Live Bait

We carry a wide range of live bait from minnows to nightcrawlers to pretty much everything in between.  Our live bait selections include the following:

Fatheads
(Pimephales promelas)

Fatheads are the most popular and universal of baitfish and are commonly used as forage for game fish. The fathead minnow is a fresh water fish, native to most states. They generally reach 2 to 3 inches in length and have a life span of two to three years. Fathead minnows are sometimes called "tuffy", "ruby red", or "blackhead." They come in two different colors, black and rosy red (orange). Fatheads feed on small organic organisms, and their maximum length seldom exceed three inches in size thus making them one of the best forage fish available for bass, bluegill, walleye, and crappie to feed on. Spawning begins when the water temperature reaches 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit and repeats monthly until water cools down in the fall.

Redtails
(Nocomis biggatus)
The hornyhead chub, also known as the redtail chub, is olive brown on the back, silvery on the sides, and creamy below. At the base of the tail, which is red, young fish have a distinct spot. This spot becomes less distinct with age. Adult males reach a length of about 6 to 9 inches (females are smaller). Spawning occurs from late May through June. The hornyhead feeds primarily on insect larvae, but eats other small animals, such as earthworms and crustaceans; some algae is also eaten. It is used occasionally as a bait fish.

Creek Chubs
(Semotilus atromaculatus)

Creek chubs are a main larval item for many predators, such as walleyes, brown trout, northern pike, largemouth bass, and smallmouth bass. Because they often school in lakes, loons, kingfishers, and mergansers also commonly eat them. Little creek chubs even have to watch out for bigger creek chubs. The creek chub is one of the "Big Three" native Minnesota minnows (the other two are common shiner and hornyhead chub). Males sometimes attain lengths of 250-300 mm (10-12 in) and weigh up to 340 g (12 oz). Females reach 175-200 mm (about 7-8 in) and 225-285 g (about 8-10 oz). Creek chubs can live for 7-8 years although few make it past 5.

Central Mudminnow
(Umbra limi)

The upper part of the body is olive-brown in color, mottled throughout, with up to 14 indistinct brown vertical bars on the sides and a prominent dark vertical bar located at the base of the tail. The belly is yellow to white and fins are brownish, large scales, and they can tolerate low oxygen levels. Central Mudminnows occur in quiet areas of streams, sloughs, swamps and other wetlands over mud and debris and often found in dense vegetation. They tolerate low oxygen levels and extreme water temperatures.

Canadian Nightcrawlers
(Lumbricus terrestris)

Sometimes referred to as dew worms, are arguably the worlds most popular live bait for fresh water fishing. There is hardly a fisherman in North America who has not used these large lively worms as fishing bait. Canadian nightcrawlers are collected in farms and fields during rainy, cool nights since they cannot be commercially grown. The best quality Canadian nightcrawlers are only available in a geographically small area in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is the combination of proper soil quality and favorable weather conditions that make this area uniquely ideal for the proper growth of the nightcrawlers.

Leeches

Leeches are the most plentiful of all the baits. They can be left in a container of water for a long time without food. Walleyes love leeches almost all year round and they are classified as universal bait for walleyes. Fish eat many types of leeches, but only the ribbon leech is widely used as bait.  The color of a ribbon leeches varies from pure black to light brown and some have a brown or olive background with many black spots. Leeches are easy to keep alive. They are not as sensitive to temperature changes as minnows, and they require relatively little oxygen. Leeches can be kept alive until fall, even without food, but they should be allowed to clean themselves. Anglers can keep the bait "cleaner" by rinsing the leeches on a daily basis and storing them in fresh, clean water in a cool place. The summer is the best time to fish with leeches; by mid-summer most of the adult leeches have deposited cocoons and die off. Also, in the summer time the leech will wiggle more below a bobber than a worm. When drifting or trolling, anglers will catch suspended walleyes on floating jigheads and slip sinker rigs.