Gander Mt.

[Big Bad Wulff]

We have a new Gander close by. Pitiful flyfishing 'department'(one-half an aisle). I talked with an employee in receiving and he said we actually have ice-fishing equipment in our store......we are in West Tennessee!!
I have been in the area for 13 years and have NEVER heard of one person that has been ice fishing....other than me.
But I know a LOT of people that fly fish!!!
We're not asking for it to be a "White River" department like Bass Pro Shops but atleast some tying material would be nice!! There are a lot of us here that tie flies!! And we fish for more than...................TROUT! I use a fly rod to fish for everything around here.......bass, bream, crappie, catfish, carp and uh, those pesky trout.
Yes, we have asked nicely for about a year now. They have put in some new items and we appreciate that. But I feel the best thing they could do is put in fly-tying material. Atleast some hooks we could use with the tying material we get from Bass Pro..........................

Come on Gander Mt...............get your stuff together!!

[Joe Valencic]

You're not alone. I remember when we got our GM store, and the fishing department was filled with ice shanties and all related equipment from November thru March. Then, they clearance all the useless crap at a loss to get ready for the summer fishing season. Funny thing, though, we are a HUGE steelhead fishery from September thru May, and nary a steelhead related item in the store for 2 years. Seems the buyers in Minnesota think that EVERY state freezes over like theirs does, and the silly gooses keep sending crap that doesn't sell, year after year. I was in ours last week, and they have started clearing the ice shantys (2-holers) early this year.

But, after 2 years they finally started bringing in FF stuff, and we actually have a decent FF department. So, there might be some hope for your GM store yet. If not, you can get some great closeout deals on ice shantys every year, even though you don't have any ice to put them on. Ah, teh corporate mentality. Sure glad they did their homework when entering a market.

[billknepp]

Yeah the New GM in Syracuse NY did not impress me.....I'm told the same of the Bass Pro,here in harrisburg...But told the Cabela's in Hamburg has about 5 times what BP has in their Fly fishing department...
But alas, Me just got wind of a new Fly shop about 27 min away, According to Map Quest..and I think I'm going to visit Tuesday eve after work....seem's it's just Thar up a fer piece from the Weikert/Cherry Run access of the penn's...By way of the route I take to get there....!!!

[nighthawk]

Both Gander Mountain and Bass Pro Shops left a lot to be desired as far as fly fishing when they came to Harrisburg, Pa. They are much improved now due to us fly fishers communicating with the store management and corporate management. Get together with your fly fishing buddies and email Gander Mountain's head office. They need to know what you folks want for gear in your area. They are very good at listening to their customers.

BTW, Gander Mountain sells a lot more than fishing and hunting gear. Their housewares are unique to say the least. Also, their clothing is very good as well as their cookware, camping gear, canoe/kayak gear and ours has a good supply of periodical literature. Watch their sales too.

Joe,
If you are in the Erie area try the Gander Mountain at the mall off of I-79. Last time I was there they had a nice little steel head fly shop going.

[Normand]

did you set your expectations so high for the big box "outdoor/fishing stores" to be your new favorite flyshop when all they really are just a big box outdoor sporting goods stores???

[Slate_Drake_9]

Last fall I was in a Gander Mtn. I found a beautiful Lefever 16 gauge side by side for a good price. I put it on lay away. Two weeks later I called in and made a payment via telephone. Two weeks after that I was going pheasant hunting with a buddy and Gander Mtn. was along the way. I figured I would stop by, pay off the gun and take it hunting. When I got there, I found out that they sold it. That's right, they sold it. Nobody in the store could give me a straight answer how it happened. They also wouldn't work with me on several other guns that I would have settled for at a decent price. After several weeks of phone calls, they got in 3 or 4 Lefever's in 12 gauge for me to look at. I went and took a look. All of the guns were in really poor condition and priced higher than the one I layed away. It had about 80% bluing and case hardening left. Wood was in great shape, bores were smooth and shiny and mechanically it was in about perfect condition. These guns looked like someone used them to pound in nails and break concrete with them. Practically no bluing, absolutely no casehardening (actually the receivers were so worn that the flying bird that was ingraved on the receiver was worn away). Two of them didn't even have original wood and a third had matching numbers on the wood, but it looked like it was done by hand sometime later in it's life.

They were upset with me when I snubbed my nose at what they had to offer and to this day haven't made it right in any way.

Due to this, I'll not buy anything from them, no matter what.

Their fly fishing department sucks too, by the way.

Just another stick on my fire of hating big box stores.

[Big Bad Wulff]

Gotta love someone that can say it the way it is.

[Joe Valencic]

Yepper! Shoot from the hip and don't leave no tip. Call a spade a spade, not a shovel. (huh?)

For the most part, I don't care for big box retailers, but they're here to stay. I basically use them for sale items and closeouts, and would never dream of paying their MSRP on products being made in some third world country with dirt-cheap labor. I don't even let my kids buy me gift certificates to those places. Give me cash instead, or nothing at all.

Fly tying stuff? If I never bought any more, I'd have enough to fish for at least the next 10 years. But....I'm sure I'll find something that I MUST HAVE to add to the collection between now and then.

[Jtaylor]

Wow!!!!! I've never had a bad experience like having an item put on layaway sold out from under my nose. I could possibly see a mistake happening but the unwillingness to make it good is extremely over the top. The closest GM to me is about an hour drive and if I ever got treated that way I would ensure the word got out im my community.----------I wonder who got the shotgun (store manager perhaps)????

[nighthawk]

Joe,
I really don't mind shopping the local shops except when they charge X times more M.S.R.P for the very same, made in a third world country for slave labor wages, products ( brand names like Redington, Orvis, G. Loomis, Pfluger, Shakespear, Wapsi.....etc ) as the big box retailers. Is the local fly shops slave labor wages supplier better than the big box ones? Come on man, think about it. By that logic one is as guilty as the other one. Mom used to say,"Six of this to one half dozen of the other one".

Slate_Drake_9,
Sorry you had a bad experience. Hate is a strong word. Hatred of anything can destroy your soul.

I honestly do not know how folks go on through life being angry or upset about this, that and the other thing as well as holding grudges. What a miserable life that must be. When it happens to a world leader we go to war and then a whole lot of folks are made miserable.