If anyone was wondering if they still suck, the answer is YES. All I wanted some simple 1/4 and 3/8 oz jig heads in a few colors I like. Ahh hell no. 75 percent of the aisles containing that stuff. Empty. Most shelves completely empty im guessing for ice fishing stuff to come later. And of course the two things I did get were not the price on the shelf.
I stopped buying fishing lures from big box stores anymore….so many guys making & selling jigs/lures out of their garages & selling on FBMP nowadays at great prices, those are the guys I support…they’ll usually do custom orders too…
Scheels had changed their stuff over the week of MEA. They keep a small supply of stuff year round but I doubt it get restocked. I got lucky and seen they were changing over and got mine ahead of my trip.
For box stores, Scheels gets probably 90% of my fishing purchases. They’re the best mix of customer service + availability I’ve found. Fleet Farm is way more hit or miss, but IF something you need there is in stock, you might save a few bucks comparatively.
Cabelas = Don’t get me started.
Scheels had changed their stuff over the week of MEA. They keep a small supply of stuff year round but I doubt it get restocked. I got lucky and seen they were changing over and got mine ahead of my trip.
idk where you are orv but if in st cloud area my son maybe was the one who did it. Now he’s on ammo.
Yes it Was St.Cloud who ever it was gave me a heads up so I was able to stock up ahead of time. Also they are having their ice fest this weekend so they are mostly ice fishing stuff now.
Cabelas = Don’t get me started.
Cabela’s has WAY more tackle than anyone I know of here. They must have 30 aisles of stuff that’s out all year and their pegs are always full.
As opposed to Scheels which is only out seasonally (and currently not even there now as someone posted) and Fleet Farm, which is mostly empty pegs year round.
When I shop for tackle I do it in person. For half the year Scheels cannot fit that bill and for most of the year Fleet Farm cannot do it either.
To the OP, fleet farm has been operating that way for years. They have spots for their stuff, but its quite often just empty. My guess is no employees to replenish it with any regularity.
Not gonna stick up for fleet farm but that’s the case with all stores. Its about the distribution. Most manufacturers will send their product to the DC in Chip Falls. Fleet Farm will divide that up to the different stores and send it out by around Dec. Those stores will have it put up until they get ready for their spring reset. Some manufacturers will send direct to store. Northland and Midwest Oudoors do this that’s why there stuff gets refilled. Pure fshing is huge and ships to distribution centers. Small bait shops can avoid some of this time lost to distribution centers and put it out right away. Fleet Farm, Scheels, and Cabellas has already ordered everything they are going to get for the 2025 fishing season. Like I said Fleet Farm does suck, but not any more than the rest of them when it comes to the seasonal stuff. Now if they don’t get it out by spring then they really suck.
Scheels, Rochester, has all the ice gear out and have down-sized the open water gear, however the open water jig selection was pretty darned good on Monday.
I do like fleet farm for clearance. They dont advertise it online so you can find some pretty crazy deals instores if you stop by every now and then.
I do recall Cabela’s in Woodbury having a sizeable inventory as Gimruis mentioned.
I do recall Cabela’s in Woodbury having a sizeable inventory as Gimruis mentioned.
The one in Rogers is even more so. And its there all year round too.
Everything is ordered on-line these days. That said Joes Sporting goods in St Paul has a whole wall of yellow bins with every size and color jig head sold individually
If anyone was wondering if they still suck, the answer is YES. All I wanted some simple 1/4 and 3/8 oz jig heads in a few colors I like. Ahh hell no. 75 percent of the aisles containing that stuff. Empty. Most shelves completely empty im guessing for ice fishing stuff to come later. And of course the two things I did get were not the price on the shelf.
This should be of no surprise since they were bought by a private equity group. Its apples to oranges from when it was run by the Mills family to the PE group.
I’d say the Fleet Farm here in Waite park is rather well stocked most of the time. The Runnings here in town also often has a decent supply. I like Scheels but like other said they have to do a change over from one season to the next and often also seem to have empty pegs of the items I’m looking for.
I would never go there anymore but I can get there in about 4 minutes from work at lunch time.
Best thing EVERYONE can do is send emails and call the buyers for your favorite local store of choice and tell them what you want and when you buy it. The buyers are like a little secret society that lives and breathes in the little back room corner of a warehouse and like vampires, don’t see daylight. They have little to no clue what the public wants. They see and know that they buy X amount of SKU XXX-XX01 and it had 99% sell through and will order on their next SPRING GOODS order. From there, (example jigs) are SPRING goods. they are ordered Aug through Oct for March (ish) delivery. Just like hunting stuff is ordered Jan/Feb for delivery in Aug. Millions of awesome products come alone and never see daylight on a peg or shelf because the buyers don’t know IF it will sell through as well as an existing SKU that does. A couple of stores get it and keep a minimal stock for the “off season”
Best thing EVERYONE can do is send emails and call the buyers for your favorite local store of choice and tell them what you want and when you buy it. The buyers are like a little secret society that lives and breathes in the little back room corner of a warehouse and like vampires, don’t see daylight. They have little to no clue what the public wants. They see and know that they buy X amount of SKU XXX-XX01 and it had 99% sell through and will order on their next SPRING GOODS order. From there, (example jigs) are SPRING goods. they are ordered Aug through Oct for March (ish) delivery. Just like hunting stuff is ordered Jan/Feb for delivery in Aug. Millions of awesome products come alone and never see daylight on a peg or shelf because the buyers don’t know IF it will sell through as well as an existing SKU that does. A couple of stores get it and keep a minimal stock for the “off season”
^^^^
This and a shift away from warehousing.
Excellent point randy.
Excellent point randy.
yes sir…….i agree. altohug hnot the sporting industry, i work a grocery store part time……same thing these buyers go to shows and pre order everything well in advance.
monday we just got slammed with stuff………like christmas candy. good grief.
i cant remeber the last time i bought fishing gear at a big store. if i need something i prefer the little ma and pa shops. i did buy some 30-06 shells at cabelas a while ago………i cant find 220 grain bullets anyplace else!!!!
i cant remeber the last time i bought fishing gear at a big store. if i need something i prefer the little ma and pa shops. i did buy some 30-06 shells at cabelas a while ago………i cant find 220 grain bullets anyplace else!!!!
I miss the Marina/Tackle Store that used to be in Richmond, now Channel Marine. Brings back memories of the River Roost as well. Not many other options other than Stop Light in St. Cloud for small shops.
For box stores, Scheels gets probably 90% of my fishing purchases. They’re the best mix of customer service + availability I’ve found. Fleet Farm is way more hit or miss, but IF something you need there is in stock, you might save a few bucks comparatively.
Cabelas = Don’t get me started.
I buy a lot at Scheels if i can because of my card points and i have a store 40 miles away but its getting tougher to find much in stock lately been doing some traveling lately and stopping at cabelas stores and they all have way more fishing equipment in stock so buying there. i also order a lot online
I miss the Marina/Tackle Store that used to be in Richmond, now Channel Marine. Brings back memories of the River Roost as well. Not many other options other than Stop Light in St. Cloud for small shops.
[/quote]oh yea the good old river roosts. Lotta memories there.
Yea liked Richmond Marine. Kiess’s isn’t bad.
I drive past a few little bait shops on my way to the cabin in like stopping and checking out. Of course I by stuff I don’t need.
If anyone was wondering if they still suck, the answer is YES. All I wanted some simple 1/4 and 3/8 oz jig heads in a few colors I like. Ahh hell no. 75 percent of the aisles containing that stuff. Empty. Most shelves completely empty im guessing for ice fishing stuff to come later. And of course the two things I did get were not the price on the shelf.
Stop by Carver Bait, just have to plan for when they are actually open. That Fleet Farm spends about 1/4 of the year with empty shelves as they “turnover” for the next season. It’s dumb how slow they are. But the ammo shelves are well stocked!
Fleet farm always has a good stock of moxi’s and pulse r plastics. Everything else is sub par
Fleet farm always seems like they are missing about 10-20 percent of their fishing inventory but they do have awesome discounted rods from time to time and they don’t put away all the open water stuff like Scheels does . Not sure if Scheels has lost its luster with me over the years or something but seems like it isn’t what it once was .
Fleet Farm typically buys, warehouses, and then stocks their shelves once. There fishing area starts strong say in April, but by June many areas are empty including things like jigs and fishing line.
Scheels, Cabelas, and even Joes does a good job of keeping shelves restocked.
There are also some really good on-line companies that offer fishing gear for a great price. Some great companies out their selling jigs (especially winter tungsten jigs) at pricing that no local retail outlet can sell at.
We do realize that most people are not fishing after the MEA, so it makes sense to start switching over. Just order stuff online.
We do realize that most people are not fishing after the MEA, so it makes sense to start switching over. Just order stuff online.
The last couple times it was before that. I was in there last year the first week of October and it was already all ice fishing stuff with minimal open water tackle already removed.
I’m generally not an online shopper, I still visit retail stores for most of my stuff. I like to pick up and hold a fishing rod before I purchase something like that.
For the Brainerd area being close to thousands of acres of public land and lakes everywhere, its sad the only sporting goods store we have is FF. Mostly disappointed walking in there when looking for something specific being fishing or hunting wise.
Really wish scheels or reeds would come back into the old GM store
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