I have heard how some DSG's across the country have pretty much gone out of fishing tackle etc. I was at my local DSG the other day and asked one of the managers if I could take some pictures to share with you guys. He obliged and I explained that some DSG's were going out of fishing stuff and he said it all depends on how much competition they have in a particular market, for instance our DSG is probably the biggest tackle shop in Vermont but in other areas where there's a Bass Pro, Cabelas, Academy etc. they'll concentrate on something they are more competitive in like the ball sports. Our local store he said happens to be in the top 10 nationwide for fishing supplies out of their 700+ stores. Anyhow, this is what mine looks like, what does yours look like?

 

 

Mine does not look like that. The local wal mart has almost as much gear as my nearest DSG. Luckily we have a scheels right down the road that does pretty good.

Every DSG around here is loaded with fishing gear.

7 minutes ago, Brett's_daddy said:

I was at my local DSG the other day and asked one of the managers if I could take some pictures to share with you guys.

 

Our one DSG is about the same - with the difference being the rods are on floor-display racks instead of atop aisle rows.

 

Locally from DSG we got a Cabelas about 30-35 minutes, a Scheels about 15-20 minutes, a SW about 35-40 minutes and a Joe's about 25-30 minutes.

 

So maybe it's not about proximity to other shops...

I have two, one is half that and the other is similar but spread over a larger area.

There's one out on Johnson Creek and 82nd in Portland that last time I was in there had 0 hunting/fishing goods, it was almost entirely devoted to team sports goods, clothing, and fitness, not sure if they were just out of stock or if that store didn't carry any of it, but it's had the effect of my overlooking Dick's as a viable option more often than not if I'm looking for tackle 

Every DSG I’ve been in in Oregon or Washington had little to justify going back.

14 minutes ago, Michigander said:

I have two, one is half that and the other is similar but spread over a larger area.

I couldn’t get the entire fishing section in my pics so it’s actually spread out much farther than the pics make it look like...it’s actually pretty impressive selection for a store that doesn’t specialize in just hunting and fishing.

DSGs in my area have zero fishing items. He have Cabelas, BP, Scheels and Academy.

Most here are pretty good, but the one connected to F&S is great. Huge fishing section. JDM baits, St, Croix, Dobyns, Loomis, Daiwa Tatula ,etc, rods. Great terminal tackle section. The top salesman in this section is a hardcore freshwater fisherman. Lots of goodies.

Take your picture, and then remove ALL of the fishing items in it. That's what they look like here. I can drive 30 minutes to one with fishing gear, but I can drive 15 minutes to BPS, Academy, or Scheel's instead.

Mine looks like if 7-11 had a fishing aisle.

zilch .

Dick's in Tulsa got rid of the fishing department.  

The closest dick's is about an hour and a half from me. I guess I could get to one by driving an hour and a half in almost any direction. There used to be one in a mall not far away but they didn't have anything and the mall is being torn down. Needless to say, I will never drive an hour and a half to get to one

 

 

The DSG in Freehold is loaded with fishing gear, the one in Brick and W Long Branch is a little less stocked. All three are less then 20 minutes from me. But always seem to be out of stock for what I am looking for.

Consider yourself lucky. In my area they are not that great. There are a few sort of close by. But if they closed them down and merged the fishing dept. down to just one it would be pretty decent. I think I mentioned in previous post, if you were going crankbait shopping and had a variety of the same bait you wanted. You would have to hit 4 stores to get them all. No two stores stock the same/all baits. I’m not about driving all over, seem like a waste of time. But yours looks decent. 

DSG has a multi faceted, regional marketing approach. Some stores have little to no fishing and other outdoors items, while others have either a large section or a dedicated "lodge". Don't forget they also own Field & Stream, which in essence acts as a stand alone lodge. And finally, in some markets it just doesn't make sense to dedicate valuable floor space to low volume low margin items, no matter the category. I don't wish sporting goods retailing on my worst enemy. 

My local DSG has an ok fishing section, not awful, not great.

There are 3 DSG near me . 2 carry fishing stuff and one doesn’t 

Ours looks half that good in season. During winter they fill it with hunting stuff. Academy blows them away. But I still hit them up occasionally while the wife/daughter are in Ulta because they always have stuff on clearance. It looks like their purchaser knows nothing about the local fish species. They also stock a ton of the latest gimmick lures like the bat.

Sorry couldn't resist ?

 

 

The Dicks in my area has very little fishing gear. I quit going there over a year ago. Now, Academy is where I get most of my stuff.

I'm glad you included " Sporting Goods " in the title .

There are two somewhat nearby me.  The one I normally frequent was loaded with fishing gear as the OP indicated in mid January.  And I mean loaded.  DSG doesn't have a "massive" selection of fishing gear or tackle but they were full of whatever they had, including some lures that were hard to find last season.  Whether it stays like that, I don't know.  I don't know if they're full of stock because its winter and there's minimal demand or if supply has simply caught up from issues last season.

1 hour ago, BassWhole! said:

DSG has a multi faceted, regional marketing approach. Some stores have little to no fishing and other outdoors items, while others have either a large section or a dedicated "lodge". Don't forget they also own Field & Stream, which in essence acts as a stand alone lodge. And finally, in some markets it just doesn't make sense to dedicate valuable floor space to low volume low margin items, no matter the category. I don't wish sporting goods retailing on my worst enemy. 

My local DSG has an ok fishing section, not awful, not great.

I just find all these places too frustrating to go to. At least in my area. If the truth be know they are probably ok. But when I want something fishing related I’m generally after something specific. And admittedly I’m anal. If I’m after a Red Eyed Shad that Gold w/ black back and one that’s DB Craw, that’s what I want. I’m not walking out with one that is Sexy Shad and one that’s Delta Craw. Same hold true with Rapala and Zoom products. It’s in my best interest to not depend on that place. BUT it’s not like there is nothing there that catches my eye or curiosity. Back some weeks ago I was through there while the wife was at underwear store and a pack of Googan Krackin Craws in Natural color caught my eye, feel real good about the results on it. So after milling around for 45 min. and all I’m doing is walking out with is a pack of Krackin Craws and a pack of green Carolina rig beads, something ain’t quite right.