BP and Cabela's branded equipment

[tailwaters]

This is more of a curiosity question than anything else. A few days ago I received a Bass Pro catalog in the mail. The first several pages of products are their own branded reels. When you get to the rod section, same thing. I’m sure you all get these same catalogs and know what I’m referring to. My questions is; have any of you ever purchased/used one and if so how did you like it? Be it rod, reel or even fly tackle under there “White River” brand.

BTW I’m not looking to buy one, just curios if you were happy with the item or not.

They also have a verity of lures, pliers and other products too. Are they any good?

[SHOWBOAT]

use to, and might still, own some BPS inshore extreme rods. I think they probably came as a combo with the old style Penn SS reels. They were very nice for the money. No longer in my daily arsenal, but wouldn't hesitate to throw one.

[silverking]

BPS and Cabelas do not have their own manufacturing capabilities for tackle. They buy from established companies, mainly in China, who produce gear for them as private label brands. Like anything, the more you spend the better the quality, typically. For example, the cheaper reels do not have as many bearings and aren't quite as smooth. Like Showman, I've used the Inshore Extreme rods and they worked well. I've also owned the Offshore Angler brand of fly reels and rods and they were good quality, especially for the price.

The lures and tools are mass-produced knock-offs. They'll get the job done, but they may not have the same caliber of terminal connections or precision as the more established, mainstream brands. Again, it's a matter of budget and personal preference.

My biggest complaint with some of the rods is the action always seems to be overly stiff. Not the best for finesse/light-tackle situations. But I prefer much lighter line and lures than the average coastal angler. I also felt that gear and clothing-wise, Cabelas had the slight edge in terms of quality and durability over BPS, pre-merger.

[dombern34]

Its been a long time since I've own a rod other than my own but, with that said I always pick up other rods in various stores just to look at them. I like to look for the quality and the design from other manufactures. BPS and Cabela branded rods and reels are nice items but BPS/Cabelas don't have a manufacture somewhere spitting these items out so keep that in mind, these items are made overseas. this doesn't mean their quality is poor but Mr. Morris is buying items in bulk. the more you buy, the cheaper the price point and the wider the profit margins will be. there are only three things that control a price on a rod. (I can't speak for reels)

1.) is the blank
2.) guide/frame material
3.) the name

at the end of the day cork is cork, foam is foam, and graphite reel seats are just reel seats. even if you go with the very best quality parts, those items are the cheapest on a rod. the same EVA grip that's on a 19.99 ugly stick is the exact same EVA on a 400-500 dollar Daiwa Steez rod.


you get what you pay for. I'm not saying you have to spend $200 plus on a rod to have anything nice but, don't buy a 39.99 rod and expect the same performance.


now on the lures, I've got a bunch of their in house brand lures and they work great, just upgrade the hooks.

[eightwt]

I have. Bass Pro 10wt 7.5' Heat fly rod I bought used with a Remington reel. Doesn't throw too bad of a line. Also some random fly tying materials which are all right. I believe their fly lines are made by one of the major fly line companies and branded under Cabelas. Imagine a lot of their stuff is similarly done that way.

[GusMccrae]

While my findings would not be admissible in court, BPS fishing reels are made by a Korean company called DOYO. DOYO makes reels for many other manufactures including Lews and Pure Fishing (owns Mitchell, Abu, and a whole bunch more). So while Abu doesn't make BPS, you should be able to see similarities between an Abu and and a BPS reel.
Basically, Shimano and Diawa make their own stuff (not sure about entry level Diawa). Penn, I don't know about. Most everything else (other than aforementioned custom rods), is conglomerate imported goods that are branded differently, with possibly different features and quality tolerances/parts.

[silverking]

Newell Brands, the parent company of Pure Fishing, is in the process of selling the PF group to a private equity firm that specializes in consumer products.

In addition to the brands you mentioned Gus, Penn is also part of the group, along with All Star, Ugly Stick, Shakespeare, Fenwick, Pflueger and others. Not positive, but I believe Van Staal is also an affiliated brand.

[doomtrpr_z71]

Most BPS baitcasting stuff is doyo who makes all low profile Abu Garcia's and Lews which are the same except for spool bearings. The Chinese made stuff is usually Silstar, Cabelas used to have reels made by daiwa. The worthless plastic daiwas are banax if I remember correctly which also makes 13 fishing's reels. If you want a cheap reel buy a diawa fuego off ebay for $69 and throw $15 worth of RC car bearings in it and be done with it, most OEM reels leave much to be desired in my eyes.

[FishnTim]

I have used one of their Gold Cup rods for several years as a kayak/backup rod and it has held up surprisingly well for a $50 rod. I also have an Inshore Extreme Rod that I like for chunking larger lures. They are both a bit heavy for all day casting, but durable.

[GusMccrae]

I’ve fished numerous Mitchell Avocets. I love them for the money, but primarily use them in freshwater on bass less than 3-4 pounds. Very smooth. But they are not going to give the same service as a shimano. Of course, I can buy five of them for same price. A buddy of mine “splurged” and bought the nicer Avocet. First trip to St Johns he lost it in river. He was depressed because the rig cost about $70. I told him “I’ve seen you lose more than that on one hand of poker.” Once in perspective, he felt better lol.

[guthooked]

Newell Brands, the parent company of Pure Fishing, is in the process of selling the PF group to a private equity firm that specializes in consumer products.

In addition to the brands you mentioned Gus, Penn is also part of the group, along with All Star, Ugly Stick, Shakespeare, Fenwick, Pflueger and others. Not positive, but I believe Van Staal is also an affiliated brand.

Van Staal is owned by Zebco, Quantum, Finnor.

[BloodyChamp]

I just lost an EBay auction for an unused black Diawa Triforce, the greatest cheap baitcaster ever made. It was the easiest to learn on or perfect your game (like how many people could use baitcasters with heavy baits, but light plastic worm rigs needed more practice) and it was the smoothest running reel ever imo. Even better than today’s greatest. The catch was that 1 piece of sand could jack it up, and we all know what always happened to the Diawa line gear. I was slightly brokenhearted but soon after I got 2 good looking used Rhino baitcasters, and 1 of them was the rare upgraded 1 that came just before the quit making them.