Supermarket Tackle

GrahamM

GrahamM

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It makes sense what Jeff writes, that cheap supermarket gear attracts people into angling in the first place, but I do wonder about one thing:

Is there a possibility that some of the more cheap and nasty gear will have a negative effect and put people off going fishing on a regular basis?

I'm thinking in particular of those short but stiff rods, fitted with a reel that had gunmetal gears, and with a spool half filled with line that you could use to tie up a barge. They were sold (maybe they still are) in bubble packs complete with a float big enough to suspend an 8oz livebait.
 
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BAZ (Angel of the North) aka Fester

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If I remember correctly stores like Woolworths only sold the smaller items like floats and hooks. Yes I would agree that this is where a lot of people saw their first item of fishing tackle. One of the first things that attracted me was a bread bait press. It was aabout an inch square, hollow inside, with a wingnut on top that swrewed a metal plate down onto the piece of bread. I thought it was a thumb swrew.

There was only one tackle shop as such in my area at the time, but it was too pricey for the likes of us kids.

I wanted a Coleman recently. But they don't sell them with the plastic case anymore. I eventually got one of e-bay with a case brand new for ?40.
That was including postage. So the extra few quid was well worth it to me.

The school of thought for these "toy" fishing rods as I call them is that they are far too small in length and therefore dangerous. A youngster getting hold of one of these will automatically stand right on the edge of the water/canal bank, so he can cast further. That is false economy, but could you imagine some person a store has dragged in off the street for training knowing that kind of information?

Stores that might get into selling fishing tackle simply couldn't provide the correct staff to give advice to newcomers. And they wouldn't have the time to do it.
They might attract a few customers with umberellas and boxes. But I couldn't see them going much further than that.
 
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BAZ (Angel of the North) aka Fester

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If it aint broke don't fix it. And please stop your meddling.
 
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Rik Smith

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There is another train of thought to this. If little johnny sees a rod and reel no matter how cheap it is in tescos or wherever. The chances are that he is going to go fishing on a canal or river for his first experience. Whereas if he went into a Tackle shop nowadays He would get the impression the only fish that are worth catching are carp.!! So therefore needs all that gear.And as he can't afford it or his parents. Another one lost from our future anglers. Let the cheap gear stay out there for-sale so the kids can get their first experience of that first fish be it perch or roach.On a small rod so they can actually feel the fish.
I remember a few years ago watching John Wilson one of our greatest anglers go stalking chub on a stream using A tree BRANCH as his rod with the line tied round the end and just using Slug as bait.And he caught.
So let the cheap rods stay for the kids you can catch with almost anything in your hands.
 
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john ledger

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Tried it Graham when i lived in Australia as their supermarkets where doing it over twenty years ago.
Its not for me and i would not like them to take over from tackle shops where you can have a natter to your mates
 
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john ledger

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Even if i go in for a packet of hooks at my local tackle shop i may be in for an hour talking fishing and that certainly wont happen at the supermarket.
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Well it could if the assistant is young blonde with a great pair of knockers
 
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Woodys angle

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My whole point is that the selling of tackle through stores and supermarkets should be driven by the tackle industry. We should take the lead on this, not allow them to dictate what is sold. This way they get to sell half decent tackle that is of some use.

Education can be passed on via videos sold at the same point and titled along with the groups, i.e: Float fiahing, Feeder Fishing etc.

And Woolworths did sell quite a range of rods for sea and coarse angling as well as reels and landing nets et al.


John said "Even if i go in for a packet of hooks at my local tackle shop i may be in for an hour talking fishing...." That's why they aren't making any money John. They're not there to run a charity tea rooms, once you've purchased your items - clear off! :eek:)
 
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Les Clark

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Graham brings up the point about people buying crap gear and being put off fishing on a regular basis ,but i feel that a fair few of us on F/M started off fishing with crap gear , i know i did and so did my brother ,he packed it in quite quickly and i carried on ,if you are that interested you will get passed the crap tackle and learn .
 
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BAZ (Angel of the North) aka Fester

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My whole point is that the selling of tackle through stores and supermarkets should be driven by the tackle industry.

That sounds a reasonable enough idea Woody.
 
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little sister ( Jeff )

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Your not going to spend lots of money on a sport until you are sure you really enjoy it.
Only later do you start to buy quality gear and get expert advice from your local tackle shop.
 
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john ledger

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Might just go in for a packet of hooks one day the next i might buy a new rod but i doubt if it would ever be from some idiot at a supermarket, and considering how much most supermarkets pay their staff they are hardly going to have John Wilson at the counter.
Not many anglers spend less than a tenner at their tackle shop,its the place to go to get advice and chat over different methods meet friends.
Thats what mine is like and thats why it does so well but there again i would rather pay a few quid extra to keep him in business
 
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john ledger

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Maybe Woody is right but it would not suit me and certainly after what i saw in Australia it would not suit many.
 
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Les Clark

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john thats fine for 99% of anglers but there are people out there who don`t fish who may just want to get them or their kids a starter pack and may find it a bit daunting walking into a tackle shop and makeing a bit of a prat of themselfs .
 
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Bill Cox

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The point is surly that the local tackle shop will probably give you some sound advice to go with your starter kit(most shops do sell them)the same way as the local butcher or fishmonger used to advise you how best to prepare and cook your meat/fish. Before the supermarkets drove them out of business that is.
 
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little sister ( Jeff )

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I agree with Les, I bought a lot of tackle on line as I did not want to go into the local and make myself look like burk. Now I know a bit ( only a little bit ) I enjoy going to the local for a chat and getting a bit of gear.
 
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Les Clark

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Bill ,Im not saying i would like the supermakets to take over the tackle shops and to my mind that won`t happen but little jonnys mum or dad are more likely to buy him the basic kit walking around the supermaket that going out their way to a tackle shop becouse it is there ,in their face ,like any other product there ,spur of the moment buying ,you may get home and little jonny has changed his mind but too late you have bought it ,but on the other hand years down the line he may turn out to still be into fishing just becouse his mum bought that starter kit to shut him up .
 
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Woodys angle

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Bill, this is a very current example.

Our local tackle shiop has just bought in a batch of Leeda margin poles complete with a ready tied rig for around ?45. Brilliant bargain!

Except that he's 1? miles out of town and not on a main thoroughfare. Of the anglers that go into his shop, some might buy the pole for themselves just to try pole fishing. Some might buy it for their lad either for the same reason or just to see if he likes fishing.

I hope he does well with them.

Problem is, there's probably been a couple of hundred kids in town today that's spent that sort of money on a computer game or a MP3 player or something else trendy - just because the money was burning a hole in their pocket and the item was there.

Had they been with their mum's in Tesco or Asda and they were selling the same pole, I bet there'd have been a few more sold than in the local tackle shop. Further, I bet of those that would have bought one, many would have become firm customers at the tackle shop in future.
 
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Bill Cox

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Les, woody i agree with what you are saying and i'm sure it will have little or no effect on the tackle trade. Just making the point that because you will not get the back up and advice it will never really take off. Ask Woolworths they've been playing around with this since the early seventies.
 
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john ledger

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I know where you are coming from Woody but can you honestly believe that supermarkets will be selling quality bait etc.
I know i can get cheap booze from a supermarket but in all honesty i would rather pay extra to go in my local just for the crack.
In my opinion and i may well be wrong the only way supermarkets could do well is to have a shop just for anglers needs separate from the main building
 
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David Craine

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I was recently in the USA, and visited several supermarkets that sold a very good, competetively priced range of tackle, I must admit I did buy some gear and post it home,I did not need any help, but I did earwig a bit, the assistants were quite knowledgable about what they were selling, obviously did go fishing, and had a good local knowledge.. If that was the case in a UK supermarket, there would be no problem, I cannot see that happening though.In the US it did not seem to have any effect on the local tackle shops which were doing a roaring trade.The US and UK are very different places, in the US, it sems to me that many more families fish as a group, and bulk buying is a cheaper way to finance the sport...the supermarkets sell bait as well, which was very useful.
 
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