New Bass Proshop

A new Bass Pro shop in our area had it's grand opening last night. They had celebrities including sports figures [who shall remain nameless due to wide spread vilification in the press]. My boys were really excited to get autographs from said sports starts. I was excited to browse the store merchandise and check out their famous fish tanks.
So we made the hour drive and waited close to 2 hours to get in.
Well, we saw some of our favorite sports heros at close range but the autograph thing didn't work out. Don't ask.
The crowd was breathtaking. I mean I couldn't breath. Shopping was out of the question. You would have needed the offensive lineman to clear the aisle for you, but he left early.
The last hope to salvage the trip was gonna be the fish tanks. Make that TANK, singular. There was only one. A nice little indoor brook cascaded over a waterfall into a large viewing tank where pretty much every single gamefish [plus suckers and carp?] found in New England was crammed together. It was interesting to observe the variation in adaptation to tank life.
The trout and salmon, obviously from a long line of concrete inhabiting bloodlines, were pretty well adjusted and impresive looking. The exception was one unknown trout [I only had a head on view] which lay on the bottom apparently gasping its last breaths.
Likewise the largemouth bass seemed very relaxed, were in good physical shape and were pleasent to watch. They gave the impression [at least to this experienced tank watcher] of fish that were comfortable and thriving.
Yellow perch and pumpkinseeds were also pretty comfortable looking. Calmly cruising in schools, bright in color and healthy looking.
A small school of huge crappie hungout in a tight bunch under a ledge looking pretty relaxed.
A few bowfin lounged here and there and some channel cats cruised about. They seemed pretty happy.
After those, the rest of the species looked less happy.
The single smallmouth bass paced nervously and was very pale and washed out looking. He was much smaller than I thought reasonable given some of his tankmates. That and the total lack of cover may have been the source of his stress.
Also suffering from the lack of cover were the pickeral and pike. They were quite beatup looking with sores and patches of slime coat disruptions that didn't bode well for their long term success in captivity. One of the pike was quite large considering how small some of the tank mates were.
The pike was probably responsible for the half dead sucker laying on the bottom with large lacerations on both sides of its body and some guts visably hanging out.
The other suckers and the carp hovered several feet above the bottom which I found odd. The only fish actually on the bottom were the dying trout and sucker mentioned.
The most numerous species in the tank were white perch. I've always liked catching and eating these guys and often wondered if they'd make good captives. I'd have to say, not after seeing these guys. They paced nervously back and forth across the front glass [a habit I despise in a captive] and every single one was hollow bellied. I found this odd as most of the other fish looked well fed.
Probably the sadest looking fish of all was the lone walleye. Somebody in the tank had apparently singled him out for aggression. He had the classic look of a beaten fish at the losing end of a powerstruggle. I doubt he'd live long. I don't have any experience with these fish but think of them as a schooling species. Maybe being a loner made him vulnerable.
All and all not what I expected given the reputation of the store. I'm sure some of the husbandry issues were growing pains.
I do plan on returning when there's a little room to move around. Most likely by then their fish keeper will have worked out the bugs and only those species and individuals suitable for captivity will be left.

That's been my experience with every BPS I've been to, about 4 or 5 now. It's a tank, with some rocks, maybe some sparse cover, with way too many fish, and people who don't know a thing about them. Sure it's great to see a big fish or something "odd", but I'm quite surprised by how many people here who think they are the greatest show on earth. They aren't exactly in it to be an aquarium that people come to visit. I've seen better displays in small restaraunts and doctors offices.

It was an insane size crowd gathering for the opening. Mikez you couldn't have stated the whole event any better. I'm just glad no one screamed "FIRE"! The worse part was the let down by the tank. Yeah ,,, I saw the same poor trout gasping for life and numerous emaciated fish. I only can compare it against Cabela's in York PA. Now that was an impressive aquarium! This more resembled a pool over stuffed with fish. There was some molded in ledges and features, but no color or slight resemblance to nature. No wonder why there were some anxious fish! I didn't even see shiners. I would think they would at least start off with them, it would give the weaker fish a chance not to get chased, picked on or torn apart like that little sucker. I will say some of the stream and small pool setup's were nice. Anyhow, for me living only 10 minutes away I'm sure I'll be back a bunch of times for gear, just not the fish tank! But yes ashtonmj this idiot(me) did go there to see the tank When you look at a huge crowd of people and only see nascar and camo color clothing, you know the folks here could care less about native fish.

The BassPro shop here in Auburn has a similar large tank, although While the 4 ft northerns looked sad, they didn't look sick. The trout and salmon looked really bored and pale though.

I think one of the coolest exhibits I've seen at an aquarium was in Seattle. They had a salmon tank that actually discharged to the Sound, and the salmon run back up it in the fall (not sure about a spring run or not).

http://www.historyli...fm?file_id=2186

...camo color clothing, you know the folks here could care less about native fish.

not all "rednecks" are ignorant, and hunters and fishermen are some of the most active conservationists out there. I am a white collar dipsh!t from central NY, I have camo, guns, guns, a couple guns and a NASCAR hat (got if free at NAPA, don't really care for the sport though).

be careful about generalizing, I bet more than a couple NASCAR fans have advice to give on this forum and feathers can get ruffled easily; on this here world wide web when no one has a face sarcasm quickly gets swept away by the currents (American Currents of course...)

The BassPro shop here in Auburn has a similar large tank, although While the 4 ft northerns looked sad, they didn't look sick. The trout and salmon looked really bored and pale though.

I have been to that one as well. They do have that large island structure in the middle of the tank that provides some cover. Some of the fish look like they're doing alright, others not so much. Last time I was there (March) many of them looked like they had some kind of skin problem, pale patches all over, they would contantly rub against the rocks.

Last week, I saw what looked like strip mining in Mobile, Alabama. I was told this is the site for a new BPS.

The aquarium at the Jackson, MS BPS is similarly uninspiring. I rarely even look at it. We have a medium/small public aquarium here which is dedicated to Mississippi's fishes, so I can go there if I want a fix.

The crowd was very well behaved for a bunch of NASCAR fans. Just kidding.
I mean kidding about the NASCAR part, they really were well behaved - at least while I was there. We got the heck out of there before word reached the 2000 people still in line for autographs that the guys they were there for had left.

We're lucky here in Ma that we have an excellent public aquarium in Boston. The one in Mystic Ct ain't half bad either.

Speaking of native fish displays. If in the Tupper Lake area of the Adirondacks NY check out the "Wild Center" it's set up quite nicely. There's an indoor pond with glass front that has Bass, Sunfish (Greens, Bluegills, Pumpkinseed and Redbreast), Catfish, Yellow Perch, Turtles even ducks. A northern Pike was segregated in one corner of the pond by a see through divider had some fathead minnow for snacks as well as some fatheads also protected by a divider. Then next was a huge tall tank with Lake trout, salmon and small sturgeon. smaller displays with native turtles, frogs salamanders and bugs. A series of simulated brooks holding various types of trout and several varying in the size of brook trout displayed. Otter display is always fun too. Lots of wildlife video displays.

The BassPro shop here in Auburn has a similar large tank, although While the 4 ft northerns looked sad, they didn't look sick. The trout and salmon looked really bored and pale though.

I think one of the coolest exhibits I've seen at an aquarium was in Seattle. They had a salmon tank that actually discharged to the Sound, and the salmon run back up it in the fall (not sure about a spring run or not).

http://www.historyli...fm?file_id=2186
not all "rednecks" are ignorant, and hunters and fishermen are some of the most active conservationists out there. I am a white collar dipsh!t from central NY, I have camo, guns, guns, a couple guns and a NASCAR hat (got if free at NAPA, don't really care for the sport though).

be careful about generalizing, I bet more than a couple NASCAR fans have advice to give on this forum and feathers can get ruffled easily; on this here world wide web when no one has a face sarcasm quickly gets swept away by the currents (American Currents of course...)

ok, ok, I apologize for generalizing nascar loving, camo wearing folk as being ignorant about native fish biology and preservation. I work with quite a few!! I guess my statement was a little ignorant also. There are many more intelligent folk on here than myself that come in many shapes, colors, creeds and religions. And gender,, sorry ladys. Didn't mean to offend ya'll. My humor is especially crude, I even bust on myself,,go figure

But Scotty what are you assuming about me? I hunt and fish. Half my family are down right "good ol boys" from Maine, the other half greenhorns straight off the boat from Cape Verde. I own many firearms myself but don't brag about it. I usually only wear my camo at camp or fishing. I have always respected your opinions and posts in the past and will continue to do so. But if you just need to threaten me in about blacklisting me on here in a reply do me a favor,, don't reply. Life is to short,,lighten up Francis!!!!! !!!!

Sorry dude. I gotta stop writing to the forum at work. hate my job and I turn in to an ass and write snippy little wisps like my sh!t don't stink. Wasn't bragging about guns, I was baiting Irate to invite me to the next scheduled Catfish Alliance meeting (p.s. Irate, I'll bring the whiskey). See what I mean about sarcasm getting lost on the internet . have a good weekend.

Son, we in the Catfish Alliance don't drink store-bought whiskey. Especially from New York! But if you think you can handle the action, consider yourself invited

Am I getting it right that there is a general opinion that BPS offend with the quality (or lack there-of) of their Natives tanks?

If you don't like it...don't shop there. Vote with your dollar!

Shoot, here in Tulsa Oklahoma Bass Pro Shops ran out "Okie-bug" the best damn fishing supply store ever... Jimmy Houston was the "in house" guide for many years before he gained fame in the Sport Fishing World. There was also a 16 or 20 foot long multiple thousand gallon native fish tank in this MOM and POP store! Okie-bug announced it would be going out of business the same exact day that BPS announced it had chosen Broken Arrow (a suburb of Tulsa) to put in its next store...This was NOT a coincidence. Okiebug knew they could not compete with the economy of scale that BPS has...

Economy of scale cannot compete with specialty stores. They could have adapted.

Economy of scale cannot compete with specialty stores. They could have adapted.

While there are certainly examples (specialty Salt and Cichlid ornamental fish stores come readily to mind) that support your opinion, I disagree in this particular instance.

How could a Mom & Pop fishing store possibly have specialized enough to out compete BPS? BPS has everything sport fishing related that a person could want...from hand tied flies and custom rods to boats and almost every commercially made lure or bait on the market. They also have guides, classes and great big fish tanks...Everything that Okie-Bug could have done or did do, BPS could do cheaper and bigger simply by economy of scale...

BPS' fly fishing assortment is CRAP. Now, when I think of a Mom and Pop fishing store, I think of what we call a "bait store" around here. In which case a high-end specialty shop won't do it. But fly fishermen will pay top dollar for quality supplies and gear. I don't know if Oklahoma is a big fly fishing state or not.

I've been to a lot of BPS stores, and also to a bunch of Cabela's stores, and it's painfully obvious which company has a clue and which doesn't when it comes to aquaria. The Cabela's stores have very nice, multiple tank setups with lots of fish in good shape. The BPS stores...don't. I'd like to blame it on "growing pains" or somesuch, but I can't. They never seem to improve.
What's worse, they have company policies in effect regarding their tanks, and these policies are dictated by a clueless wonder in Springfield who got his job by methods unknown which couldn't have involved his having any qualifications. That's harsh, maybe, but I've had run-ins with his stupid policies, you see, and it's the only conclusion I can draw.
The closest BPS store to me is in Destin, FL, and it is unusual in that it's tank is a saltwater one. In fact, it was their FIRST one. While the company biologist in Springfield doesn't know much about keeping freshwater fish, he REALLY don't know anything about keeping saltwater ones. When that store was being built, and for awhile ofter it opened, the store staff used to frequently come to the Gulfarium for assistance in keeping their tank from crashing and keeping their fish alive. They had constant problems, and we'd keep telling them the solutions to them. However, the problems persisted..and persisted...and persisted... until we just couldn't keep from finally asking what the were doing wrong. They said, basically, "well, gee, your advice sounds real good and all, but it's against our company policy so we cain't use it."
*sigh*
We gave up on them after a couple of attempts to explain to their higher-ups that their policies were no good, especially for saltwater tanks.
I went in there last year to see if things had gotten any better. They had, sort of.
Now they're building one in Mobile, eh? That'll probably be saltwater too. Oh goody.

Hey, Irate, MS used to have an aquarium in Meridian, but it closed down long ago. I didn't know that Jackson had one. I'll have to check it out someday, I guess.
I really want to build one here someday. "The Wiregrass Aquarium" has a nice sounding ring to it. ( this geographic area is known as "The Wiregrass" due to the unique species of grass which grows abundantly ) I figure I can build a decent facility for about 300K. That might as well be 300 million to a guy like me, but it would be nice.