what town needs a bait tackle shop?

[montanahardwater]

Where or what town would you like to see a tackle or bait shop go up?  would you like to see as rental of some sort as well? Canoe /raft

[missoulafish]

Missoula

[Cornbread]

Well I'd like one in Thompson Falls but the owner would go broke for lack of business in that area so next best thing for me would probably be Missoula.

[montanahardwater]

What side of town does not have good supply? I have a friend who is looking to open a small pop's shop some where in MT

[feistyfish8709]

Helena needs one usually a bad selection for bait in town and most placeses run out fast.

[dumpld1]

Valier is quite a cross road for hunting and fishing.  I have always thought a small store could do well.

[Htech77]

Missoula, Bob wards is kind of a joke and wholesale has gotten too damn expensive!

[mtgrzlys]

East Helena or Townsend

[meames21]

Billings needs a place to buy minnows!

[doublehaul]

Billings needs a place to buy minnows!

Really?

How about you rent or buy a location near the Dam on the North end of Fort Peck Reservoir. If you kept an excellent selection of live baits to include leeches, minnows (year round-set price), crawlers, mealworms, etc..... you would put the current shop owner out of business.  Just an idea

Kinda interesting how the price of live bait increases exponentially based on the demand...wierd.

[lundin-loading]

Helena probably has some of the highest concentration of fisher-people in the state. For some reason there isn't a single decent sport shop that has everything a guy would need, soft or hard water. It seems like there are select few items i have to get at capital, then i have to go to wholesale for a few other things (which usually ends with me cussing and leaving with nothing), then when desperation sets in you look at bob wards and usually go home and order it off the internet. Of all these shops i run to i also end up buying bait out at bobs valley market...its sad!

[Quantoson]

Babb, Montana

[MTangler]

Valier is quite a cross road for hunting and fishing.  I have always thought a small store could do well.

I think that gas station holds its own pretty well.

Oh, and X2 Billings
MTA

[Klock12]

Helena probably has some of the highest concentration of fisher-people in the state. For some reason there isn't a single decent sport shop that has everything a guy would need, soft or hard water. It seems like there are select few items i have to get at capital, then i have to go to wholesale for a few other things (which usually ends with me cussing and leaving with nothing), then when desperation sets in you look at bob wards and usually go home and order it off the internet. Of all these shops i run to i also end up buying bait out at bobs valley market...its sad!

I would definitely second this! Helena could use a good store focused on all of the fishermen and women in this town!

[icefishinnut]

Missoula...without a doubt!  Neither store in town (Sportsman's Wharehouse or Bob Wards) have any selection of ice fishing tackle.  Both are over priced in my opinion.

[BigSage]

I really don't care too much about the price of a jig, but you can't find a thing that works in Missoula.  It's terrible up here!

[IceCreeper]

H E L E N A 

[Slamminsalmon22]

Marion Montana. A lot of traffic thru there

[Quantoson]

Marion Montana. A lot of traffic thru there

Marion is a beer stop not a tackle stop.   

[miles city fish freak]

Miles city could use one, we have a local sporting goods store and Walmart one is over priced and the other has a poor selection. Were are also a good central location form some of the large bodies of water.

[GOOSE_EGG]

Helena by far....I would bet it has the most fishing traffic out of all the larger towns in Montana. Yet out of the 3 "sporting good stores" don't have crap for tackle or gear. Capital has the basics, Wholesale has all the steal head and bass lures a guy could want and bobs has well they have clothes that's about all

[mtjohn]

Elk Mountain is a tackle shop now, so we might be able to convince them to carry what ever we want in Helena.
MT

[Seedtree]

Given that minnows aren't allowed except in the Eastern MT district, I would second Miles City.  Billings already has the Minnow Bucket at Huntley, but MC needs something for those of us on the way to Ft Peck.  There is a place that sells minnows at the Fort Peck Dam, but you could eat steak and lobster for what they want for a dozen live minnows.

[Ice Junkie_]

Helena by far....I would bet it has the most fishing traffic out of all the larger towns in Montana. Yet out of the 3 "sporting good stores" don't have crap for tackle or gear. Capital has the basics, Wholesale has all the steal head and bass lures a guy could want and bobs has well they have clothes that's about all

X2!

[wingnutty]

If you want to turn business and want a decent chance of making it, then Helena, by far.  Helena has the most local lakes and fisherman than any other 'big' city in Montana, by far. 

I think you'd lose your shirt in Missoula, not enough people coming to missoula to fish (besides fly fishermen).  Most people in Missoula leave Missoula to fish as they head to Seeley area, Flathead area, T-fall/noxon, Helena, etc.

[coldcreekchris]

it sounds like we all need a good store...statewide....b ut in my area missoula just sucks  a***...i have finally given up....last week after an hr long drive to missoula to see a doctor i went to wholesale sports...lame...lame ...lame..i was like " where are your shrimpos and ants"..he said this is what we got.. a diferrent brand but.no orange or yellow left....i said in very nice words that i was disappointed...and he admitted that their ice supplies were terrible.. that their buyer doesn't get it...so i grabbed some maggots and some line and will never go there for anything but maggotts again....45 minutes till my appointment...so i heard that bob wards might be trying to do more ice fishin gear...drove tothe mall...and they didn't have anything.... then there was an accident on reserve and mullan.. took me 50 minutes to go 4 miles....so now i will support the smaller stores for what they got....internet is still cheaper than the major chains....who are these buyers at these major chains? i know guns n ammo are a current gold rush....but how long could it possibly take to do a decent ice fishin supply order.....when buying a new auger or hut.. or even the next time you get a gun or ammo.. let em know how terrible their ice supplies are.. then maybe they will get it.....

[Papa John]

The Kalispell area would be a tough place to start. I have seen Snappy's get quite a bit of guff on this site for their prices but you won't hear me complain about them. B.J. obviously treats his employees well, they've been there a long time, and they know their stuff. Chancy is in touch with all the local guys and he put the gear in that being used or is wanted. If they don't have it, Chance will get it. It's very rare they don't have what I need. AND, we'll have a cabelas Outpost store opening there next fall to run competition with both Snappy's and Sportsman. Lots of options in the north Valley.

[lundin-loading]

i hate how its the same answer at every wholesale/sportsmans, you ask W.T.F. where is everything and the response is, well the vendor...um our buyer...im not sure why this place...i just work here, would you be interested in a new hat?

[coldcreekchris]

i agree.. i do like snappys...wish there were more chance types out there and more stores like snappys....hopefully cabellas wont put snappys out of biz....cabellas may employ more in the long run...but they wont have the chance types....crazy crossroads....we have a choice...spending a little more with who you know...especially if they got what you want...vs spending money in the chain stores with people you dont know...who are cheaper..but don't give a crap about you.......

[Outlander_49]

Livingston, all we have is a gas station with maggots and nightcrawlers.  May not do many people any good but it would help me out in this trout town!  At least our maggots are fat and sassy which is more than I can say for Bozeman's supply last I checked.