How many of you regularly shop at Tackle Stores ?

[Pangaroo]

Why are the prices so high ???? The prices are ridiculous ! I wanted to buy tubing for diamond jigs, $16 for 5 feet of tubing.!!! One rod /rod combo after another $250-$400.
Me ? I'll buy an Ugly Stick for $90 that'll last me a lifetime and a used Penn Reel on Ebay. Who buys $300 reels for bay fishing? There's people out there buying that stuff. Crazy !

 

[george]

It's how things are going. It really is getting crazy.

 

[BoatGuy]

It depends on the shop. If they are much higher, I may purchase something somewhere else. I wanted a Penn reel. It was $100 cheaper on Amazon. That type of purchase I understand. The local who buys one reel does not have the buying power to get discounts.

But, having said that, I do buy stuff at my local. Prices are the same on some things as Dicks Sporting goods. Yes, I could probably find it cheaper if I searched the internet. But how much cheaper? Your time is valuable and saving $2 for a SPRO or Deadly Dick isn’t a good use of my time. Plus, if you need it quickly, they are there. Supporting them when you can. You’ll miss the local bait shops when they are gone.

 

[Pangaroo]

It just seems they cater mostly to high end customers. I was in a store in Oakdale .

 

[live bait]

Last month wanted to try chunking, haven’t done it in years, no concentration of bunker around so went to local shop & paid $21 for 6 frozen bunker. The trip wasn’t productive.

 

[pequa1]

Guilty as charged. Except for my 6' Tsunami Slimwave and a Daiwa BG 2000, I am still using reels and rods I have had for decades and none of them cost more than $110. a piece. Except for a tub of clam bellies I bought ten years ago, I haven’t bought bait and have only used plastics on the kayak (unless livelining a snapper) and plugs, tins and bucks while surfcasting since 2005.

 

[CELLFISH]

Last month wanted to try chunking, haven’t done it in years, no concentration of bunker around so went to local shop & paid $21 for 6 frozen bunker. The trip wasn’t productive.

Butterfish from Chinatown, 3 pounds / $10.00…

Clams, $2.00 / pound, w half shell… haha…
.

 

[Roccus7]

When the nearest tackle shop is a 70 mile round trip, and I can get all the bait I need by digging in the backyard or via using Sabiki or snagging rigs, you can guess my answer...

 

[Pangaroo]

$23 for a Quart Container of Skimmers out in WEGO. Fished 3/4's of the day on Saturday for Porgies and used less than 1/4 of it. Clams were heavily salted and very tough.

 

[Chinacat]

I give my local tackle shop as much business as I possible can
However, like others here, I gather as much of my own bait as possible between seining for spearing, cast netting peanuts and mullets, and making strip baits from fluke ribbons and sea robins.
There is a small local shop in town that I’ll buy squid, clams, sinkers etc on an as needed basis.

 

[Snapprhead27]

I go to my local guys a lot or I'll buy from local guys that make sinkers, bucktails, or teasers.