St. Louis Fly Shops

[Brian K. Shaffer]

Midwest Troutbum wrote : Bottom line, drop 400 dollars or so at any store in the business world and everyone is your best friend. Come in looking to spend 40 dollars, ask about the recommended best fishing places or flies and most places will give you the cold shoulder and tell you to not let the door hit your behind on the way out.

That's a very bold statement. I believe you are thoroughly mistaken. Shame too.

This thread really goes to show you that you cannot please all the people all the time. Truth.

Al Agnew wrote : When Ed Story, the owner, was still alive I frequented Feathercraft, because he was a good friend and really helped me with my casting technique. But these days I only go to Hargroves because they are always helpful, always friendly, and the shop has real atmosphere. I always wish I could spend more time in Hargroves, while I was always in a hurry to get out of Feathercraft.

I echo your thoughts completely.. even though I only met Ed 4 times. He had me casting 5 rods with just questions about my speed / style. I didn't buy a rod - but he was just as nice on the way out as on the way in.

After meeting Tom I knew it was all over for me... kinda like meeting and getting to know Dale Fulton, if you speak the earnest die-hard language - you do not have to spend any money at all to really pick these guys brains, and glean true information.

Shame Dale sold his shop in Arkansas.. but I do call him every once in a while.

Would've like to have gotten to know Ed Story better. RIP

[ness]

Midwest troutbum,

When some blow-hard is talking about his time share in Aruba just remember this -- it's a freakin' time share! All you need is a pulse to get into a time share. Just ask my brother-in-law. Getting out of one is what takes talent. Anyhoo -- why does it matter anyway? Some people got more stuff than you do. Relax -- it's just gonna be that way.

You gotta lose that inferiority complex, man. When you tiptoe into a flyshop all mousy and feeling like you're out of place, it's gonna show. I bet you headed right over to the close-out bin and started picking through it. Maybe even grabbed a packet of pink marabou or tried on a pair of last-year's Red Balls.

You gotta carry yourself like you've already got everything in the shop, but you're looking for some backup equipment to leave at your HOME in Aruba. Hold your head up. Get the dude-atude. Your money's as good as the next guy's.

Or, you just may be happier shopping online.

[MoSportsmen]

Hargrove's Logo is way cool. Bought some fly boxes that I did not need once because they were festooned with the Hargrove Logo.

[stlfisher]

Craig at Hargrove's hooked me up with 7 weight not to long ago and threw in couple extra's. Hooked my buddy up big time last week as well. That seems to be the norm with him and why I go back.

I do however shop at both places, because feathercraft does have some things in stock that I use and that is a bit easier, but I don't linger much. Hargroves certainly has a more friendly feel to it. You won't get a lot of lovey dovey at feathercraft, but sometimes I just want to browse without being "helped".

Unfortunately, now that I am out in Hillsboro I might have to shop more online.

[ozark trout fisher]

I don't know...The STL shops are in the opposite direction from me as any good trout water, so I've never been. I do wish there were more and better fly shops in the Missouri Ozarks, because pretty generally I stop to get flies on the way to a place I'm going to fish. I've been in riverside fly shops from the Adirondacks to West Yellowstone, and any one that's worth it's salt will be able to give you excellent first hand information that should allow you to catch more fish...No, at least the smart ones won't tell you the secret holes where they take their clients on guide trips, but provided you drop $30-40 on flies, tippet, indicators etc, there's an issue if they won't at least steer you in the right direction. I've just not had that problem very often; the vast majority want to help you catch fish, so they get the repeat business. Plus let's be honest, most fly shop owners are by nature going to be pretty nice, helpful folks. As awesome as I'm sure the shops in STL are, it would be very nice to have more of them near trout water, because that's the only way you're going to get that kind of timely, first-hand info consistently.

[ColdWaterFshr]

Midwest troutbum,

When some blow-hard is talking about his time share in Aruba just remember this -- it's a freakin' time share! All you need is a pulse to get into a time share. Just ask my brother-in-law. Getting out of one is what takes talent. Anyhoo -- why does it matter anyway? Some people got more stuff than you do. Relax -- it's just gonna be that way.

You gotta lose that inferiority complex, man. When you tiptoe into a flyshop all mousy and feeling like you're out of place, it's gonna show. I bet you headed right over to the close-out bin and started picking through it. Maybe even grabbed a packet of pink marabou or tried on a pair of last-year's Red Balls.

You gotta carry yourself like you've already got everything in the shop, but you're looking for some backup equipment to leave at your HOME in Aruba. Hold your head up. Get the dude-atude. Your money's as good as the next guy's.

Or, you just may be happier shopping online.

[Greasy B]

I remember being very intimidated the first couple of times I walked into Kelly Sporting Goods on Lindbergh. I had never known or ever seen anyone fly fish, the sport involved all kind of techniques and equipment that I had no idea about as well as terminology I couldn’t pronounce much less understand. At the time I was borrowing books from the public library by Ray Bergman and George M. LaBranche so all the equipment they used was out dated. All I knew was that if I was going to get any better at fly fishing I needed better equipment than what I could buy at Grandpa Pigeons. I put up with sneers and snickers as I asked one dumb question after another. When I met Tom Hargrove at Outdoors LTD in Clayton all that stopped and my education started. It’s true that pathetic blowhards open their mouths in fly shops thinking that someone might be impressed; they simply reveal the depth of their own pettiness.

[Jerry Rapp]

for some strange reason I read this entire thread. And you trout nuts are just like bass fishermen. I guess it is the fishing gene?

[Brian K. Shaffer]

The intimidation factor shouldn't even exist... but it does. It almost did me in at 10 years old walking into skateboard shops asking too many questions. I'll never forget the guy that said " Hey Champ, what can we do you for ?". What a question for a bleary eyed kid looking to get into a sport, or a new interest. ?~?~?

Not knowing.. the feeling of being taken advantage of.. it's always there in the back of your mind... until you do your homework on your own and take more in..

If you really feel out what you want by asking and acting (demo'ing a rod, trying out a new to you line.. or tying on a vise you like, even opening a package to see it has what you seek) ... that's when the fly shops really turn the corner - cause they know you are more serious.

Nothing used to make me laugh more than a fly shop in CO ... those guys hardly even noticed anyone came in, let alone ask if you needed any help - EVER. They came off snooty... snobbish at first... til I asked some questions. Then they told me - We do not scare off our customers, we let them come to us.

Brilliant strategy from here in 1980 in an old Victorian house :

To here :

Sure wish I get back to see this new shop in the ... next few months.

Anyone running a fly shop should read Jack Sayers book, The Fly Tackle Dealers Guide to Success - published by the Fly Fishing Business Foundation. It is a business operations and growth book, highlighting everything from training, merchandising, margins, markdowns and pure fly fishing business economics.

It'll sure make you see things from a different angle. A better educated one - from both sides of the counter.

[Mitch f]

The intimidation factor shouldn't even exist... but it does. Not knowing.. the feeling of being taken advantage of.. it's always there in the back of your mind... until you do your homework on your own and take more in..

If you really feel out what you want by asking and acting (demo'ing a rod, trying out a new to you line.. or tying on a vise you like) ... that's when the fly shops really turn the corner - cause they know you are more serious.

Nothing used to make me laugh more than a fly shop in CO ... those guys hardly even noticed anyone came in, let alone ask if you needed any help - EVER. They came off snooty... snobbish at first... til I asked some questions. Then they told me - We do not scare off our customers, we let them come to us.

Brilliant strategy for making ends meet in the fly shop biz - but not particularly lucrative.

Anyone running a fly shop should read Jack Sayers book, The Fly Tackle Dealers Guide to Success - published by the Fly Fishing Business Foundation. It is a business operations and growth book, highlighting everything from training, merchandising, margins, markdowns and pure fly fishing business economics.

It'll sure make you see things from a different angle. A better educated one - from both sides of the counter.

You see it everywhere in the retail world, the techie guy with no people skills thinking he can rely on his expertise to start his own place. Then he hangs a shingle out and expects hords of people to magically walk thru the door. Epic Fail.