JC's "Things Getting Better"

FAOL Community Sound Off
1

I loved this week’s article, written by JC, “Things Are Getting Better”.
The description of the “old hardware store”, was perfect, except ya’ left out “the oiled, plank wooden floor boards that creaked when you walked thru the store and “THE SMELL” of what a hardwares store SHOULD smell like”!
(Just, kidding, the article was perfect, the way it was).

But, it is also “right on”, when it comes to BBS’s (Big Box Stores) and the “little man”.
I see a lot of posts, about how folks "Visit the new local Cabela’s and aren’t all that impressed with the skimpy fly tying/fishing selection. Too bad. “The new Bass Pro Shop, just opened 5 miles from me, but they don’t have SQUAT, except for big outboards and lots of clothes!” Again…too bad for you.
I have a Cabela’s not too far from me and it’s fly fishing dept. is awful. I don’t care. I don’t usually but my gear from Cabela’s anyway, I support River City Fly Shop, my local, (even tho’ a 100 miles away), fly shop. It’s owned by ONE man and he has everything I need… more of what I DON’T NEED, but buy anyway and it’s stocked to the rafters.

Don's set up and geared to live on his shop, by selling a lot of $1.25 and $2.00 items. Cabela's certainly isn't! As JC pointed out so well, "Diapers and disposable goods, that have a fast turn over and high markup, is what keeps Cabela's, Bass Pro and all the BBS's in business".

And, they can keep turning out 23 catalogs a year, they mail to all of us, by selling a few hundred of the those huge outboards and the boats to go under them nation wide.

Bass Pro, Cabela's, Sportsman's Warehouse.......... none of them are in the "fly shop" business. Never meant to be. It's a micro part of their overall business plan, just so they can be; "everything, to every sportsman".

Orvis, started out as a “fly fishing shop”, but cut the pages of their fly fishing gear out of their master catalog today and it doesn’t become much thinner, does it? They make A LOT MORE profit, on a set of “Moose printed-cotton bed sheets” than they do on a Mid Arbor Battenkill III.

Sure, I own Orvis gear. I own some Cabela’s also and a spattering from Bass Pro too. But, my main dollar is still spent with my local “fly shop”.
It’s the business, “HE’S IN”, period. No toiletries, no bed linens, no Elk antler lamps and his selection of goods that I WANT, are always in abundance.

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I LOVE that description of the old time hardware store. I’ve got a pretty good one by me, but it doesn’t have the wooden floors. And recently they went to the pre-packaged screws, etc. for quite a bit of the selection. But it’s about as close as you get nowdays.

I also agree - support the local shops. I’m lucky to have 3 around here - one in particular that’s pretty small. But it’s also my favorite. They don’t always have exactly what I’m looking for, but will show me how to substitute something for the same purpose or why maybe I didn’t really need what I’m looking for.

3

One of these days I need to get around to starting the thread that has been bouncing around in my head for several weeks about “Why I love Jimmy’s.” That would be Jimmy’s All Seasons Angler in Idaho Falls, ID.

Sounds like Paul has his “Jimmy’s” and I hope most of, if not all, the rest of you do also.

My experience with fly fishing was not fashioned in a “big box,” but in a small shop run by one of the nicest guys in the business, Jimmy, and his father, Jim, who is just as nice, and staffed with long time fly fishing advocates like John ( left a while back ), Bruce ( on a part time as needed basis ), Tim ( and his golden retriever Moose, mostly full time, both of them ), and Tom, who comes up from Pokie when needed. And Roland, when he gets some time away from high school.

Some folks do need the big stores and the craft stores. Been there, done that.

But given the chance and the choice, please support your local fly shop.

John

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Quote: One of these days I need to get around to starting the thread that has been bouncing around in my head for several weeks about “Why I love Jimmy’s.” That would be Jimmy’s All Seasons Angler in Idaho Falls, ID.)

I was in there on Saturday afternoon, John. It was myself and the two guys minding the store, for 45 minutes. Not another soul. Maybe everybody else was up on the South Fork, 'cause they sure weren’t in the shop.
It made me want to buy some big ticket stuff, just to make it worthwhile to keep the help employed. I sure hope they do well at the SE Idaho Fly Tying Expo next month. It would be a real disaster if they couldn’t maintain profitability. That show is one of the best shows in the West, by the way. It’s sponsored by the Snake River Cutthroats, if you want to Google it up for more information.

5

John I always get into Jimmy’s when I visit my brother in Pocatello. It is a great store except that if you ask what fly to use the answer is always “a renegade”. Do they still have the store in pocatello?

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Lew -

That would have been Tom and Roland. Must have missed you by not too much, I think I left around noon. By mid afternoon, I was on the South Fork. No one else around the area I fished, which is a good thing.

Rainbowchaser -

Good thing I didn’t have a mouthful of coffee when I read your comment about the renegade. Chances are that was suggested by Jim, who has fished renegades in all sizes for over fifty years. You are probably aware that the renegade is the Idaho State Fly ??

They don’t have the Pokie store any more. I think it has been several years, but am not sure about that. There is still a nice store down there, though, Portneuf River Outfitters.

John

7

I just, now, returned from a Portland trip, (damn doctor’s as usual), and OF COURSE, a stop in to see “Don Nelson and the riff-raff” at River City Fly Shop.
JC’s article, flew into my vacant brain,(and this post), again as I pulled up in front of Don’s shop.
Don was on the phone, telling a customer about the conditions of the Lower Willamette River when I walked in, and I was the only “raff”, in the place. He’d just opened for the day, so “Riff” hadn’t arrived yet.
But, like I said, JC’s article made me think again…
"Walk into a Cabela’s, walk past their fly shop area counter and into their back room and grab yourself either a free cup of coffee, or a free pop. While you also rummage through their private refrigerator,move that moldy cheese to the side, and dig into the smoked Salmon, wrapped in foil, laying on the second shelf!
I’m sure, Cabela’s, Bass Pro’s, or, "Sportsman’s security personnel will be more than happy to escort you either out of the store, or into a waiting patrol car!
See, an old scrap on info, on their wax-information board for local waters and make your own correction to it, because you’ve fished it since the last entry was made. (IF, you can FIND ONE, in a BBS!?).
Reach over the counter, (or, simply walked around the end and reach in) and pick out a Galvin, or, Abel that catches you eye and stand there, playing with it until the clerk, (or, in my case, today, Don), gets off the phone. (If you’re at a BBS, you’ll have to no doubt, pick the case lock or, break the glass to do this though).
I’ve never been into any of the BBS’s and been greeted warmly by name,followed by a personal insult to my character, my fishing ability and my family’s heritage like I get at my “local shop” and that’s a shame.
But, then again, at Cabela’s, Bass Pro, etc, I’m only "Mr.Vica #4567659403-032-2 and not much else to them.If I don’t BUY something when I visit, I’m even less known than that of course.
Sorry, already posted my views on this topic, (oh yeah, sorry I guess I started it in fact huh?), but just coming from Don’s today it really made a difference!
And, I’m NOT knocking the BBS’s I admitted already, I own gear from most of them. But you just can’t get "properly and warmly, mistreated so well by the big boys as you can from your own local hang out!

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And God knows you deserve it if anyone does. Pond slime like us have a natural attraction to abuse and ridicule, and we’d be lost without it. I can’t imagine walking into Grand River Tackle and having someone say something nice to me. I’d have to check to see who followed me in the door.:rolleyes:

Joe