Visit to Outdoor Pro Shop and Monster Tackle.com

Interview & Event Article:

Talking Monster Tackle with Outdoor Pro Shop (continued)

Zander: Is there a particular area of tackle that you feel you specialize in?

Pat: "As much as we'd like to think we are experts in certain areas of fishing, in particular bass fishing, the truth is nobody really understands all of it or even most of it. That's why we work with so many pros, guides and other avid anglers out there. These guys keep us in tune with what we need to be stocking and why. They even offer us many tips and technique based stuff on how to use the tackle to be successful."

Inside the long range room everything you need to get outfitted for serious big game, we only hope that Monster will one day carry all these offerings as well as bass tackle

"Another very important component to what we do is made possible by our relationships with the manufacturers. Our customers and future customers want the latest and greatest rods, reels, tackle and accessories on the market and the manufacturers keep us posted on what they are about to release and even get us early looks at the product so we can get it in the store early and at the standard price. When it all comes down to it, we just want to be able to offer our customers the products they want at the very earliest date they can get it and for a fair price."

Saltwater reels to pair up the long range rods

"Outdoor Pro Shop does have a few areas that we excel in. We take great pride in our Steelhead department, in terms of stock, color choices, the latest and greatest, on the water knowledge. We take that growing fishery very seriously. In terms of a Steelhead shop we have not seen too many better at what we do than us. We take that same effort into all of our species and I would put up our knowledge, product selection, inventory levels with anyone in the country. We are not as large as a Bass Pro Shops but we have more of the right tackle and the employees available to show you how to use it."

Alex Christianson shows us the store's massive steelhead tackle selection, there are more patterns and colors here then we have ever seen, all in one place

"Over the past 3 years we have responded to the growing interest in the bass swimbait market. We have tried very hard to stay out front of the demand, but with so many small swimbait makers especially in CA not every shop can even get every lure. So far we have been well thought of in the industry that manufactures want their product in our stores and now online. We have brought to the market many exclusive baits first and in some cases the only one."

Just how many colors of yarn are there?

Zander: One final question, so what can consumers expect out of OPS and Monster in the future?

Pat: "Wow, we've really only got a small part of what we envision for this website. Right now we are focused on bass fishing, but we'll cover dozens of species of fish before its all said and done. Our retail stores stock tackle for inshore and offshore saltwater fishing, steelhead, salmon, trout, Sturgeon, pan fish, catfish, bass and many more species of fish. Soon, our website(s) will have all of that as well."

OPS also has a well stocked fly department

"In the future we will have a comprehensive website that is species specific. As the technology grows and anglers become more technical with their gear we feel that a angler will be looking for a more personal online experience. Complete with species specific only articles, gear, how to videos, the entire experience."

Joshua Tatum the store's fly expert tells us about the different rods they carry

"We feel that we can offer the world a unique take on each species. We are always amazed to the different techniques that we see from all over the country. Striped bass is a perfect example, same species all over the country but no one in Maine fishes like our Delta guys, or throws the same plugs like our surf guys off San Francisco. So our website can widen our customer base to new ideas and techniques that are not being used right now. Thankfully we at times can get feedback from our customers so that we can learn something new from across the country."

There is also plenty of clothing including waders and vests from Simms

"One thing to keep in mind is that we aren't only going to be an online tackle shop. We are going to be more of a portal for fisherman offering them in depth information on how to catch more and better fish, the ability to interact with each other on our forums, and so much more that we can't get into right now... we can't give away all the secrets just yet!"

Pat on the ordering system. If there is ever a product that is not online anglers can call in to the store and place an order. The company routinely special orders hard to find tackle for customers

"A lot of the instructional stuff will be done by publishing articles by the pros or by us, instructional videos and more. Selling someone a bait is great, but selling someone a bait and giving them the knowledge to go out and use that bait successfully brings them back to the store for more. It's really a win-win situation but, it’s a long process and we hope everyone can start to see where we are headed soon."

OPS is an expert in the region and their staffers try their best to put anglers on fish, they have a great assortment of regional maps and information

We wrapped up the interview and thanked Pat and the team at OPS and before we left the store we decided to do some shopping to load up on supplies, as well as a number of brand new crankbait rods (hint, hint).

There was plenty of tackle in the store that caught our attention, and Cal couldn't help but load up for the coming season

Conclusion: The team at OPS and Monster were gracious hosts, and it quickly became clear that the same passion for fishing that Ken Elie demonstrated when he told us stories of his recent fishing trips at the Las Vegas McCarran Airport is an ardor that is shared by his son Pat and every member of the store's staff. With deep roots in retail the team at OPS have now introduced Monsterbasstackle.com with a goal to reach anglers outside of the region, and offer them local techniques, bass tackle, and some exclusive products/patterns. The team has plans to expand the website to reflect all the different product categories they carry in their retail store, and we hope they do so soon as they certainly have plenty to offer outside of just bass tackle.

Interested in seeing what Outdoor Pro Shop has to offer, visit Monsterbasstackle.com