Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Free fish?

My uncle called me last night and said he had seen an add in a Real Estate Mag for "free Fish" from "The Arkansas Fish Hatchery"... What do you guys know about this outfit. Must be a catch or hook here...no pun intended!

ROSS

If it is the same guy who ran an ad in the Fort Worth Star Telegram a couple of years ago, he's a crook. Sounds like the same guy but maybe not. It's a buy one and get one free. If it is the same guy, he tried to sell me 500 bass fingerlings for a one acre pond. He also wanted to fertilize my pond in March.

The guy your Uncle is reading about may be legitimate. It might not be the same guy. However, we all know there is no such thing as a free lunch. Reputable fish dealers have to make a fair profit.

Ross, the price of the fish you introduce into your pond are nothing compared to rewards and satisfaction you receive down the line. Do your homework, guys here know the good hatcheries that support us all...that's what this board is all about. We may squabble about fishing tactics and preferred fish...but when it comes to suppliers, the good ones are known here. We all have our own opinions and state them regularly ! Before you buy...ask here if there's a question.

The man is a convicted felon. He is a liar. Do not do business with him, he is dishonest. Period.

Ross :

Ask your self why would any body spend money to buy an add , and offer to drive hundreds of miles with high gas prices just to give you fish that someone had to put out the effort and time and cost to raise ? If it sounds to good it probably is!! ewest

Outside of BL's comment, I pretty well got the replies I expected and told my uncle as much at the time he called me. I was basically just interrested in what y'all knew about this "scam". Before I found PB, I bought off "the truck"... I'm an Overton's customer now.

Thanks for the replies!

ROSS

Good choice: Todd Overton has a good reputation. However, don't mistake the guys "from the truck" as being in the same game as the guy you mentioned. Most of those guys are honest and wouldn't sell fish during hot weather. It is up to the consumer to understand about hybrid blue gill, crappie, etc. They are in a darn tough business and most have lost their entire load of fish at one time or another.

The feed stores where the trucks sell wouldn't want their name associated with the guy you inquired about. By the time that guy finishes, you will have spent about twice as much $ as you would with a legitimate vendor. Not to mention the damage caused by the overstocking.

I have to disagree with you in a small way here. While it is a buyer beware world and being an educated consumer should be the rule of thumb...I have to look at my own business for comparison here. I have been in sales & consulting for 20 years...For the last 10, in a chemical business. I feel like my customers are my customers not because of the chemicals I can supply, but the knowledge I can supply. It is up to me to ask the questions, discover the customers needs, and supply/apply the necessary solution. The fact is, many of my customers are fairly uneducated in terms of what I do...and some do not desire to be educated. I feel it is my responsibilty not to take advantage of those customers. I can tell you for a fact, like every company, there are those whom I work with do not conduct themselves in this manner. Most of them make more money than I do...but that's Ok!
I believe that if you are in the business of supplying fish, it is your responsibilty to atleast make available common sense guidelines on fish stocking...or ask pertainent questions of the perspective buyer. Then if they want to put a bunch of crappie in their 1/4 acre lake its up to them.

Ross

PS...no I did not put crappie in a 1/4 acre lake.

While I won't temper my comments above, here's a more detailed answer to your first question, Ross.
I have personally confronted this man. He owns no hatchery, he owns no land. He owns a truck, pays cash for fish from several big fish farms who are intimidated by him. None accept his checks. I have recordings provided to me by clients who recorded his line of b.s. and lies on the phone. While I respect the fact that our clients deserve our knowledge and respect, this crook preys on unknowing people. In Texas, too many people still think fish, watermelons and pecans are free. And, his bait and switch techniques wreak havoc on unwitting landowners. I take great pride in giving solid advice to my clients and am repulsed by these kinds of people.
Not only are the fish not free, his bullying tactics often take people off guard and they are intimidated. While "caveat emptor" certainly comes into play, we do have an important role to properly educate consumers. But, those who don't see the need to be educated will be taken advantage of. Then, those professionals such as Todd and I get to deal with the aftermath.

Am I correct, Bob, that this is the "Free Fish" guy you wrote an article about once? I'm pretty sure I saw it posted previously at BassResource.com, although I could not find it there this A.M.

Bob, I really appreciate the info and your candor.

ROSS

Well said, Ross. I'm self employed and understand what you are getting at. However, there is a place for hybrid blue gills, crappie and other types of fish. However, they aren't for everyone.

Here is my point. I don't expect the GM dealer to recommend a Jeep or Hummer or? Nor do I expect the Dell dealer to tell me I'd be better off with Hewlett Packard. It's up to me to do my own shopping and determine my own goals. I don't expect the guy on the fish truck to figure out whether I know what I'm doing before he trades his fish for my $.

Regarding the guy who started this thread; I was almost one of his victims. I saw the free fish ad in the Fort Worth Star Telegram. I was going into an all day meeting and asked my brother to call. The guy convinced my brother that he was legit and my brother ordered the fish based on his recommendations (and my money). Luckily, I made a bunch of calls and found out that I was just about to make a big mistake. I called and cancelled the order. He cussed me over his cell phone and threatened me with a serious butt whipping but I couldn't pin him down about the date, time, and place.

The guy is a fraud who preys on new pond owners. Think about it. Who else would need fish? However, I know people like that exist and did my own checking. The results would have been disastrous.

BTW, I was recently unable to talk a neighbor out of stocking crappie in his one acre pond. His choice.

Theo, yes, I did. Don't remember which issue of PB, but it was two or three years ago. I honestly thought the guy would be gone by now. But, I guess there is enough of an uneducated market to allow him to jump from place to place and glean a few dollars from unwitting people.
Ross, I am extremely passionate about this business I have loved for 26 years. It pains me when someone is taken advantage of by a crook as blatant as this one. That's where the candor arises.
Dave Davidson has experienced the guy first hand. It bothered him enough to make a personal phone call to me about it.