BEST Salt Water Fishing Store in YOUR Town

Fishing Guide

Fishing Guide

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Cheers All,

Compiling a list of the 'best' fishing stores in the major centres on Vancouver Island. If you had to pick the "BEST" Salt Water Fishing Store in YOUR town, where would it be?

Interested in: Port Hardy, Port McNeil, Campbell River, Courtenay/Comox, Qualicum Beach, French Creek, Parksville, Tofino, Ucluelet, Port Alberni, Nanaimo, Duncan, Mill Bay, Sidney, Victoria and Sooke.

Your choice to mention why is pesonal - therefore not required - but, if you are comfortable doing such, I would also be interested why this particuliar store stands out.

Thank you in advance....
 
Gone Fishin in courtenay comox-have the best selection and a few of the the staff are knowledgeable and all try to be helpful.
 
In Victoria, Island outfitter's and Trotac are the best !

let me re-phrase ... Island outfitter's and Trotac have the best selection.
don't forget crappy tire tinboat !!
 
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Hard to say they are the best when they are really the only two places to go. More competition would make that decision more realistic. Cowichan Fly and Tackle in Cowichan is one I would call the best anywhere. Great small town prices and knowledgeable staff.
 
I have to say Trotac in Vic. (And a very big vote against the other store.) The selection is great at both stores, but of the two only Trotac treats me like a valued customer, and I have spent thousands at both. Trotac staff are friendly and they take good care of me, both at the counter and on the water. Eg. while waiting for a warranty rod, Trotac lent me a backup without even having to ask. Plus, Trotac has hooked me up with deals and samples over the years. And, they have a way more comprehensive selection of boat gear. Only prob is, they are a little light in the steelhead department. The other store, on the other hand, is staffed by people that that come off like salesmen rather than fishermen. Always pushing the up-sell, discouraging the testing of gear, unwilling to bend on their prices on big purchases and, some of them at least, down right arrogant. Needless to say, they have managed to lose the business of me and a number of my friends, even in this little market with so little competition.

Up island, I work right next to Tyee Marine, so the see a lot of me. And the staff there seems to have a better handle on the local fishing scene than the kids that work at River Sportsman; good gear selection there though.
 
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In the Victoria area I support Westshore Sportfishing in Langford. Not a huge place but the guys ( and a good looking woman) are very helpful and knowledgable. They always have had everything I have ever needed. It seems more like I am supporting a local friend than a large competitive business.
Not mentioning any names but a while back I gave my wife a "shopping list" to pick up at a certain local tackle store and they pretty much ignored her until all the male customers had left and then treated her like a butt.
Westshore is also an easy stop on the way to Cheanuh, Sunny Shores, Renfrew Jocks....etc.
 
We've got Gone Fishin' and Wholesale Sports in Nanaimo. Obviously WS has the better selection but the quality of customer service in the fishing department can leave a bit to be desired on occasion.I like to support the little guy whenever possible plus add the fact that when it comes to supporting the various organizations in town,GF is head and tails above WS in that department.You've gotta remember that when you spend your retail dollars.
Dave
 
ChoveyRoller said:
In the Victoria area I support Westshore Sportfishing in Langford. Not a huge place but the guys ( and a good looking woman) are very helpful and knowledgable. They always have had everything I have ever needed. It seems more like I am supporting a local friend than a large competitive business.
Not mentioning any names but a while back I gave my wife a "shopping list" to pick up at a certain local tackle store and they pretty much ignored her until all the male customers had left and then treated her like a butt.
Westshore is also an easy stop on the way to Cheanuh, Sunny Shores, Renfrew Jocks....etc.
Click to expand...

I also like Westshore for salt and fresh, and their fly tying selection is getting better all the time. I have even run into the owner at the docks on Elk Lake, out to see how the fishing is - that's dedication. These guys (and gal) all know the local info, and never mind helping you. I bought a smoker there a while back, and told them that I wanted to give them the extra $20 over Walmart prices to keep the local market going, and they lowered their price to match Walmart!!! I actually didn't mind paying the extra - to me its worth it, but they wouldn't have it!
As for the other guys, I got sick of being ignored, and there's been a few times where I go to pay, and the price at the till is higher than the shelf price - but the shelf tag is wrong. For how many employees they have, they could be better salesmen.
I really hope someone from that place is lurking on this site, see how their customers really feel about them.....
 
When Wholesale Sports opened in Nanaimo everyone thought it would be great. A year and a half later the store SUCKS. Poor staff, high prices, and many holes in the stock which never seem to get filled. A number of times I have stopped in to find gear only to find they don't have it. Even the staff think it's a joke!
Gone fishing has a great selection considering their size, friendly staff who at least try to help you, and much lower prices than the big box store.
Tedd'ys Tackle in Chemanius is tops for fly fishing gear and tying materials!
 
Sorry flyfishinggeek but you must not have visited Wholesale recently because they are far and away cheaper on virtually everything that Gone fishing. Originally I heard they were over priced but now that is not the case at all. The service is actually good if you talk to the right person and there are a few there that know what they ar talking about, however there are also a few that don't know much.
On the negative I have noticed they are out of a few things for extended periods of time. I am not sure if they don't reorder certain things in the fall/winter or what, which is a little troubling for sure.

I do like the hands on service at gone fishin, but sometimes I can't justify spending 10-20% more just because I like the atmosphere.
 
West Shore Fishing Centre is where I get all my gear. I've gone there since it opened and they have always treated me very well. They will do all they can to match a price if possible and are always ready to give you helpful tips for your next outing as they are all experienced sport fishermen. I echo the other guys, I will try to always buy local if at all possible to keep these stores from being squashed by the big box stores like Walmart.
 
X 11teen on the Westshore.... They have been good to me.. Island Outfitters has been good to me too...... Eagle eye has been good to me too (gotta support the local guy every once in a while)
The first 2 have a decent selection of all gear but EE has a good selection of salt stuff...

(when it comes fly stuff I boogie up to WS in Naniamo)

Trotac is just too far for me and I HATE town.... Agree about the salesmen part of some of the IO staff but I go in there to buy something.... not BS
 
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Forgot about Eagle Eye. I really like that shop, and try to stop in any time i'm fishing out that way. Also, I have done good business at nile creek fly shop... for fly stuff
 
Parksville - Qualicum Area: Check out Pacific Net and Twine. Huge selection of hootchies, lots of salt water supplies, they definately are targeting mostly the commercial guys, they are fair on lots of their prices. They really hepled us out with a landing net, lost brand new one only three fish old, came unclipped from cabin top, bounced off transom deck, hit water (rough water at Nahmint narrows) floated for about 10 seconds, by the time we turned around to come up on the spot it went in, it was gone:mad:. They did not have any more in stock, so loaned us one until they got a new one in. New one aint on the cabin top anymore;). (New one is also filled with foam, so it FLOATS!!! $90 net +$10 can of foam = Net that can be retrieved :cool:)

Have also visited GF in Port A., Courtenay, and Nan, have found the selection of gear and the staff at all locations to be very good. Then there is also Can-Tire and Wallys Mart that have Selection - yes, Service -So so, but they are both open later than most stores, so for last minute and emergencies they do fill a gap.

I find that you have to watch prices at all of them if you want the "best deal", but most are fairly close, and some will definately match if you bring it up.

Jay.
 
What's the name of that store in Port Alberni right across from the marina? Was very positively surprised about their selection and prices. Definitely one of the better ones on the island. Nothing beats Cabelas though but unfortunately they are not here.
 
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I spend most of my money at Trotac in Victoria. They have more bulk supplies (hootchies, hooks, spoons etc) and commercial grade flashers. Also all the boat hardware too. They also don't have a growing fleet of charter boats so I don't feel that I'm cutting my own throat by supporting them. I do buy occasionally at the other Victoria store but only out of necessity. If I lived closer to the west shore and could avoid that daily traffic cluster f%&k I would shop more at Westshore Sportfishing.
 
I also have to give a vote to West Shore Sportfishing. They are conveniently not located downtown, and the staff there are always really helpful, so for a few cents more I dont mind dropping my dollars there and supporting local business, and saving the time of a trip downtown. That being said they are smaller than Trotac or Island Outfitters so due to size and selection you always find yourself going to them once in a while. The staff at Trotac are pretty good as well, my only beef with that store is having to go all the way down to Ogden Point.
 
Sorry flyfishinggeek but you must not have visited Wholesale recently because they are far and away cheaper on virtually everything that Gone fishing. Originally I heard they were over priced but now that is not the case at all.

They are NOT far and away cheaper on EVERYTHING. I have cheaked (last time 3 weeks ago) a number of items (hooks, line, fly tying) to find GF cheaper PLUS they give me a 10% discount. They have not changed their pricing since they opened.


The service is actually good if you talk to the right person and there are a few there that know what they ar talking about, however there are also a few that don't know much.

If you can find that person.

On the negative I have noticed they are out of a few things for extended periods of time. I am not sure if they don't reorder certain things in the fall/winter or what, which is a little troubling for sure.

They have voids in a number of common items and have not replaced these items for a long time.

I do like the hands on service at gone fishin, but sometimes I can't justify spending 10-20%

I think that is an exageration. Are you a WS employee trying to save their job?
 
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