Show Fish Bait Industry Now Becomes Big Business Business' A little boy who got nickels and an idea digging worms for his fa fathers father's fathers father's fathers father's fa- fa ther's fishing holiday probably is founder of today's new big business busi busi- ness the ness the bait industry Thousands of fishermen with no notime notime notime time and others with no inclination to catch their own bait have created created created creat creat- ed a demand for a business involving involving involving ing thousands of bait catchers wholesalers retailers and ext extensive hatching properties Like other more tU OS ilC businesses businesses businesses busi busi- nesses the bait industry is modernized modernized modernized mod mod- to satisfy with super service service service ice extensive varied stocks and speed high-speed streamlined delivery Minnows sh shiners ners silver or gold worms perch bugs bass bugs crawfish and frogs are packed by bythe bythe the dozen into attractive cartons and delivered almost to the anglers angler's hook or sold over the counter The precincts are unbounded bait stores are found in city shopping shopping shopping shop shop- ping districts and along the nations' nations highways hard by nearly all well- well populated fishing spots On the Great Lakes minnows are arc frequently frequent frequent- ly sold side boat-side from barges anchored anchored anchored an an- off ofT shore No No accurate estimates have been made of the bait industry's size Some dealers place total annual business at or more Hatch Hatch- ing mg properties and leased swampland swampland swamp swamp- I land is estimated at several hundred I thousand dollars additional I Eben Hi of Rensselaer N. N Y is representative of the nations nation's nations nation's nations nation's na na- na- na tion's fresh water bait sellers Located Located Lo Lo- Gated in the upper Hudson valley his clients are mainly Albany Troy and Schenectady fishermen bound for Adirondacks and Catskill lakes and streams selects minnows from large showcase tanks but only lively ones Logy minnows are thrown out Crawfish are chosen from big hatching vats for individual ual requirements and perch bugs are pinched at the tails If they squirm rm they are used The bugs are stored in refrigerators His plant consists besides cellar celIar minnow and crawfish tanks boxes for earthworms and four breeding ponds Two are for minnows and two for perch bugs Running well water is used in the tanks in preference preference pre pre- to city water From the store estimated ed last years year's sales at minnows minnows minnows min min- worms crawfish crawfish craw craw- fish or dobson and perch bugs he- he hebe believed believed be be- the worm estimate low however however how now ever for he said one man alone bought |