buy "real bait" on ebay !

When I first started sea fishing - they were great - all the advice I could ever need & all free.

I am definatley on the 'Support your local shop - we will all grumble when they have gone !

[Pete B]

I had to add this one on the end of this post -

A workmate popped into a tackle shop whilst away for a family long weekend in Devon. He found the small section of sea gear & started looking at a couple of light beach / estuary rods. He took a rod from the rack & started flexing the tip against the ceiling, with this the shop owner looked up & said "do you mind not doing that, it will mark my ceiling & you'll end up snapping that rod" my mate said that chuckled to himself but obliged & lowered the rod.

He carried on looking & the owner came over & started giving the sales chat. He asked what he was looking for " a light beach come flatty rod" was the reply. With that the bloke turned & pulled a Ron thompson boat rod from the rack behind him, "this one will do ya, ya dont need to cast far for flatties if ya fishing the river". Rather than correct him my mate said "no its a little short for what Im after" with this he put back the boat rod & pulled the rod next to it out "this one then?" & handed him an uptider!.

My mate said that at this point he noticed that the sea rods were set up in order of length! & the shop owner really didnt know any better, as far as he was concerned short rods were for boat & pier fishing, rods a bit longer was for casting a bit further & long rods were for casting the furthest - worrying!

My mate bought a few tackle bits & bobs & on the way out enquired to where he might go for a few hrs worth of flatty bashing, the owners reply was " dont know really mate, I only stock the sea fishing stuff coz it goes well in the summer"



As comical as it was whilst he told me the story, if it was a nipper with his birthday money in his back pocket the owner would have given the same advice!

[meoc4life]

allans marine is top notch but because i live on the other side of portsmouth i have to go to solent tackle and the worm falls apart

conclusion
for rods reels rod rests etc allansmarine
hooks booms line car boot sale
bait closest to venue

[darenw]

I know that fella Chalkie ,is he a rig-maker ? He digs his own and Mannings of Widley have theirs off of him too. The last lot of rag I had off them was a bit ropey too. Still reccomend them though , nice fellas It might seem a bit masochistic but digging my own worm is quite enjoyable, better quality too.