Where do you shop?

[littlelehigh]

I was one of the guys who inquired with Afish as to the fishguy.com's hooks and the reason I did was being a newbie surfing the internet comparison shopping is endless and I am very value oriented that being said if it's allowed where do you shop and how do you judge a "good buy" locally and on the internet? Maybe you only buy hooks from this place or dry fly dubbing from that. Please add a note or contact link if possible to each location if it is unique.

Here is my list:

Sporting Lifestyles - good service reasonable prices to date I have only purchased odds and ends. Prices are reasonable.

Fishguy.com - I am going to buy my hooks and beads there.

theflystop.com - purchase flies there I can not or don't want to tie. Good service great price quality products.

linesend.com - haven't bought anything there yet but prices are better than any other site I found for tying material. Free shipping on orders over $75.00

Blueflycafe.com - resonable prices not a #1 for me but would buy from again.


On a side note NO BASHING regardless of how bad you don't like a specific location. Maybe just a list of places you don't "prefer" to shop at and leave it at that.

 

[MKern]

I buy most of my stuff in person at Hilles especially hooks and certain materials. With hooks I can never remember the numbers and what they mean, so I have to see them in person. Also, I rarely buy larger ticket items, so this is my way of sticking close to a familiar shop.

I know what brand of dubbing I like (Haretron) so I am comfortable with ordering that online; mostly Cabelas -- as a filler to a larger order. However, I will say that different batches of dubbing are usually completely different colors, so if you are as picky as I, then in person is still best.

I have ordered hooks from Cabelas for my fly tying club (cabelas brand hooks) and they are good quality.

I would also order from Dan Bailey's site becuase I think hooks and beads are resonably priced, probably from cutting out the middle man.

 

[jayL]

I order from cabela's, and make a few trips there per year. I work pretty close to TCO mainline, so I stop in there once or twice per year too.

Other than that, I usually hit the feathered hook, FFP, TCO state college, TCO reading, and the little lehigh fly shop a few times a year as well.

If I fish a new stream, I usually try to make nice with the local fly shop there too. The west branch angler and the backwater angler at the gunpowder come to mind.

Poor richards in erie and the handful of fly shops in pulaski usually lighten my pockets by a few hundred come salmon and steelhead season too.

 

[tomgamber]

http://www.discountfishinginc.com/
Cabelas
Local orvis shop
Gander Mtn
ebay

 

[ryguyfi]

I second most of what is said. I go to Gander Mountain, because it is the closest place to drive with fly equipment and materials.

I mail ordered from Hook and Hackle a few times. Highlighted some items for my wife to get me for my birthday last year and she did pretty well (got a wrong color on a mini hackle, but no big deal, it is still something I'll use). They have a great assortment of rod building materials, as well as just about everything else. hookhack.com is their site.

I buy my hooks on ebay from a fly shop in Colorado... dai riki's usually around $8 for 100 hooks. Any order of hooks can be combined for a total of $2 shipping.

Besides that, I'm pretty new on everything. I pick up a few items when I go to the Neshannock, because that's the closest fly shop and I like to support them. They may not have the best prices, but I feel that they deserve a few bucks off of me for the work they do to support the sport, and everything with that specific stream.

Besides the fly shop, I'll do whatever it takes to save a buck. Ebay, search online for specific materials, wait for sales at big outlet stores, etc. I've poured too much money into this sport already, and if I can save a few bucks here and there thats great, but it usually just entices me to buy more! Like someone quoted on this site before...

My greatest fear is that when I pass from this earth, my wife will sell all my fishing equipment for what I TOLD her I paid for it. lol

That one still makes me laugh!

 

[Crotalus]

where is spent the most money in the last year in rough order


Fly Fishers Paradise in State College (mail order and walk in)
Bass Pro (walk in)
Cabelas (walk in)
billskilton.com (internet and at the Somerset show)
Whitetail Fly Tying (mail order)
Various shops at the Somerset show. (walk in)

With the exception of things like hooks and thread i like to buy most materials in person where i can inspect them. Although with FFP and Whitetail you have to phone in your order and you can tell them if you are looking for a certain characteristic in the material or tell them what you are tying and they will pick material that should work better for that pattern.

 

[sandfly]

I buy all my stuff at Big Meadows Fly Shop...

 

[Flydog]

hey I heard that Big Meadows place has really nice stuff......good people......and a 50% discount on all in-stock items!

Did they give you that same deal, Sandfly?

 

[ryguyfi]

I couldn't help but laugh at your post sandfly :-D

 

[tomgamber]

I knew I heard that name somewhere before...

 

[tomgamber]

I just bought some stuff from "the fly shop" Why? because they are the only ones who any longer carry the colors of variegated chenille I like.

 

[SamIAm]

Here- http://www.amarbleheadflyfisher.com/

quallity products, knowledge and good fishing friends

Rick

 

[RustyRat]

I'm a small businessman so I like to support the local shops, and the ones mentioned above FFP, Hilles are great and I'd add Glenn McConnell's place in Waterville. Shopping on-line I do like The Fly Shop (Redding Ca) and a place called Feather-Craft in St Loius.

I haven't been to Hille's new place yet. Anyone who frequents it.. Is it still in S. Williamsport and do they still have the big materials selection?

 

[reds]

My main shopping occurs at FFP. I do like to stop in to local shops when in an area, like most guys on this site, so i buy stuff all over. I even buy things once in a while at the shop in Ansonia, I think it is called Big Meadows or something. I will say Sandfly is one of the more generous shop owners i have ever met, he has even given me a few things free to try out, thanks again. Even more important he took the time to listen to some concerns i voiced this summer over a conservation issue that i felt desperately needs adressed. Lately, I have been to the Asheville, NC area on a regular basis so i have been stopping at the local shops down there, last weekend I bought some thingamaboobers, so I am giving them a try some time, but not to soon up here, most of the streams in my neck of the woods are frozen over.

 

[MKern]

Rustyrat,
I love Hillie's new shop. It's all on one level and in an open room. The building is nicer than that old house.
The tying section is the same, probably one of teh largest for any shop.

It is still located in South Williamsport. Coming from the south (travelling north on on 15) there is a small sign directing you across teh median to the shop -- last left turn before going over the bridge into Williamsport.

If coming from the Williamsport side, once you cross the bridge it is the first right and the building is on that corner. Market St. South Building.

 

[PaulG]

I usually wait till I go up to Coburn to get the things I need, and I prefer to buy from from flyshops!

The feathered hook
FFP
Yellow Breeches Outfitters

If I get near a Shop on one of my fishing trips, I usually stop and at least try to buy something. When Pad and I were on a fishing trip, his car wouldn't go by a shop without stopping, a costly mistake!
PaulG

PaulG

 

[JackM]

PaulG wrote:
When Pad and I were on a fishing trip, his car wouldn't go by a shop without stopping....

PaulG

If that happened to me, I'd get a new car!

 

[flyfishermanj]

I had a car the did worst than that, it stopped at every neon light in town.

Back to the subject, I ususally by from two local flyshops in Latrobe and Lower Burrell. And whenever I fish in the central part of the state I always stop in a buy something whether I need it or not, at the local shop near the stream. I will order online if it's a harder to find item, but mostly help out the little guys. I also found that the two Gander Mt. stores in my area have the same stuff I can get at the smaller more knowledgable flyshops.

Jh

 

[MKern]

I have noticed that the larger retailers (Cabelas, Bass Pro, and Gander Mt.) are usually considerably more expensive than the local fly shop.
I might be to higher turnover of product and me seeing the new inflated cost, or the larger overhead.

I have also seen items over priced that are supposed to be a set price from the wholesaler. ex. Whiting 100's @ $16, when whiting sets the max price at $14; and St. Croix Products. If these companies new this they could pull thier products off the shelves and cancel those dealers.

 

[tomgamber]

hook and hackle has the st croix avid 9' 5wt 4pc for 10 dollars more than Cabela's . Neither are on sale...I arbitrarily picked that because its the last rod type that I bought. Their 100pks are actually 18 dollars while h&H has them for 13...whats interesting is that their own cabelas (metz) 100 pks are 17 bucks but they were 10 bucks a year ago so there's more going on there than just gouging.

Both sell climax leaders for exactly the same price...so it depends on what you are looking for. I totally disagree that cabelas and bass pro shops are more expensive than local fly shops in general though. I know I dread running low on anything when I'm places like spruce creek or spring creek because the closest shops in those areas sell things for more than I could have gotten it before I left home, with better foresight.

When the fly shop was in downtown Greensburg I bought nearly everything I could there because the were very helpful when I moved there and they did have pretty good prices. Of course they aren't there anymore so take that for what its worth. If a fly shop can stay in business, in these times, and not raise prices they could do well. God knows everyone else is having to raise theirs.