Reason to Shop Around

[Bear]

Hi all,
Having done a lot of fishing over the years and shopped at a lot of stores, there is one thing I hate above all else when it comes to tackle stores. Telling people they are experts when they know $$$$ all.

I have had a number of people PM and e-mail me about one store in particular. I won't name the store for fear of reprisals, but I suggest you shop around when looking at your fishing gear. Big names do not mean they know what they are talking about.

This afternoon really did it for me. We have a lot of guys here who are new to the sport and fishing who go to these places expecting a professional service. What they get instead, is rubbish.

Take this afternoon for instance. I've been talking to a local breamer about some gear. He then goes into one of the local stores and asks for some advice. The shop rep then tells this gent that the reel he mentioned is of a poor quality. Pretty typical when it's not the stores main brand. The gent then says that the guys from the BreamMaster site suggested it as one of the reels to check out. The rep then responds quote 'the guys on your website are cheapskates looking for cheap gear.' unquote.

This is the same store that sold my father a reel that I would not have purchased for breaming. Not a cheap one either. Worth several hundred dollars.

This store also has a employee that has been to my major sponsor, 'Dinghy World', and told them they should dump me and take him instead as he is one of Perth's best Breamers, even though he hasn't actually competed in a comp yet. See a pattern forming.

All I can say is, welcome BreamMaster the store and make sure you shop around for you purchases.

[Craig_S]

Dont be coy Bear, name names. I'll put $10 towards the libel action when it happens

There wouldnt be one of these stores in Morley would there?

[torvic]

Haha I know what you mean.

"Nah...you wont catch a flathead on that slider..."

[Bear]

I'm not interested in naming names. they'll get what's coming from me in my own way.

I just want people to realize that you NEED to shop around. Go to specialist shops and ask questions. Come onto web sites like this and ask more questions and then make a decision that you feel suits you, not what some shop wants you to buy.

Man I'm p####d. Hate this sort of thing. Breaming isn't about this sort of behaviour. I certainly wouldn't even consider doing what has been done to me over the past month.

[Dave W]

It really makes you appreciate the combined worth of the opinions of over 450 members here - sure there are quite a few 'newbies' to the sport, but we were all there at one stage.

I'd much rather trust the opinions of actual anglers who use the gear, rather than a tackle shop 'professional' who's just trying to sell an overstocked, or high margin, product.

Don't get me wrong, there are some very good stores out there who do offer the right advice, and use the gear that they sell. More to the point, they are enthusiastic about the style of fishing that we do.

I remember very well going into a popular store over here and asking about some plastics for Bream (admitedly a while back) - to be shown 3" double tails that I wouldn't use in a pink fit......

Most of us are aware of the basic Bream spinning setup these days, 6-7 foot light rod, 1000 to 2000 size reel, 4-6lb Fireline with a Mono or Flouro leader, but try asking for this in some tackle stores telling them you are targeting Bream on artificials... you certainly get some looks

The good thing is that they are slowly being educated, but personally, if I get bad advice from a shop they get no more chances.

If you need advice ask for it here on BreamMaster. Even if one person gets it wrong, another 50 will quickly jump in with the right stuff

Cheers,

[Bear]

I find that the shop guys who are passionate about the fishing they do are out there as much as the rest of the guys.

Warren, Sewelly, Ira and so on. All guys I trust as they fish for what I fish for. They don't sit behind a counter and preach.

Experience is a big thing to me, that goes for all things. Not just fishing.

[Craig_S]

I think what we probably need to realise is that most of us are progressing into a highly specialised niche of fishing. Our local tackle stores are for the most part generalists (because they need to be for economic reasons) and as such the advice they hand out is only ever going to be general or incomplete. This is why guys like the BM have popped up and done well. They have seen an opening and recognised our market and have done the hard yards in preparing for it - ie finding "unusual gear", refining techniques, passing on tips.

I have the utmost respect for the guy in my corner tackle store and up until the start of last year he was the guru in terms of my own fishing. If I needed to talk about tailor or whiting or salmon or virtually anything he was The Man. Even bream on bait, he was my first stop. But progressing past there to ultra light gear, hard bodies, soft plastics was not his area. He is cateringr a broader market who dont need to know about this stuff.

I guess the message is that if you think you can simply lob to any old tackle shop and expect good advice on our area of interest, you are taking a big risk. We should be seeking out the guys in retail who have obviously proved themselves like Warren and Ian Sewell and also using these forums as we have all been doing - getting the opinions of our peers.

Obviously a slow night at the Stewart house tonight guaging by the length of this reply - my wife glued to Young Doctors or some damn thing on the box

[nifty13]

I have to agree with you Bear, allthough the guys working in the store that I go to are mad keen fishos and so far have given me good info from their experience, at times though their ideas are a long way off what we see on here, maybe it is due to Store policy on what to promote. I don't like hearing anyone slamming a product or person and if I hear that happen then I go somewhere else/ Geez, is it the 30th yet !!!!!..Nifty..

[Geoff R]

If you don't allready know, I am going to be one of the lucky guys that gets to work in Warrens shop. I too, have been in the situation that Bear is talking about not even 12 months ago, as has probably everyone on this site. I don't claim to be a GURU or expert on the field of Bream'in, I am madly passionate about the sport or pastime if you like, and am always learning. I reckon I am qualified to help put a new Angler on the right track, and there is nothing in it for me other than that and job satisfaction. I was one of the first to get into Breamin seriously, along with Richo, Craig S and Bear and I know what it's like to go and talk to someone who has an idea or no idea.
When you shop at Breammaster you will be talking to guys that fish the comp's, find every scrap of available time to go hunting Bream and they live and Breathe it.
My girlfriend is amazed that when I'm not out fishing I can usually be found glued to a Breamin Video, Reading an Article in a mag or on the computer at www.Breammaster.com.
This is not an advertisment for Warren or something somebody asked me to do, if you come and see me at the Shop in Inglewood the only thing i'll be helping you to do is catch fish. The gear that we sell at Breammaster will range from budget to "Richo's wallet" (have you seen his tackle collection) and it will all be tried and proven Bream catching gear.
You'll get good advice, the best of my Knowledge and a quality service you won't get anywhere.
Regards Geoff

[Ravin]

Tackle shops with that type of service do no one any good at all. They wonder why business falls of & doesn't come back. If I had a tackle shop I certainly would be looking after Bream fishos & anyone who likes fishing plastics as sales are constant as far as new plastics & leader material hooks & the like goes & the best business is return business. Take my local tackle shops for instance they sell plastics & jig heads at 50% more than it costs me to buy them here on line & when I asked about ordering an Okuma reel they tell me they are junk etc etc & try to sell me some $500 reel then start quoting custom rods that are in the 800 to 900 range & even then they would not be remotely suitable for my fishing. I don't bother with them anymore & buy 99% of my gear on line now. Those types of shops always get whats coming to them in the end. Poor service = closed shop.

I have hads similar experiences at Aquarium stores.
Take this example.
I read a hell of alot on the Aquarium subject. I don't claim to know everything but i am willing to help anyone. I walk into a shop, after reading that a particular fish, has never been bread in Aquaria, yet the storeman tries to tell that they can. Better still, he tells me it's fine to put the big predator in with the miniture fish which is bight size for the other tankmates. God he'd have told me its ok to mix salt water fish with freshwater fish if he could make a dime out of it. Make sure you do abit of research before you buy and have a ggod look around.
Needless to say, i didn't buy anything and never will from that particular store.
And guys, being a law/legalstudent, i wouldn't reccomend naming shops on this site!!!

Dave

[millie]

Hi Fellas
Bear is spot on here, it took me a while to work out that 90% of the advice given by even the most friendly of assistants came out of some magazine or advertising brochure.
The flyfishing scene is particularly prone to this kind of sales pressure talk and I hear the industry is now targetting breamin in the same way. (industry gossip see flylife no 31)
Dont get caught talk to your mates decide what you want then bargain for the best price, and dont get sidetracked.
Its one of my pet hates too.
once bitten twice shy ( mr Bream 1900)

cheers millie

[beefaman]

All I do now, is ask on here, write down what i am looking for, toddle off to the tackle shop and look around. When someone comes up and asks "can they help", I politely say "no" and keep on looking. This is in no way offensive and saves me having to be talked into something I dont need/want.
Even easier is reading on here what I need, click on the online shop, and go buy it!!
Cheers
Darryl

[Tim Richards]

As I am quite new to the Bream on lures thing I have found I have had various degrees of "help" from different tackle stores. The first couple I went too were more than willing to help but I have since found that virtually everthing they told me was "salesman" talk to try and get me to buy some gear. Not expensive stuff but wrong colour lures, plastics and wrong size jig heads. Also baffling me with bull#### that was way off the mark. No names need to be mentioned here, but credit needs to be given where credit is due. I have now found AA's in Can Vale, Ian couldn't be more helpful always taking time to give great advise, show you knots, rigs and correct lure choice. Thanks to his help I have now gone on to catch a few, not heaps but I tell you what this bream on lures thing is like a drug, I am now hooked. All going well I hope to improve enough and fish in the BREAM comps next season. This web site is invaluable as well, there is more info here than can be found in any book, regardless though there is no better way of learning than getting out and practicing on the water.
Bundy

Hey Bundy.
Good to hear that your getting into it mate!
One thing though, there is no need to get any better before entering a BREAM comp. If anything, it IS the best way to get better. Everyone in the comps is incredibly helpful and won't hold much back if your willing to ask the questions, just like on this site. The first chance you get, i suggest you enter one of the comps!!!
Dave