The unofficial Challenge Chatter String

[glenn57]

Tackle Deal..... My local Walmart has several boxes of Cotton Cordell and Heddon along with Arbogast lures for a 1.50 a lure! I picked up some Hula Poppers and some flat lures like Ratatraps for dirt cheap... 

theres a heck of a lot of better places to buy fishing tackle then walmart! support your locally owned, family owned shops!!!!

[Lee Borgersen]

I do agree with your philosophy Glen and I try to support our local Fish On Bait & Tackle shop. Last year Wal-Mart had their usual fall blow-out fishing tackle clearance sale. So I talked to the fishing dept. manager about buying a large quantity of the clearance fishing Items for an extra discount.

He said ok and I said I'll be back this afternoon with a customer for you. I went over to my small local tackle shop and explained to Art the owner what I had done. He said let's see what I can get at an increased discount and we were on our way to Wall-Mart. The bottom line was Art wound up spending a lot of dough and actually purchased tackle cheaper than he could purchase it from his own supplier.

People used to come in his shop and say "I can buy this cheaper at Bass Pro. Well of course you can. The small shop owner can't compete with the big boys ever. With todays economy consumers are pinching every penny and it hurts the small business owners. When the small shops close up the same Bass Pro boy is crying because he needed something NOW!

[Bobby Bass]

Glen I don't see anything wrong with buying fishing lures at Walmart especially when I paid  1.50 for the same lure Bass Pro shop is offering for 6.69 my local bait shop I am sure is offering the same lure for that price or more. I bought ten lures for 15.oo dollars compared to 66.90 plus shipping if bought from Bass Pro or my local bait shop. Forty-five dollar savings for me that translates to a couple of fishing trips for me. Forty-five dollars spent at the local gas station. The fifteen dollars helps pay the salary of local employees from Walmart, the forty-five dollars helps pay salaries for employees at the gas station. The lures were made in china so it does not matter who I bought them from the money is not going to state side manufacturing.

Do I promote ma and pa shops, you must not read my Lake Iwanttobethere stories as every store there is a small town business based on small town business. But I like a lot of other people don't have money to spend on ideas. Sometimes it just makes good sense to seize a good deal. BTW I spent over 1200.00 last season on a new graph and two rods and a reel form a local ma and pa bait/fishing shop, o wait add another 125.00 for a map chip too. I did it because I to support local small business. 

[Bobby Bass]

Lee, everybody,
There is a topic right there. I used a tank of gas (6 gals) about every 7 to 8 trips out. Maybe twenty gallons for the entire season. Of course that is just in the boat, getting to and from the lake is a whole different story. Now if we were to measure how much juice I used in the trolling motor that would be a lot. I mostly just run my main motor a few minutes a trip and then that last shot to the access at the end of the night. Of course I am not doing any trolling or running big waters. Most of the lakes I am fishing are under 500 acres. So here is a question for you, how much gas do you go through in a season of fishing

[Lee Borgersen]

It's starting to get a bit noisey around here just northwest of Chicago. But I'll take the rain mixed with small hail. You guys can keep your snow

[HD]

I used just under 400 gallons of gas last year fishing, but that also includes the gas in the truck.
I always keep track, so I can budget for the next season.

[Lee Borgersen]

Budget! Did you say Budget?   Never use the word Budget and fishing in the same sentence!



  But,
Did he like really say budget?? I mean talking fishing and budgets is What if Borgie were to read HD's post

[Bobby Bass]

I got out my trip book and I figure I used about a 140 gallons,    compare to HD's 400 I am doing pretty good.     I will make a point of showing the wife how much money I am saving her.. Of course I will not bring up the six weeks of fishing I lost with the wrist injury that I plan on recovering this season.. 

[HD]

Lee, does Borgie do the books in your household?  

I make a few trips a year out of state & Canada....so, yes, I have to BUDGET for my addiction.  

[glenn57]

hey bobby bass!!!!!! i hear what your saying. AND YES I READ your lakeiwannabethere. and thouroughly enjoy it!!! my qualm is walmarts treatment of there U.S. born employees.

aside from that i see huge differeneces in quality. i have used some of DDS's lures and bought lotz from thorne bros. yea i pay more but they hold up a hole heck of a lot longer. quality over quantity i say.

[The General]

Glenn, is there a difference between a Rapala bought at Wal-mart or one bought at Thorn Bros?  If so I'd spend more to get better quality.  I usually buy all my stuff from fleet farm.

[Bobby Bass]

hey bobby bass!!!!!! i hear what your saying. AND YES I READ your lakeiwannabethere. and thouroughly enjoy it!!! my qualm is walmarts treatment of there U.S. born employees.

aside from that i see huge differeneces in quality. i have used some of DDS's lures and bought lotz from thorne bros. yea i pay more but they hold up a hole heck of a lot longer. quality over quantity i say.

I hear ya, but when I see name brand stuff, Heddon for example at that price I got to buy some. Might have to do something with my lure addiction, like all bass fishermen seem to have  

[Stnmtz]

It's starting to get a bit noisey around here just northwest of Chicago. But I'll take the rain mixed with small hail. You guys can keep your snow

I think we took are fair share..... I work for a ulility company and we are still cleaning up after last weeks ice.

[glenn57]

Glenn, is there a difference between a Rapala bought at Wal-mart or one bought at Thorn Bros?  If so I'd spend more to get better quality.  I usually buy all my stuff from fleet farm.

probably not, but i can assure you that there customer servive is a hellava lot better. and i'd personally dont have a problem paying more to a local owner then a anti-employee corporation like wallyworld. i kaow bobby refered to the fact its still made in china, but theres way more to how they do business i wont get into here for being polite reasons!!!!!!

[The General]

Glenn, is there a difference between a Rapala bought at Wal-mart or one bought at Thorn Bros?  If so I'd spend more to get better quality.  I usually buy all my stuff from fleet farm.

probably not, but i can assure you that there customer servive is a hellava lot better. and i'd personally dont have a problem paying more to a local owner then a anti-employee corporation like wallyworld. i kaow bobby refered to the fact its still made in china, but theres way more to how they do business i wont get into here for being polite reasons!!!!!!

No need to.  I just thought maybe you knew something in regards to the quality.

[glenn57]

just my experience!!!!!!!!!! what i have personally seen. bought spinner baits fron even fleet farm........... nords had paint gone in no time...... thornes spinners..........same amount if fish still nice and painted. same with DDS's.

[DDSBYDAY]

   That is not always the case.  I have had my share of catastrophic failures.    That's why I need you guys field testing them for me.   

[Bobby Bass]

20 inches of new snow on the ground, add that to what we got on Monday and fishing is nothing but a dream right now. Last Spring we needed Noah's ark this year we are going to need Noah's snowblower!

[glenn57]

and then the ark after it melts!!!!!!!

[wildlifeminnesota]

Just when past the lakes here, There was three full size trucks out on the lake and I not talk just off shore.

I not seening the lakes here to be open in three weeks

[Boar]

Really kinda blows my mind tot hink I gota pull out the auger with an extension to fish LOW on the MN opener

[Bobby Bass]

Not looking good for northern waters. We have a lot of snow on the ice which needs to melt then all that ice, 30 inches or more I have heard. Weather for these parts is for temps still below normal and no sunshine. Cold enough overnight to freeze. May have to actually think about heading South to find open water! 

[wildlifeminnesota]

It just started to snow again 

[glenn57]

raining pretty good here in stearns county right now.

[Bobby Bass]

I know you are going to hate this Glenn but I just scored on a Falcon BuCoo micro fishing rod at Walmart. I have been on the look out for this rod all winter long to match up with my Quantum PT that I bought last summer. 129.00 rod on clearance for 79 bucks, to good to pass up. My local bait shop would only give me 10% off and I have been working her all winter long.  I even got it in the house and in the rod rack with out the wife noticing!  one more Vendetta rod to buy and I will be done for this summer... 

[Bobby Bass]

Starting to drip some here, hope it don't freeze overnight

[DDSBYDAY]

I know you are going to hate this Glenn but I just scored on a Falcon BuCoo micro fishing rod at Walmart. I have been on the look out for this rod all winter long to match up with my Quantum PT that I bought last summer. 129.00 rod on clearance for 79 bucks, to good to pass up. My local bait shop would only give me 10% off and I have been working her all winter long.  I even got it in the house and in the rod rack with out the wife noticing!  one more Vendetta rod to buy and I will be done for this summer... 

   When she leaves the house don't admire it below a ceiling fan.  I topped a rod off on the first day.

[glenn57]

I know you are going to hate this Glenn but I just scored on a Falcon BuCoo micro fishing rod at Walmart. I have been on the look out for this rod all winter long to match up with my Quantum PT that I bought last summer. 129.00 rod on clearance for 79 bucks, to good to pass up. My local bait shop would only give me 10% off and I have been working her all winter long.  I even got it in the house and in the rod rack with out the wife noticing!  one more Vendetta rod to buy and I will be done for this summer... 

:bonk:man whats this world coming to????????????/

[glenn57]

I know you are going to hate this Glenn but I just scored on a Falcon BuCoo micro fishing rod at Walmart. I have been on the look out for this rod all winter long to match up with my Quantum PT that I bought last summer. 129.00 rod on clearance for 79 bucks, to good to pass up. My local bait shop would only give me 10% off and I have been working her all winter long.  I even got it in the house and in the rod rack with out the wife noticing!  one more Vendetta rod to buy and I will be done for this summer... 

   When she leaves the house don't admire it below a ceiling fan.  I topped a rod off on the first day.

that hadda suck............did wallyworld replace it????????????//

[DDSBYDAY]

  Reeds bargain bin set outside the door in the middle of summmer.  I bought two of them because the price was good.  That was 10 years ago.  I still use the other one.