Precision Fly & Tackle coming to the Poconos

[wgmiller]

Saw this come through my email today. Had them opening up a shop in the Lehigh Valley next, so this was a bit of a surprise.

 

[tpn]

Love it. Frequenter of the online shop and their mobile shop. Justin and crew are great to work with.

 

[Millsertime]

Good to hear. Better than closing. I wish/hope they keep the name. Can't think of a better name than Evening Hatch.

 

[Tigereye]

EH was a good shop with great people. Bar is pretty high for the new guys.

I wish both good luck.

 

[RichFishbelt]

EH was a good shop with great people. Bar is pretty high for the new guys.

I wish both good luck.

I have heard that most if not all of the current crew will be staying on.

 

[Bamboozle]

...Had them opening up a shop in the Lehigh Valley next, so this was a bit of a surprise.

After witnessing the demise of at least 6 Lehigh Valley fly shops in the decades I lived in the area, I wouldn't bet on another...

 

[wgmiller]

After witnessing the demise of at least 6 Lehigh Valley fly shops in the decades I lived here in the area, I wouldn't bet on another...

That's odd. When looking at a map, it certainly paints a picture that a fly shop in the LV would be a slam dunk. Guess not!

 

[Bamboozle]

That's odd. When looking at a map, it certainly paints a picture that a fly shop in the LV would be a slam dunk. Guess not!

You would think, but there hasn't been a quasi-proper fly shop in the area in more than 20 years. Even though the shop changed hands & focus, the "region" also lost Angler's Pro Shop in Souderton earlier this year.

It's the same deal with Carlisle & Stroudsburg. I remember when there were several independent shops in and around both towns. Today Carlisle boasts two rubber stamp/cookie cutter shops and Stroudsburg has nothing worth mentioning unless you want to do some driving WAY out of town.

I just hope if the Lehigh Valley, Carlisle or Stroudsburg proper ever get a new fly shop. It's a one-off independent shop with some character and characters...

 

[wgmiller]

You would think, but there hasn't been a quasi-proper fly shop in the area in more than 20 years. Even though the shop changed hands & focus, the "region" also lost Angler's Pro Shop in Souderton earlier this year.

It's the same deal with Carlisle & Stroudsburg. I remember when there were several independent shops in and around both towns. Today Carlisle boasts two rubber stamp/cookie cutter shops and Stroudsburg has nothing worth mentioning unless you want to do some driving WAY out of town.

I just hope if the Lehigh Valley, Carlisle or Stroudsburg proper ever get a new fly shop. It's a one-off independent shop with some character and characters...

At least if you're in Carlisle you can shoot to TCO in Boiling Springs or Precision in Mt. Holly Springs rather quickly. They're only a short dip from the borough.

Sadly, I think starting a successful "brick and mortar" fly shop today is a true rarity. As with many businesses nowadays, the big fish keep the little fish out of the pond and make it tough to compete. There are a few notable exceptions that I've seen in the past few years, such as Creekside in Lancaster County and Pocono Fly Fishing in Jim Thorpe, but they are definitely the exception. Dunkelberger's in Stroudsburg has the potential to have a decent little fly shop as a part of the bigger store, but there must be a reason it never really took off.

 

[JeffP]

At least if you're in Carlisle you can shoot to TCO in Boiling Springs or Precision in Mt. Holly Springs rather quickly. They're only a short dip from the borough.

Sadly, I think starting a successful "brick and mortar" fly shop today is a true rarity. As with many businesses nowadays, the big fish keep the little fish out of the pond and make it tough to compete. There are a few notable exceptions that I've seen in the past few years, such as Creekside in Lancaster County and Pocono Fly Fishing in Jim Thorpe, but they are definitely the exception. Dunkelberger's in Stroudsburg has the potential to have a decent little fly shop as a part of the bigger store, but there must be a reason it never really took off.

Do you think Creekside is doing ok? I live a couple miles down the road and feel bad I have never been there.

 

[wgmiller]

Do you think Creekside is doing ok? I live a couple miles down the road and feel bad I have never been there.

They're always adding inventory and seem to be doing events, etc., so I have to guess they're getting by. I'm not 100% sure on the owner's details, but from what I know it's not his livelihood. That being said, I have to guess as long as he's covering expenses and having fun, it's likely not as big of a deal as someone who is trying to earn a living from a fly shop. I've only ever been in Creekside once or twice, as I find that location a bit out-of-the-way from where in live in the northwest part of the county. If I fished Lititz Run, there would be a reason to stop, but I don't.

 

[Bamboozle]

At least if you're in Carlisle you can shoot to TCO in Boiling Springs or Precision in Mt. Holly Springs rather quickly. They're only a short dip from the borough...

...Dunkelberger's in Stroudsburg has the potential to have a decent little fly shop as a part of the bigger store, but there must be a reason it never really took off.

TCO & Precision are a far, far cry from the Yellow Breeches shop and Cold Spring Anglers back in the day...

I've walked into TCO Boiling Springs and Precision, Mt Holly exactly once each and that was enough for me despite being a frequent visitor to the Carlisle area.

Dunkelberger's wasn't a bad shop back in the day when Don Baylor worked the counter in Stroudsburg and you also had Andy Charalampos' Windsor Fly Shop just up the road to fill the gaps.

These days Dunkelberger's is more about guns and clothing than fishing and sadly Andy & the Windsor Fly Shop is long gone...

 

[lycoflyfisher]

TCO & Precision are a far, far cry from the Yellow Breeches shop and Cold Spring Anglers back in the day...

I've walked into TCO Boiling Springs and Precision, Mt Holly exactly once each and that was enough for me despite being a frequent visitor to the Carlisle area.

Dunkelberger's wasn't a bad shop back in the day when Don Baylor worked the counter in Stroudsburg and you also had Andy Charalampos' Windsor Fly Shop just up the road to fill the gaps.

These days Dunkelberger's is more about guns and clothing than fishing and sadly Andy & the Windsor Fly Shop is long gone...

Agreed about dunkelbergers. I had been in there several times in the past decade or so and thought it was a nice store pre covid. Was in post covid and noticed a trend towards more clothing. Was in again about a year ago and it went even further towards clothing. Fishing section was a shell of former self. I am sure sales must support these moves, but for flyfishing I wouldnt see any reason to stop there.

 

[Bamboozle]

Agreed about dunkelbergers. I had been in there several times in the past decade or so and thought it was a nice store pre covid. Was in post covid and noticed a trend towards more clothing. Was in again about a year ago and it went even further towards clothing. Fishing section was a shell of former self. I am sure sales must support these moves, but for flyfishing I wouldnt see any reason to stop there.

There are no fishing tackle items on their website which says a lot...

 

[wgmiller]

TCO & Precision are a far, far cry from the Yellow Breeches shop and Cold Spring Anglers back in the day...

I agree that TCO and Precision likely don't stack up against some of the one-off shops that exist or have existed. One of the ones that comes to mind for me was Fly Tyers Heaven in Sunbury. It was a shop with a great selection and was quaint in design. It's hard to replicate the feel of small shops and the atmosphere many of them have/had.

That being said, there is value in consistency when it comes to retail. When I travel, I know I can visit any Walmart and find the same products and pretty much where to find them. For some consumers, there is value in "not having to figure everything out all over" when they visit a store. I'd have to suspect the same is true when it comes to fly shops. Whether I visit a TCO in State College or West Lawn, I generally know how things are laid out and where to find things.

If you look at retail as a whole, there are fewer fish in the pond and the ones in there are the bigger ones. I remember a time on this forum when we were lamenting the loss of "brick and mortar" fly shops to online retailers. It seems as though there is a bit of a renaissance with brick and mortar fly shops, albeit they are now part of a retail chain versus being stand-alone shops. I'd have to imagine owning a one-off fly shop in today's retail climate would be super-challenging. When one is found out in the wild, it's always refreshing, and is usually worthy of spending some money in.

 

[lars]

You would think, but there hasn't been a quasi-proper fly shop in the area in more than 20 years. Even though the shop changed hands & focus, the "region" also lost Angler's Pro Shop in Souderton earlier this year.

Anglers Pro shop hasn't really been a fly shop for years. I started going there in the early 80's when Herb Van Dyke owned it. Then Bill Hayes and after he passed it got sold to a guy that tried his hand at the fly business for a bit but eventually turned it into a rubber worm/gear shop.

Closest shop for materials et al for me is either Mainstream Outfitters (Dave's) outside of Doylestown, the Orvis store in Plymouth Meeting or Bob Selb's Classic Flyfisherman in Lansdale. Otherwise it's online buying which kinda sucks for selecting natural materials.

 

[caddisflyer]

I agree that TCO and Precision likely don't stack up against some of the one-off shops that exist or have existed. One of the ones that comes to mind for me was Fly Tyers Heaven in Sunbury. It was a shop with a great selection and was quaint in design. It's hard to replicate the feel of small shops and the atmosphere many of them have/had.

That being said, there is value in consistency when it comes to retail. When I travel, I know I can visit any Walmart and find the same products and pretty much where to find them. For some consumers, there is value in "not having to figure everything out all over" when they visit a store. I'd have to suspect the same is true when it comes to fly shops. Whether I visit a TCO in State College or West Lawn, I generally know how things are laid out and where to find things.

If you look at retail as a whole, there are fewer fish in the pond and the ones in there are the bigger ones. I remember a time on this forum when we were lamenting the loss of "brick and mortar" fly shops to online retailers. It seems as though there is a bit of a renaissance with brick and mortar fly shops, albeit they are now part of a retail chain versus being stand-alone shops. I'd have to imagine owning a one-off fly shop in today's retail climate would be super-challenging. When one is found out in the wild, it's always refreshing, and is usually worthy of spending some money in.

I am just curios why people feel Precision and TCO do not stack up against the small shops? They generally have what I need and prices are about same as every other place. Both TCO and Precision started off as one off shops and just grew a bit.

 

[GoldenRfly]

I am just curios why people feel Precision and TCO do not stack up against the small shops? They generally have what I need and prices are about same as every other place. Both TCO and Precision started off as one off shops and just grew a bit.

I’m just happy to be able to walk into a store like Precision, TCO, Bass Pro, Sportsman’s W, etc. I like “seeing” my choices and not solely relying on internet pics. If a small shop was nearby, I’d support it. I grew up going to Shelley’s in New Cumberland and also a small shop in Millersburg; they’ve been gone for decades. The small shops always provide great local insight and advice. I think TCO and Bass Pro are helpful in that respect.

 

[lycoflyfisher]

Id much rather spend money at TCO than Bass pro/cabelas, just saying.

Lively legs is a local operation with a great online presence. Tackle shack in Wellsboro is also providing more and more flyfishing gear and materials.

 

[Bamboozle]

I am just curios why people feel Precision and TCO do not stack up against the small shops? They generally have what I need and prices are about same as every other place. Both TCO and Precision started off as one off shops and just grew a bit.

They stack up fine. If they have what you are looking for, that's all that matters...

I just find them a bit on the sterile side, all neat & tidy with the same brands which is great if you are relatively new to the game or like sameness in your retail adventures. Me, I ALWAYS spend my money at a local diner or inn versus McDonald's or Applebee's and the same goes for fly shops.

Bottom line (and I hope my wife does't see this), I honestly don't need a thing and I'm no longer interested trying the latest & greatest "technical" whatever. Therefore, IF I walk into a fly shop it's because I am bored and hope to expeience uniqueness.

Show me something special that doesn't come from Rio or Hareline; throw in few used bamboo rods, vintage reels and a dog or cat curled up in some corner and I might stay awhile and spend a buck or two...

Otherwise I look around for a minute or two and walk out wondering why I bothered...

YMMV and more importantly, who cares what I think.

Good luck to Precision in Lake Harmony!!!