Thanks for the link!

FYI. - About Gander Mtn. April.14, 2008

I was in Gander Mtn. In Texarkana TX on March 14-15 for KISTLER Rod and also in Gander Mtn. in Tyler TX April 5,6th.
If you want to see what a Fishing Tackle Dept. Should look like, go to the Gander Mtn. In Texarkana TX and see what Lucy Mize did to the Fishing Tackle Dept. When she became the Fishing Dept. Mgr. Lucy Fishes the Bass Women’s Tour.
The Fishing Tackle Dept. Look just like the one in Tyler TX.
I talk to the Jensen Lockhart the Store Manager of Tyler TX., last week and inform him he needed to go on the Texas Fishing Forum and see for him self what he needed to do to get his Fishing Tackle Dept up to speed for the East Texas and the Tyler TX area.
I hope this will get the ball rolling so this store will look like the Gander Mtn. In Texarkana TX.

I can't speak too much for the bass selection as I primarily fish for crappie.... but the point is, if they dont have something you want, all you have to do is ask.

There have been a few instances where I cant find a particular style/color, I ask the dept mgr if they would order it. Now they are regular stocked items.

Before you bash someone, at least talk to the dept mgr and see if they can order it.

BTW, the ice fishing combos make a great alternative to the stupid snoopy rods!

GILLY

I was given a $100.00 gift card to GM. I had not been in the
store in a long time due to things already discussed. I picked
up a few item, and almost fell over when the total came to
$162.00. Several items rang up at higher prices than I
remember on the shelf. I should have called them on it, but
was late for an appointment.
They do have more stock than when they first opened,
but I will be happy when Academy opens.


MO

I shop at Gander Mountain more than Academy. But I do make a trip to BPS now and then. Gander Mt has fly fishing stuff, not much but it sure beats Academy in Longview. Neither store carries a decent amount of fishing tackle in my opinion. I have made many orders in the past to Cabelas and BPS. Never tried Tackle Warehouse. Gander Mt has some stuff Academy doesn't...such as Robo Worms. We need a bigger fishing store in this area. My brother probaably shops at that Texarkana store you mentioned, he lives that way.

Here in Aggieland, they built a GM right next to our Academy store. I've always preferred Academy anyway, but let me tell you, the new GM store really motivated Academy. Selection seems even better than it was, and prices are nearly always better. The only thing Gander has over Academy is a better live bait section.
Apparently, they don't restock after closing hours, either...the aisles always seem to be blocked with restocking carts. Not as many knowledgeable staff, either.

I wish Academy would sell minnows, and waxworms. They may sell waxworms now...haven't looked in some time. They do have a nice worm selection though. They need more fishing books too. GM has them beat in that dept. At least at GM now and then somebody MAY ask...if I need help. At Academy in Longview I NEVER get asked if I need help, and I mean EVER. I know the Academy store quite well now and don't really need the help... the reels behind the counter are a pain. The guys would rather show guns anyday...and I have seen them take 3 men to show one rifle/shotgun while I am fuming waiting and waiting to be helped further down the counter. This has happened NUMEROUS occasions. Sometimes my son needs air for his soft air gun...but you have to get it all done behind that same counter. I have had to speak up or no telling how long I would have to wait back there. Last two or three times they are out of air anyway...I started going somewhere else to save the aggravation. Academy has the Rod Riots that are just awesome. So they both have appeal, and I visit both. Are they of the quality of a BPS fishing dept? NOT EVEN CLOSE........LOL.

Gander Mountain doesn't always have what I am looking for and I will agree that it doesn't make sense to me that they would ever run out of things like watermelon seed baby brush hogs and flukes and chartruse spike it (East Texas old faithfuls) but I am very excited to have the store here in Tyler. My dad works there part time and I go in to see him and also go in on Sunday afternoosn to kill a little time and always find several things to buy, in fact, to me the worst thing about the store is the amount of money I have spent the last couple of years when I don't actually need anything. The store is not perfect but we still have Walmart which is all we had before and I never find myself going into Walmart to browse their fishing section and kill an hour. I don't see how it is a bad thing to be given another choice in where to buy fishing tackle. No store went away when GM came to Tyler and I hope none go away when Academy opens.

It is not a bad thing to have a choice. Some of us are just perplexed and amazed at some of the things they NEVER have.

For example, they sell Gamakatsu worm hooks. But, for as long as I have been going there (since the store opened), they have NEVER had a single package of 3/0, offset shank, round bend hooks.

They also NEVER have watermelon seed baby brush hogs.

It's not that they have them sometimes, but sell so many that they run out. It's that they haven't had them in the past, don't have them now, and apparently don't plan on ordering any in the future.

I recently went in there with a list of five things I wanted to buy...all very common East Texas bass fishing items. They had one of them. That is pretty typical of my experiences with the store.

I know I can't speak for everyone, but I think what most of us are probably trying to say is, "What the heck is the store manager, or whoever does the ordering, thinking?"

And, having spent quite a few years in management of a service industry business, I don't think failing to anticipate and fulfill your customers' most basic needs without them asking or complaining is a very sound business practice.

I agree 100 %, they opened with limited stock (as did BPS in Garland) but you would expect that & they would get up to speed in a few months, well its been a couple years & Gander Mountain cant replace much of anything in my tackleboxes, if i cant get it online (i usually can) then i check academy or BPS then cabelas, gander is pretty much off my radar,

The fishing selection at the Corsicana store is okay. But don't go there to pick up a new pair of waders or steel shot past November 1.

Hogwash, They don't carry Lake Fork Tackle or Grande Bass.

like gander mountain or cabelas or bps does either ??

gander carries lft

Academy carries both.......:)

I asked for a certain size Pet Spoon for four months.

I have asked for several things,, none there yet.

But the most important thing that I asked for was for them to restock what they already sale...... That seems like to much to ask as well....

I guess I just don't understand the business. Seems to me if something sales then you order more and sale even more.

Was glad to see the other day that they had plenty of watermelon seed flukes in stock but they raised the price 1.00 per bag more than I paid there the week before. Guess when they do 1 thing right they have to really capitalize on that one.. LOL


Maybe they will listen better when Academy comes to town

Jody

Funny I stopped in Academy today and they have increased their fly dept a little. They now have two end caps with fly stuff. They have more flies for sale, and a couple of fly rods. That was a shock. I wonder if they have someone monitoring this board.......lol.

I was in the store last night for my by weekly bait shopping spree and they had all three of the things I mentioned them not having in an earlier post (chartruse spike it & watermelon seed flukes and baby brush hogs) It is my believe that the guys there are sometimes just as or even more frustrated than we are about the empty pegs on the shelves, remember most of those guys are fishing nuts also so they want to be able to buy baits plus they have to listen to the rest of us gripe about what they don't have. I don't think that it is the stores fault at all the problem seems to be higher up the corporate chain (again my uneducated opinion). Anyone who thinks that the fishing department manager doesn't want to re stock the things that sell quickly has never met him. I do know that they have had a great part time guy in the fishing department move away so I think that Mad Angler should go apply for his position and change the store! I don't know what he could change, heck he can't even rent a movie without getting in a fight with all the women that work in the rental store. (Just kidding with you RK)

I guess basically my feelings are like I said earlier Gander Mountain isn't perfect, they don't have everything I could ever want, but they have a ton more options than I have ever had in Tyler in the 8 years I have lived here.

Now talking to the store manager is a good thing. I hope he listens to your advice. I keep visiting there looking for a change. If he is listening....your fly thread needs to be checked. I bought some and the plastic side of the thread comes off. So when you put it on a bobbin, and it comes loose...your whole thread has to be thrown away. I notice mine isn't the only one broken. The flies need to be increased in the fly dept. Stop with the walleye, pike, muskie, ice fishing. We can buy that locally if we choose to go to that area. We need local stuff.
Keep the reels dept the way it is. I like being able to see a reel for myself without having to wait for someone behind a counter to get it for me. You need decent barrel swivels..not just snap swivels. Your swivels stink. I use them for making leader lines.
Kalin has great stuff, I am buying it and the Roboworm stuff. Get some decent shaky head hooks to go with the 3" Kalin grubs. The Bagley's hook is too big for the 3" grub. (for Tx rigging)
These are things that I can think of for now. Hope this helps!

If you are looking for fly fishing supplies you need to go to Winchester's over on Gilmer rd in Longview. They have a small area in the rear of the store that is crammed full of fly tackle including fly rods & reels, thread, materials, and flys that are already tied up. They are a full Orvis dealer and will order in anything that you need, want, or desire...

I just found out about that place about 6 weeks ago, and I have been there about 3 times since. Thanks. I have only bought fly making materials though. I have also bought clearance stuff he had...which was a good deal. I caught some fish today on a close out spinner bait he had.

I went to Academy to return a rod that broke. Academy made me happy by not giving me any grief on it, and they readily exchanged my rod for a new one. The only problem is they didn't have the same rod that I bought previously. I had to choose another rod, and I am not too thrilled with it. I wrote all about it in the Rod and Reel forum.

Razorback,

Do you remember Mo & Joe's Fishin' Stuff on the southwest loop?

They did not stay in business.

The problem in part is that the margins on fishing tackle is not very high as compared to other things. One of the reasons that Gander Mountain has so much floor space devoted to sports clothing is that the profitability of such is very high.

In order to have a local independent tackle store be successful it has to have low overheard in terms of rent, mortgage, etc., utilities, and taxes. It also must be conveniently located to a large population of avid anglers. It will need to be very well managed, and the management will need to be very savvy when it comes to the 'hot' lures etc., and have a great deal of marketing savvy. It will also need a staff that is very outgoing, LOVES to fish locally, and can SELL.

The biggest problem is getting low overhead while being conveniently located to a large population of anglers. These are almost self-contradictory conditions. It's VERY hard to get a location that provides low overhead, visibility, and convenience.

TFP

Well very interesting comments. The problem in staying open that long is paying staff a decent wage who know what the heck you are talking about. Because an owner would have NO LIFE if he/she stayed open that long. Now if they had a competent staff they could fish when they wanted, and be in the shop a lot. As far as fly fishing stuff, this is getting to be a big trend and a lot of people are interested in getting into the sport. Surely not the norm, but it is up and coming. A decent amount of money can be made off of fly rods,equipment, and fly making materials.
When I went into Mack's store...I didn't buy hardly anything. He had nothing really that I didn't already have. So in order to thrive the store should be comparible to a BPS fishing dept. (or not too far from it) But if the economy falls much more it would be a huge gamble to open a store like that anyway. Fishing maybe a necessity to those of us here, but to most people it is not. If times get hard enough, even those of us here are gonna have to slow down on what we buy. I am still buying, but much slower than in the past months...