Fishing Tackle Rip Offs

Ron Troversial Clay · Sep 21, 2004

I fully agree with everything you say Grumpy. We are being ripped off terribly.

I will give you two examples.

A fly rod manufactured by a famous English company in the North East will cost you anything up to 40% less in the USA than in England taking in the rate of exchange.

An top American Flyrod from the stables of Sage or Loomis will cost you up to 40% more in England THAN IT DOES IN THE USA!!!

Work that one out.

Take lines for example. You can buy 200 yards of top class Stren fluorocarbon made by DuPont for about $8-50 a spool, thats about ?5.00.

Check out some of the prices being charged for the same, if not, inferior products in this country, and in some cases you only get 20 metres!!

Reels are the same too.

Clothes? The prices being charged for outdoor clothing in UK are criminal!

On the other hand, you can buy really superior specialist rods in UK for a decent price. I cite companies like Harrisons here, a company run by anglers that makes all it's own blanks and assembles the rods to the highest standards.

I am getting fed up with Far East rods that are absolute rubbish, the actions are awful, the corks on the handles come loose and the screw reel seats seize up after a couple of seasons use.

And the prices are high.

Yes we are being ripped off.

Horribly.

Big Rik · Sep 21, 2004

I think this spreads across all areas, not just tackle.
A comparison with most other countries will see that they have almost limitless free fishing.
What do we have in this country?

I spoke to a lady this morning who wanted somewhere locally where her husband could take their son, who had expressed an interest in fishing.
After explaining all the minefield involved, I could see her thinking it was more trouble than it was worth.

day rod licences for both of them (the boy is 12), so a trip to the PO, day tickets to allow them to fish, plus baits and terminal tackle probably amounts to about 30 or 40 quid.
Hardly easy or cheap as a quick taster session.

Tarquin Poselthwaite · Sep 21, 2004

Re the US comparison I would add

Golf Clubs and other sporting equipment
Clothes
Cars
Hi Fi
Food
etc
etc

To this day I still cannot understand why you can only get a license from the post office. I am sure it wasn't that way when I was young (70's).

After all, if someone comes into a shop to buy gear for the first time the owner would of course, if allowed, ask about a license wouldn't he/she? How many people are fishing without licenses because they are either ill informed or haven't had any pressure put on them?

Grumpy · Sep 21, 2004

The US is quite an eye opener for anyone that hasn't fished there. We paid about ?18 for a licence, you can use as many rods as suits the location, there's loads and loads of space, virtually no litter with bins, toilets and stuff everywhere and the bulk of the fishing is free and of excellent quality.
North Carolina is also proud of its freedom for the individual, if a guy breaks into your house and you shoot the bugger you get a pat on the back. Anglers of all disciplines live together without fuss and everymans rights are respected.
Don't get me wrong, I don't particularly like yanks or their gung ho attitudes but when it comes to individual freedom to basicly enjoy the wilds and fish in whatever form takes your fancy it is a totally different experience to here.
Prices for tackle are half the cost and although they don't carry much that's specialised everything else is very competetively priced. These guys really stand up for themselves and the venues are well run.
Sod their politics, but for an angler it's better than anywhere in France or here.

Peter Jacobs · Sep 21, 2004

Grumpy,

Maybe you haven't visited Texas and tried to fish for Carp in that State?

Firstly the tackle and bait shops will tell you that you have to "kill all those useless fish" and if you do venture onto the banks for a carp session then be prepared to be able to defend yourself against the verbal violence that you will experience.

I lived there for a year and believe me it is not as rosey as you paint N.C. to be!

PS - in NC you only get a pat on the back if the "bugger" falls within your property line, if the bugger doesn't then you are arrested for either Murder or Manslaughter.

PPS - I don't particularly like all Americans either, just the one that I am married to

Ron Troversial Clay · Sep 21, 2004

Keen regular anglers never have a problem with licences. I beleive in patronising my local little post office because quite frankly without it, many older persons in the area I live would suffer.

However imagine the scenario where a tourist or a person just wants to have a day's fishing, or might want to take it up on the spur of the moment. If he or she is staying in a remote part of the country, the obtaining of a licence might prove very difficult indeed.

Sorry back to the original thread.

The only way for anglers to protest against the high cost of gear is to inform the retailer just how much he is paying compared to other countries of the world.

I visit Holland quite a lot. The prices for Far East manufactured Shimano reels are much less than here. The price of a famous UK brand name hook in Holland was about 25% cheaper than the UK price.

We really don't have to take this c..p do we. And I don't blame the manufacturers or the retailers. It's the evil middle men I do blame.

Grumpy · Sep 21, 2004

Can't comment on states that we havn't fished in, but the four we have been to have all been excellent. They don't understand Carp fishing or the complexities of it but we have certainly not had any animosity. I've had around 4 years in various parts of the states and whilst I would hate to live there at least the angling is pretty much unspoilt.
As for shooting a guy on your property line I didn't suggest anywhere else!

Grumpy · Sep 21, 2004

Ron
True, we even bought some of our research teams gear via a shop in Holland, 40% cheaper.

Peter Jacobs · Sep 21, 2004

Ron and Steve,

Please let me know the location of these shops. As you know Ron I am here in Holland for 10 days in every 14 and I see a "nice little earner" looming on the near horizon :-0)

Steve,

It is only in the northern States around the Great Lakes that the locals really understand our styles of fishing. Elsewhere, and particularly in the Southern States, whilst i would agree that the fishing is unspoilt it is largely only Bass, Trout, Catfishing (for the pot) and Crappie fishing that is regularly undertaken.

We lived in Mississippi for 2? years and I fished around Alabama, Louisianna and Tennessee and found this much to be the case.

The same goes for the Eastern seaboard of Canada having lived in Nova Scotia for a couple of years. Trout, Bass and Salmon fishing were the only interestes.

Ron, here is an interesting comparisson, take the price of a Mk IV Avon Rod when you bought yours and compare it to your weekly salary in those days.
Then do the same with the last rod that you bought and compare that to your current salary.
A good comparisson between Countries is to calculate how many hours and/or minutes you have to work to purchase similar items.

Ron Troversial Clay · Sep 21, 2004

When I bought my first Mk IV rod it cost me ?11-11-6d if I remember. In those days -1961, I was earning about ?9.00 a week. I payed it off over 6 months.

These days, a FM Concept is 1/4 of the price.

Peter Jacobs · Sep 21, 2004

Well then Ron, are we really paying too much for our kit these days?

It doesn't do too much good to dwell too long on the price differentials between Countries as taxation levels, earnings capability, VAT (or equivalent) and many other factors come into play.

Some items of kit are ridiculously expensive in the UK whilst others are comparatively quite cheap.
The more expensive items do tend to be those associated with what is "fashionable" rather than that which is functionl though.

Frothey · Sep 21, 2004

it says something that a danish angler is wanting to buy solar gear because the danish companies are too expensive....

Peter Jacobs · Sep 21, 2004

Hardly surprising though as the Scandinavian Countries have a 24% level of VAT (MvA) plus a 3.4% Import Duty which is levied on the 124% price so it is compounded.
Then there is transport costs, wharehousing, retail outlet overheads and a bit of profit to come as well.

When I use to import, for example, Sensas Ground Bait into Norway we had to retail it at over 4 pounds 50 a kilo just to make a few pence profit per bag. It was the same mathematics in percentage terms for boilies and mixes as well.

Grumpy · Sep 21, 2004

Why would anyone WANT to buy solar gear?
( sorry, I forgot it's nice and shiny.)
Anyway, for anything in Europe there's plenty of good deals on the net, not from the UK though.
As I've said, I can't comment on the places we haven't fished, did find the St Lawrence area good though, amazing Carp.
There's still no excuse for riduculous mark ups, however you equate earnings related economics.

Graham Whatmore · Sep 21, 2004

Have you ever noticed when they take a company to task over pricing on the radio or television they always reply with the same thing 'we charge as much as we think the market will stand'.

If we had a 'customers union' we could say right don't buy this or that until the prices come down, maybe then we'd get somewhere.

Grumpy · Sep 21, 2004

Graham
Wouldn't that be an idea !

Wolfman Woody · Sep 21, 2004

Ron said "When I bought my first Mk IV rod it cost me ?11-11-6d if I remember."

I bet he's still got the receipt in case he needs to return it.

)

I logged on to a US website once to look at baitcaster rods, short leghtweight ones. I found a lovely Abu one and hoped it ight be available here although it wasn't in their catalogue.

As luck would have it I bumped into an ABU rep in the tackle shop who was waiting to see the boss and I asked him. Yes they did it, price the same in Pounds as it was in Dollars (rip-off #1), but they could supply.

So I asked the dealer in a quiet moment if he could order me one. Weeks passed until one day I asked him about the rod, had he received it and he just said "No, they don't do it."

Not only are we being shafted on some fronts, but badly served as well, I think.

ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one) · Sep 21, 2004

Ron
I can see me having a look at some fly lines when I'm over in the US in a couple of weeks time --and getting some Stren or Seaguar line

Rickey Sutton · Sep 21, 2004

On the upside of the thread if we continue providing our glorious goverment with the vat revenue from the overpriced tackle then the future of our pastime will probably be a safe one.

Grumpy · Sep 21, 2004

Jeff,
Probably make the youngsters laugh but I can remember when customers in general were treated with courtesy and respect. A trip to the tackle shop took hours .... tea , good chat etc.
Ed
Grab some 'super sticky' when you get out there. It's weird catfish muck but everything over here seems to love it.
Rickey
Synical, but correct.

Fishing Tackle Rip Offs

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