I went home with my roommate for fall break this past weekend and I had been dying to go to Greentop ever since I heard about it so I convinced him to take me. All I can say is WOW. That place is awesome. If you guys ever go near Richmond, you should stop in. THey've got EVERYTHING. My favorite part is how many smaller and unique lure companies they carry. I saw a lot of products I hadn't seen in stores before, not even Bass Pro.

And if you go south of Richmond on Route 1, Jefferson Davis Highway, just south of Route 288, you can visit Castaways which has one of the largest selection of Zoom plastics.  Small store but they have a table and you can sit down and trade lies with the old guys.

Then, keep going south to the Southpark Mall area and visit Dance's.  Nicest people you will ever meet. Good selection of national and local baits.

Bring money!

tell me about it, I'm addicted to the G-top, I can't seem to leave there without spending a whole lot of $$$. Plus, like you said, they carry a lot of the smaller bait companies and harder to find stuff...which is also the reason why I still prefer Greentop over Gander Mountain.

for us richmond boys, G-top is the best, its the best tackle shop for finding what you need that ive ever been to, second to Bobcat's in Clarksville, and ive been to ALOT of tackle shops, and G-top blows the doors off of bass pro. ;D

I went up and checked out the new Gander Mtn last week, spent about 5 minutes in there, before i went to Green Top.  Basspro and Gander Mtn, don't really compare to Greentop.  Selection is much better, no noticeable price difference compared to big chains, customer service is top-notch.  As soon as you go by the counter in the fishing section, you have got 3 guys asking you if you need any help and their staff is extremely knowledgeable.  I ended up purchasing a new shimano clarus rod, a daiwa megaforce with the twitchin bar, and some soft plastics.  The daiwa megaforce is a steal for 60 dollars.  The thing casts a mile, and the twitchin bar is pretty cool.  As of now i really like it, we will have to see how it hold ups after a couple seasons of use.  

Armesjr,

Is that all you bought?

When do you want to go back to the secret ponds????

PM me and let me know.

I only get down to richmond once a year at Bassarama time, and Greentop is packed to the gills on those days.  It is a tight store to shop during that weekend, but I have been pretty happy going there.  During Bassarama they usually have cool give aways if you spend a certain amount.  Last winter I got two free spools of yo-zuri hybrid line, and a lure that I can't remember the name of.  The only thing they didn't have when I was in that I really wanted was some Megabass lures... one of the few brands they don't carry.

A few years ago I got braces and my orthodontist is in Richmond.  My appointment every month was on a Wednesday at 8:45AM.  On the way to work I would stop by Greentops and pickup something.  Ten dollars here, twenty dollars there and thirty dollars now and again.  My wife knew I would go to Greentops everytime.  They took my braces off last spring and now the appointments are every 4 months.  My supply of brushogs, hooks and senkos are getting low.  I need to make a trip to Greentops to stock up!

Greetops is a really sweet store. They have a way better selection then bass pro shops.

Green Top is awesome. I've bought most of my guns and a lot of my fishing tackle from them. If you bust a rod, they will ship it for you. In fact, they warrant the rods they sell for awhile and if you break one during the their warranty period, they will simply swap a new one with you.

Green Top is facing some stiff competition now. BPS will be opening in Richmond soon. Gander Mountain opened up just down the street. I hate to say it, but Gander Mountain is a fantastic store. I just bought one of their BIG green tackle bags to replace my old BPS bag. I bought one of there small ones, too, for my panfish stuff. They have a great selection of rods. Full service gunsmithing, too.

Nothing will beat the atmosphere of Green Top, though. I love pulling up when they have a bar-b-q going, or some other event. All their sales people are sportsman and can speak on your level, unlike many of the sales people at BPS or Gander Mountain. And like you said, they carry hard to find brands of baits.

Green Top deserves our business. I bought one of their decals, the bass with "Green Top" below it and have it on the back window of my truck. I recommend all fans of Green Top do that and give them a plug.

Every time I go to Norfolk I stop off been going there for years

The best way to discribe it is. "Take BPS and Gander Mountian, loose the BS. Stock only what counts, then you have Greentop." If your looking for only the good stuff, Greentop is all you'll need.

Gander Mountain will not provide competition for long if the Richmond store is anything like the store in Fredericksburg.  The store in Fredericksburg restocks seasonally.  If you see something you want, you better buy it right then or you will be out of luck the next time you go.  Greentops restocks a lot more often and is more likely to have what you want.  Greentops is price competitive as well.  

Bass Pro will probably affect Greentops more because they have a wider variety of lures.  Of course Greentops still sells Roboworms, Matt lures and other things that you just can't get at BPS.

Greentop needs to put up a sign on the interstate,  to capitalize on the traffic on 95 (We all know there is an absurd amount of it).  I do not recall ever seeing a sign(maybe i missed it), but i am pretty sure their is not one.  While they probably wont loose current customers to the new chains, they are just missing out on a ton of potential business.  I don't know, maybe they dont want every Tom, Dick, and Harry in the store.  They also could really do a much better job on their website.    

Gander Mountain will not provide competition for long if the Richmond store is anything like the store in Fredericksburg. The store in Fredericksburg restocks seasonally. If you see something you want, you better buy it right then or you will be out of luck the next time you go. Greentops restocks a lot more often and is more likely to have what you want. Greentops is price competitive as well.

Bass Pro will probably affect Greentops more because they have a wider variety of lures. Of course Greentops still sells Roboworms, Matt lures and other things that you just can't get at BPS.

The Gander Mtn in Ashland is MUCH better than the one in Fredericksburg. I don't know how they will stock but it is much nicer and larger and they have a WAY better firearms section.

I have to admit that I've bought a few rods from the Gander Mountain in Ashland.  They have a fine selection of All Stars.  

green top by far best personnel in richmond all fishing gear cheaper and thy will tell you stright up if you may be wasting time or money on somthing i went to bass pro bought a revo s and a abu garcia vendetta rod had in stung took the guy three times and about 30 min to get it straight total price was 200 plus tax next day went to green top bought same combo got it strung for free and talked to the clerk for about 20 min about good spots at chesdin and good baits to throw total cost 160 needless to say i took first combo back to bps cant beat green top. quality place with good prices . dances in colonial heights is ok i like there plastic baits line its a private sellers line i believe but got no help and prices are too high i priced the revo s there it was 140 ????? i bought same reel from greentop 99 not on sale need fishing stuff go to greentop !!!