[steveM]

Hello All,

I've been ordering fishing gear from Cabelas for a while now, and since getting into flyfishing, I've spent lots of time looking through their site as they seem to have a pretty good selection.

I was about to order a new 3-4 wt setup in the next week or so, but this past weekend I was down in NY and had a chance to stop in at a Dick's sporting goods. I noticed one of the reels I was considering (Pflueger Trion) was priced at $99, compared to $119 at Cabelas. I also was able to use a $10 off coupon and a further 10% off as the demo was the only 1934 model they had left .

But my question is, seeing as the regular price was $20 less than Cabelas, it made me wonder if Cabelas was overpriced on their flyfishing gear?

Side note: The best case of course would be to buy local and avoid shipping, but it seems the very few fly shops near me, tend to concentrate on the high-end stuff and don't have a good selection of the lower-to-mid range gear. The big box stores (BassPro, ...) also have a pretty weak selection.

Thanks,
Steve

[packfancjh]

As far as rods and reels I'm not sure on the overpricing issue. I build my own rods or buy from my local fly shop for Sage and Galvan. As far as flies and some of the accessories, I have not been happy with their quality therefore think they are way overpriced.

[tie one on]

I believe that as far as name brand rods they are regulated by
the manufacturer how the price is to be set.

One thing I did notice when I researching my reel for my 9wt rod
was that Cabelas was $20 more than the shop where I finally
purchased the reel.

That was just a one time thing for me & I still stop there every
time I can when travelling back home to Ohio.

Just because they were higher for one item does not mean it is
true for all items they may market to sell.

It's always best to shop for the best price,

Tie One On-------------------<*))))))><

[steveM]

Thanks, good point. I just know there are plenty of places that are overpriced when it comes to other items, just didn't know if others felt Cabelas was like that.

I've always felt their spinning gear and tackle prices were fairly competitive, but I don't have too many comparison options when it comes to fly gear.

[gearguy]

I think it depends on the gear, but I have noticed that their flies are much more expensive than Sportsman's Warehouse flies, and are not any better.

[da Bear]

I always have to remember to really shop around and any time I buy from a big name company (such as Cabelas,John Deere, etc.), I'm also paying for the name as well as the product. Nuff' from me. Take care.

[Fly2Fish]

Because I live in Houston where (understandably) most fishing stores have little gear suitable for my Rockies fly-fishing, I buy most of my fly-fishing gear online. Since Cabala's has the best selection by far of any online store I know of, I buy a lot of items there (ask my wife ). While I haven't bought rods & reels there (which I've generally bought on eBay), I have found their prices to be pretty competitive, particularly when it comes to their store brands, which are quality products for the most part and very competitively priced. Their numerous and candid customer reviews on almost every product are also very helpful when making a buying decision, as are their comprehensive product descriptions and pictures, and their saveable "Wish List" allows you to think about an item for a while and check out alternatives elsewhere before deciding to purchase it there. Where I do think they lose out to their online competition is in their shipping charges & sales tax (if they have a bricks & mortar store in your state), when many of their online competitors such as Fishwest charge nothing - a main reason along with selection & service why Fishwest is my preferred online shop. Online shopping can be rewarding, not only for price comparisons but particularly if you can avoid sales tax and shipping, which can really add up.

That's not to say I don't also frequent local shops. One of those few here that do feature fly-fishing gear for my Rockies fly-fishing is Orvis, where I also buy a lot, particularly when they have their coupon sales which makes their prices quite reasonable.

Flies I always buy locally where I fish, not only because local shops know what's working there then, but also as "thanks" for advice on local hot spots, etc.

[NickFlyer]

There's a BassPro about 45 minutes from me where i do all my shopping. They ahve a great selection I think (well over 50 rods). It is always nice to support a local guy when you can but sometimes they really don't have anything.

[marcelnl]

my overall ' strategy' is to buy local in case I need some first hand advice and know I can get it, if I decide to buy on the net I tend to go for the lowest price...especially for bulk items or general stuff (plasma screens etc) I rely on the lower priced internet shops.
For 'specialist' items I am happy to pay a bit more in a shop as good advice is valuable as well, as it usually will prevent buying the right item later on.

In case you know exactly what you need/want buying online is good enough, if only people would include the shipping and payment charges when making comparisons. Advice from a really good shop usually includes some 'do not buy this as it does not suit your needs, because' which I often find valuable and they'll also order the stuff you really need.....

I buy my flyfishing stuff online as I have yet to find a shop that has some intimate knowledge to sell in my area.....One really should include the research that goes into internet shopping in the final selling price, but I bought the same reel that is sold as the pflueger trion for ~$50 due to a tip on this site where I'd be equally happy with it if i would have bought it in a decent shop at ~$100-120 if the advice on the side would be good.

[Kai]

I think that Cabela's "house brand" stuff is usually very reasonable in price. Their fishing specific clothing, equipment, rods, etc. are pretty nice and very competitively priced.

As for the other name brand stuff they sell, I've found that with the internet, I can almost always find it cheaper somewhere else, but that's not just true for Cabelas.