Fish-Hawk.Net

I hate wasting my time going from shop to shop looking for something that some 16 yr old behind the counter has never heard of. i like the big box stores because of the on-line catalogs. A BPS in Ottawa? you bet yer butt we need one cause it is more than a fishing shop. it has everything an outdoors person could need. if it was just fishing stuff we wouldn't even have heard about them before. the pricing IS better on the other stuff. Example... i bought my Happy troller trolling plate there for $120. around here the cheapest was $169

I am going to echo the comments about quality local suppliers...

while there are always examples of things being cheaper at the big box stores it is always buyer beware.. last year's model, old stock and questionable advice/commentary.

If I know EXACTLY what I want I will save the purchase for the trip to Cabelas or BP.. it is really hard to beat Cabaela's clothing, rainsuilts etc.

But most of the time I really don't know what I wnat and the local supplier can provide guidance like RJ uses this, Big Jim that.. and so on.
Then I press for the best price I can get.

In return I buy my consumables, plastics etc at the local shop so that they can make a bit of money too and be there when I am looking for the guidance and last minute needs.

And the prices are not always better.. last year I bought a pair of high end binoculars and they were cheaper locally than at the Toronto Bass Pro.

So Bass Pro for Ottawa, I could pass

Last comment.. even if LeBaron is 30% cheaper I will not go there:( . At least pretend you care about service

I just got back from Sail.
We don't need a BPS.

Say good bye to Lebarons (hopefully).
I give them 6 months.

I shop at the BPS in Auburn N.Y. twice a year ... spring and fall.
I went to the Toronto Store a few years ago with some buddies and was disappointed. As a previous poster stated ... they are stocked on a Regional basis, therefore you have to go where your intrests are .. hence Auburn ...big on fishing/hunting.
Large inventories, with competive pricing, coupled with a good exchange rate (and stores not pricing using of the exchange rate that they purchased there stock for in the first place), make this shopping experience better, and cheaper.
Just my .02.

d-mo

Well here's my take. Nobody NEEDS another Bass Pro. From what I can see, you Ottawa boys have some great shops around locally. We have two out this way that get all of my business for rods, and about half of what I spend on reels and other tackle.

The other half of my money goes to EBAY. I want to support local business as much as I can, but at the rate I go through some stuff it would be difficult. I've found deals on line that I would never ask a local guy to compete with. Sometimes I pay less than they do from their distributor.

The Toronto BPS is okay, but I have never found everything I went there for. Even something as simple as a specific colour of a bait they have thousands of. I'm very particular when it comes to my tackle and this can be a real pee pee off.

All that said, the woman and I are heading to San Antonio this Feb. If Bass Pro's are stocked regionally, I can't wait to see their selection!

i live about 1hour from bps.

i go about twice a year.

and thats for very specific items.

bps itself is NOT a great store...it's ok for outdoors stuff...and cheap flea market style stuff....

i go to buy their rain bibs and their tackle bags...both bps brands.

other than for that - nothing!

it's a horrible store!

seriously....it's a novelty for those who don't go often...tank and all...however, you'd find if one was put in, you'd go maybe twice a year....

that's about it....

they are garbage.

Do we need one? In my opinion No.

Will we get one? No. Too small of a market.

Would it destroy the local shops if we did get one? No. It hasn't in Toronto one bit.

One thing I can't get over is the outright hatred for some stores....just seems odd to me...

RJ

RJ wrote:One thing I can't get over is the outright hatred for some stores....just seems odd to me...
RJ

I hate Crappy Tire but still shop there... Customer service is almost dead but those stores who make it a priority will continue to get support.

SkeeterJohn wrote:

RJ wrote:One thing I can't get over is the outright hatred for some stores....just seems odd to me...
RJ

I hate Crappy Tire but still shop there... Customer service is almost dead but those stores who make it a priority will continue to get support.

At least crappy tire will return/refund/exchange damaged, or faulty goods.

we drove to Toronto for a guys weekend last spring. I just wanted to go to BPS and see the hype. My dad had to get these specific type of bumpers for his pontoon boat. Guess what. they are a catalogue item only! lol. oh well it was great anyway to spend time with my dad brother and son lol

I voted no.

I've been to the BPS in T.O. 2-3 times.

On every ocassion I had a list of tackle that I wanted to get. On every ocassion I left without some of the things I really wanted. As has been said before, The stores don't stock everything, and don't carry every color. The BPS catalog and reality are two different things.

I know for a fact that Baitcasters will order BPS items for you. Ed has said he will gladly order BPS items for you.

Every time I walk into Baitcasters, Paddletales, Bennett's or any of our retail partners I am going to talk to very knowledgeable people, not some goof. My Kistler rod I got a few years back at Baitcasters was cheaper in CDN dollars that it was advertized in the US catalogs in USD.

When I add up the very competitive prices and excellent service I get every time at our retail partners.......it's a no brainer for me.

Drop

When a big outfit like BPS is asking you for your name, address & phone number they are trying to generate a contact list for potential FRANCHISEES !!!

So now your inbox will be stuffed with "business offers" of all kinds etc etc as they work the numbers to try and find the next sucker to sink a million bucks into a BPS franchise.

Not to mention Ottawa doesn't have the population base they are looking for to run a "successful" outlet here.

T

Been to BPS twice as I say, The First and the Last time.
I was impressed with the way the store was done up in Vaughn, what with the Taxidermy Displays throughout the store, and the Fish Tank.
Other than these two aforementioned things, the rest of the store is just the same as anywhere else, except for one thing... Personal Service.
All the BIG STORES want is your Dollar and get out of town, we don't know you.
The Ma and Pa shops have a vested interest in every customer that comes through the door, Treat them right and they will return, and will also talk it up about how they were treated and dealt with.
I'll be honest, right now NOT really impressed with the way the Pro's from different companies at Sail's Opening have been addressing things. I look at them as being informative people, but hanging out in the Reels area and mainly conversing amongst yourselves, you're not doing the Industry a lot of good.
You could also dress yourselves up a little better, tuck your shirts in and be proud of who you represent.

I have never been to BPS Vaughan.
I have been to a few shops in the US. I like the shop in Auburn NY. The fish tank there is more suited to our area of fishing. Fresh water rivers and great lakes. The employees let the kids feed the fish too. I could sit there and watch the fish for hours. The last time I was there in late August there was so much hunting stock and not so much fishing stock. Then again there was enough to keep me busy. I do not buy that much there I just like to browse. I generally like to keep my business local. I could not find my wife in the BPS store for a while. However, I did eventually find her sitting watching the fish tank. lol

My vote was NO, like RJ said this market could not support it. I've yet to be there (Vaughn) but reading some of these posts why bother. As many have said we have several local shops where we can get what we need