Cabelas vs. Bass Pro

[Paul P]

I have shopped quite a bit at Bass Pro Shops through the years for fishing equipment. I was wondering if Cabelas had a similar selection overall for fishing equipment. There is now a Cabelas about 1.5 hours from me. Bass Pro is about an hour.



Thanks



Paul

 

[John W2]

I live about 10 minutes from the Bass Pro in Foxboro and I have also been to the Cabelas in CT several times and Bass Pro has a MUCH larger selection to choose from.

 

[fatrap]

I work for Bass Pro. We also have a Cabelas across the river. Very similar products. We each have our own signature series of equipment. I can't say where one has the edge over the other. Cablelas may have a bit more Northern type fishing equipment. BPS more to the southern taste but barely in both cases. Camping I'd give the edge to Cabelas. Hunting too close to call. Customer service....we'd get skinned alive if we didn't give it our all. At least at my store.



fatrap

 

[Bob G.]

I don't live near either, but I've been to both. Since I live next to no where, I mail order almost everything. I like to pick up rods at the store.



Fishing: BPS hands down. But I will have to say, my last visit to BPS (Foxboro last year when Mac and Mini were there) had almost nothing that I wanted for the upcoming fishing season. I went back home and mail ordered from the catalog!



Hunting, camping, etc: Cabela's for me. All of my hunting pants, shirts, parkas, jackets, boots, work shirts, fleece jackets. You would think I was sponsored by Cabelas during hunting season. My credit card says.....Cabela's.



Cabela's in Hamburg, PA and Sidney, NE are very nice stores. Was not impressed with the one in CT when I was there last year. The one in Maine had just opened when I first went there and really needed my help getting the store organized! :lol:

 

[Ken Sabin]

Bass pro shops. Ive been in the Richmond, Baltimore, Charlotte, Ft Lauderdale, Myrtle Beach, Atlanta, and Knoxville stores. Whew, somebody needs to stay home.



Dont hunt, so I have no use for Cabella's.

 

[Jim B]

In New England the BPS in Foxboro way outshines the Cabelas in Hartford for fishing gear. I have been to other Cabelas that are a lot better then the one in CT.



That being said i still prefer to buy from locally owned shops. Northern Bass gets a very large chunk of my business as do a few small tackle shops in my area. I live 20 min from the BPS in Foxboro and i still prefer to drive an hour to hit Northern Bass mainly because i like shopping at a small business, i always get much better customer service.

 

[TritonGlenn]

My experiences are much the same as Bob G.'s. Fishing - BPS has a larger / better selection. Hunting and camping - Cabelas crushes every BPS I've ever been to.



They really have been like night and day. The fishing selection at BPS far outshines Cabelas offerings, and on the hunting / camping - it's the exact opposite.



I think they both have their place. That being said, I also think they are both pricing themselves ridiculously lately. It used to be the "big box stores" had better prices. That is not the case lately. I've had BPS price match a few guns for me, but they had to - Academy Sports always beats their gun prices. I'd just rather shop at BPS most of the time.



I've also had to order from catalogs from both quite often. BPS is really close to me. Cabelas in Buda TX is about an hour. But most of the time, neither has what I want in stock.



All the best,

Glenn

 

[Bruce Freeman]

Fishing, Bps over Cabelas online or in store for me. Hunting and camping it's the other way around. I shop at both with no issues.

BF

 

[Paul P]

Thanks for the info!

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Well, Cabelas wouldn't sponsor this Native Son and BPS did....:wub: I will admit it was years ago and Cabelas had not started their expansion push Southward yet. Nonetheless, there is still no Cabelas close to me. Closest is in WV. I look at it this way, BPS is a fishing outfit with a good hunting selection and Cabelas is a hunting outfit with a good fishing section. I mean look at where they are HQ'ed...NEBRASKA.:lol: :lol: Bass fishing is an afterthought and they only fish for them when the Walleyes/Pike/Crappie/catfish are not biting!!:lol: Anybody ever been Spoonbill snagging....I have:lol::lol:



TOXIC

 

[Bill McElroy]

I agree with Tox,....the Cabela's down state from me where I grew up is a hunter's meccah,...and the BPS by my house is a Fisherman's paradise. They both have excellent selection's of their competition's forte' so to speak........but the common saying around these parts is,.."You go to Cabela's for HUNTING,....and BPS for FISHING"

 

[Dan J.]

Ditto Mac and the rest above on the VS.



Tox - Yep, used to love spoonbill snagging on the Ol' Miss' below the Chain of Rocks bridge off I-270, IL side of N St. Louis. An 8-10' surf rod with a big spinner full of tennis racket sized "string" (60# mono) with a spark plug (no joke) at the bottom and a 2/0-3/0 treble 6" above it and maybe another above that. We used to say we were going, "playing on the interstate" due to our location and the fight of a spoony is similar to tossing your snag rig on the highway and hooking a semi. :lol: We had days they were running where we'd get a couple and be heading home to clean and cook within an hour or so. Like freshwater halibut and no bones! Mmmmm......

 

[TOMMY RICH]

I try not to shop at BPS anymore...I have a Gander Mountain down the road and although they are a tad higher in prices, by the time I gas the truck and head to Cinci...it always costs more.

 

[Texas Transplant]

Climbing on to the responses a little late.



Fishing equipment - Bass Pro hands down.



Clothing, rugged wear, hunting/camping - Cabelas.



Tex

 

[Paul P]

Good info. I usually shop Bass Pro for fishing gear. I have some heavy retooling to do with my fishing equipment over the offseason. I have a gift card option for Cabelas or Target. If I get the Target one it goes to my wife but Cabelas obviously goes to me. I havbe 2 gift cards available for $250 each and a total of $500. I'm guessing I could easily spend $250 at Cabelas as part of my retooling. Maybe I'll give the wifie the other $250 for Target ... better yet maybe I'll get the $250 at Cabelas, spend it there, and if I realize they have more of what I need then I get the second $250.

 

[LEIGH MIDDLETON]

Bass Pro.

 

[Vince C]

I was looking at some marine gauges. At the time Cabelas blows BPS away on prices. :wacko:

 

[Ken Neeley]

I prefer KD Outdoors!!!



Man...I gotta get my online store up and running.

 

[Mike Levesque]

BPS for me, hands down. Though in a pinch, there's a Cabelas about 10 to 15 min. from me, the nearest BPS is an hour north, and there's another one 30 min. south.

 

[Bob G.]

Ken, I would gladly shop at your store if I was close enough. We have very few hunting/fishing stores here. Dick's Sporting Goods is ok. Walmart has almost nothing in their store lately.

 

[Cass Caldwell2]

Academy Sports...much cheaper and when they have sales they are really good sales.