Local Fly Shop or Buy Online?

[mike63]

While I like the idea of supporting local business, some online dealers offer free shipping, no sales tax and even things like free fly line with reels and/or rods. And, the bigger outfitters tend to have common items in stock. Good deals can be had on flies too...but the local guys often have advice on what to use and I don't mind buying some flies as appreciation for said advice, especially when venturing into new locations.

Which do you all prefer?

 

[Ard]

Hi Mike,

I use both sources for many of the supplies I want or need. I would say 70% of the money goes through businesses in Anchorage, 10% to Sportsman's Warehouse at Wasilla, and the other 20 into on-line orders. Until I began to develop relationships with shops and the people who either work there or own them I made more on-line purchases. Some items I still buy from sources I developed in other parts of the country but I'm becoming more of a buy local guy than I was just 5 years ago. The exception is the purchase of rods. I have a preference for vintage rods over new designs and actions and so I buy them where I find them. The rods are either used or new old stock that has been sitting somewhere for 20 - 30 years unused.

 

[noreaster]

I find it really difficult to choose the fly shop exclusively. In a really small market place selection and prices can be a challenge. If I had a Norm/Cheers relationship with my shop it would be different. With only one shop on the Island, prices are dictated by what the customer will pay not what competition dictates.

I would like to give the shop all my tying business, and they do get most, but they haven't had a decent grizzly neck or cape in stock for months. Makes me want to outsource.

 

[sweetandsalt]

My "local" fishing is a 2 - 3 Hour drive from the urban area I live in. There are 2 shops in my city but my relationships are with the destination shops where I drive or fly to fish. While all here on this forum are "Internet" folks, I feel strongly about supporting the shops where I fish and find them very helpful to me as well. They will all be gone, many of my smaller old favorites already are, if we don't shop there. I appreciate the "free fly line" web shop offer...it is unlikely to be a line I want though. I love going into fly shops wherever I am and hearing their local stories and opinions about tackle popular in their area and I always find a fly or gadget to buy even if I am not on a fishing trip. I don't feel as warm and fuzzy visiting World Wide Sportsman or Cabelas but I'll get off the highway to visit them too. Support your local fly shop is my motto.

 

[Poke 'Em]

When I lived 10 minutes from a fly shop, they got the majority of my business.

Now that I live 4 hours from a fly shop, 98% of my fly fishing related purchases are online.

 

[Noiso]

A world without non-virtual fly shops would be a sad place indeed. I buy as much as I can afford at them. Any new stuff I want I try to get at a brick and mortar shop.

I do support buying used gear (actually second hand everything, with the exception of underwear! Used guitars are especially cooler than new ones in my book) and if fly shops offered used gear I would certainly consider buying it. It would be great to see vintage/used gear sections in the shops with affordable items as well as the crazy cool museum pieces.

 

[s fontinalis]

Generally, i'm an online guy. Only for materials, rods, reels etc.
The deals to be had online and the selection, including your mentioned free shipping, no tax and other incentives are more widely available, especially if you know exactly what you want. Case in point. I went on line today and bought 3x white flymaster, Ice dub, GP neck(topping and tippets) and cyclops beads. All zero tax, and the flymaster was just $1 per spool. With standard shipping ($3) i would have been out less than $20, but i opted for priority for $2 more. Generally i hate to pay shipping, hence why i used this vendor (The low standard rate) and more often than not i'll pay a few extra bucks to reach the free shipping minimum and get more materials for my money. Today i got only what i needed for $22 shipping. I could have gotten free shipping at another vendor (no minimum spend) but they are notoriously slow shippers since they think its fine as the offer free shipping, but i need this stuff fast.
I generally base my vendor decision on 3 things:
Speed of service/turnaround time
Shipping cost/free shipping minimum spend
Selection of materials i need.
Sometimes one store will have the majority of what i want, and if i'm not in absolute need of everything i'll go with that store.

If i'd gone to a local store, i'd have had to factor in gas to the store (>10 miles away; 20 mile round trip) high base prices on all the items, and tax - easily $30 for the same stuff i just got for $22 shipped, and little more than 20 mins of my time.
In terms of flies, i tie my own, except when at a new location. I'll stop by a local outfitter, ask for some advise on hatches etc and pick up some flies. I've yet to find a deal for equipment that i couldn't better online.

 

[bigjim5589]

I also buy more online than in local shops. There are few shops in my area now, as what were here have closed, and since I primarily fish warmwater or tidalwater, the few shops that remain cater more to trout anglers, so offer little to meet my needs.

As far as equipment goes, at this point in my life, there is little I need, so when I purchase something it's a "want" and I'll usually make such purchases based solely on the price regardless of where it may be found.

Tying materials I buy when I find a good deal, and frankly I have enough materials & hooks now that I could probably tie the rest of my life & never use all of what I already have. Plus, I buy "cheap" materials, because I don't have much need for expensive items such as dry fly capes, so what I use is easier to find from a variety of sources.

 

[rockriver]

I wish I had a fly shop locally that stocked everthing. There isn't even a shop nearby.

 

[dillon]

While I like the idea of supporting local business, some online dealers offer free shipping, no sales tax and even things like free fly line with reels and/or rods. And, the bigger outfitters tend to have common items in stock. Good deals can be had on flies too...but the local guys often have advice on what to use and I don't mind buying some flies as appreciation for said advice, especially when venturing into new locations.

Which do you all prefer?

I prefer to support my local flyshops for reasons already mentioned. If you prefer to purchase online, you are welcome to support one of mine too. Purchases can be made online from The flyshops in Oregon. There is no sales tax in Oregon and they do not have a shipping charge. Telephone advice is available. One could even ask for a line with the purchase of a rod and or reel. Many local shops do a big share of their business online. Where would we and the resource be without them?
PM me and I'll give you the names of a couple good ones.

 

[williamhj]

Being in Denver, I have a lot of 'local' shops as well as many shops in the areas I fish. That said, it's amazing how tough it can be to get to one. Between work and family, I find a lot of my 'shopping' time is in the evenings when shops are closed. Of course, Saturdays if I'm not busy with family stuff I prefer to be in the mountains on the water. Many (not all) of the shops in the mountains seemed geared towards guiding, with minimal tying stuff. Even with well stocked shops in town, a given shop will often not have all the tying stuff I'm looking for, so I have a couple online shops where I add stuff to my shopping basket over time, then periodically 'check-out'. That said, I try to frequent shops and pick up some items when I can.

 

[trout trekker]

Our most common angling related purchases are now from on-line sources. Due to the availability of some less than common items that we consume. Price plays a roll in some, but not all instances. While there are quite a few fly shops, from thirty minutes to two hours from our home. Most of the shops and staffs we feel drawn to, tend to be those further away.
The bulk of what we buy from brick & mortars today are fishing garments, eyewear, natural fly tying materials, rods and reel designs that we’re unfamiliar with.

You know, this forum has members from all over. When you make an on-line purchase from a fly shop, wherever it may be located. There's a fair chance that you're supporting a fly shop that others here also choose to support, be it near or far from their residence.

TT

 

[thorsten]

Hello,

the next fly shop is around one hour drive from my home, so that I sometimes buy some smaller things in an online shop. But ususally I try to go to the shop to buy the things I need. I like and enjoy these interessting small talks with the owner or some other customers so that a visit in the fly shop is always a little "Fly Fishermen Event" for me - especially during the winter time

 

[sweetandsalt]

Several years ago we visted a very nice shop in Berlin and my wife and I bought a pair of Vosseler trout reels and some Stroft tippet material. I have subsequently e-mailed the owner and I fear he may have gone out of buisness.

 

[codypom]

I WISH there was a local fly shop. Bass Pro is a two hour drive (and honestly I was horrified at how little they actually had), Cabelas is at least 3 hours, Gander Mtn has almost nothing. The downside to ordering online, for me, is that I don't know exactly what it is I want. It would be nice to see it in person.

 

[shotgunfly]

Fly fishing is going to be a life long sport for me and there is plenty of spending to go so why not spread it around?

A rod from Orvis online, then one from an Orvis store, then one from the local authorized dealer. All in all the local shop has given me the most help so I tend to buy from them...even if it costs me more.

Tying materials I get locally unless they just don't have it. Sometimes I just don't want to wait for it to come in the mail.

 

[lightline]

My nearest well-stocked shop is 160 miles. Minimal supplies 40 miles. I buy what I need "now" on-line, but try to "save" what I don't immediately need for a visit to a well-stocked shop when I travel to one, or on vacation. (Montana and Idaho have some GREAT ones when I fish there, in season.) Some things I'd rather see and touch before buying, and catalogs/internet doesn't do it for some things.

 

[mrfzx]

Its very tough to bypass the deals online....but consider this. Usually, unless you're buying new, the online difference is only 10-15% less...I know this can be significant with the high end stuff. We are facing a crisis in the U.S. with our economy. The large online businesses only need a fraction of the workforce to distribute their products that a more personal service shop would require. I do not live within an hour of any "real" fly shops, but I do make the trip about once a month.

Its hard to be altruistic while making your budget stretch....remember the old "buy american" line? I am guilty as anyone of pandering to foreign made products in the name of thriftiness, but just like with the foreign made products, we are only hurting ourselves in the long run with online businesses.

With that soap-box sermon, will I totally abandon my online bidding/selling? No, but then I am a hypocrit too. I want my cake and eat it too.

 

[stl_geoff]

I have two fly shops locally, one of which is a large mail order company as well. they get about all my business. I also have bass pro and cabelas locally, they, well Cabelas, gets another chunk of my business. every now and then if I find a good deal online i'll buy it or see if the local shop will match it and generally he will.

 

[whalensdad]

I guess I'm lucky. I have 2 shops within 15 min of me (not including an LLBean outlet store) and another 5 to 10 within 40. Having said that, I do shop around for price. If Cabela's is having a good sale on something I was looking for (i.e 50% off a rod or reel), I'll mail order. Otherwise I usually get my stuff locally. It's good to be in fly fishing heaven .