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Bait shortage continues to batter Minnesota’s fishing industry

Tutt’s Bait & Tackle on Lake Mille Lacs ran out of shiners at the start of 2025 and halfway through Minnesota’s first good ice-fishing season in recent years. (Photo by Natalie Ryder)

Again, this year, many bait and tackle shops’ shiner supplies dried up early in the Minnesota ice-fishing season.
“It was kind of a rough winter. There wasn’t much for shiners after the end of January. I think the state, they could have sold another 5,000 gallons of shiners if they’d had them,” said Bill Powell, owner of Fred’s Bait & Tackle in Deer River.
Being in the industry for a long time, shortages aren’t anything new and have been getting worse for certain areas of Minnesota.

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