Erie Bait

poor richards is your best bet for minnows. other than that any shop will work. Bac is located just above the peninsula

Bhines....your correct just misinformed. BAC will definitely count your minnows shamelessly. If you pay for a dozen you get a dozen. Poor richards will give you a "scoop".

However, the prices on any other bait, spoon, hook, bobber is comparable. BAC is a great shop for hard to find items. They also have a great bargain bin in the back.  Great for everything EXCEPT minnows.

Don't be so quick to trash a shop over minnow prices, he been there almost 35 years. He's doing something right.

I know some locals that drive out their way and waste the extra 1-2 bucks in gas to avoid bac.  Doesn't seem logical, but they felt they have been burned too many times.   

Really should not be so hard on the guys at BAC. They are nice people and are always happy to give you a good report on what going on in the bay as far as fishing goes. I rarely get minnows but when i do i get them at BAC and they last all day for me which is more important to me than getting a few more.

i have been fishing the area for a while and have tried several bait shops all around. the people at BAC have never NOT counted my minnows, and when asked about their practice of counting, i was given and attitude, so i stopped going there. a "dozen" minnows is a relative term...im not buying eggs. if you are a friend of the people working at BAC then i am sure you are getting good deals on bait and accurate reports....but for the people not familiar to the workers at BAC, spend the extra buck or two on gas and easily save that much not having to buy extra "dozens" to get you through your fishing day. my favorite shop is presque isle angler located at state & bayfront....minnows cheaper per "dozen" and you get more in your "dozen" with a great attitude from the workers.

i wish i can get a few extra bottles of beer from my friendly beer dist. when i buy a case!

Okay heres the bottom line:

PI Angler "Emerald Shiner dozen" = 24+ MINNOWS for $2.50
BAC "Emerald Shiner dozen" = 12 MINNOWS for $3.00

These are FACTS.

beerman...if you want 12 minnows for $3 when you can get more for your money then go right ahead. i, and about 250 million americans, look for the BEST DEAL. its the AMERICAN WAY. all this thread was started for was to awnser a simple question about bait shops so enjoy your dozen(12) for $3 from BAC when you can get a "dozen" (20-30) for $2.50 elsewhere.

I don't begrudge anyone for looking for the most value, I do it all the time. In fact, if you don't you are just plain wasting money. But that is different from waht people are saying on this thread.

1. "I got 2 dozen minnows, and when I only got 24, I questioned the low count. The count is not low, it's 24.

2. IMO a "dozen" is based more on weight. Wrong, a dozen is, was, and always will be 12. Lots of business buy their inventory in differnt units from which they sell to customers, how the bait store buys it's bait is irrelevant.

That being said, I don't blame people for going elsewhere, I would too, just don't make it sound like this place is ripping people off, cause they are not. I don't even know anything about the bait store in question, it just seems to me that a lot people what something for nothing.

Imagine its quitting time at your job. Your boss says, "Hey at the company across the street, the guys work 10 hours, so stay for two more for the same price." I can only guess where you guys would tell him to stick it!!! LOL

maybe catch your own? creeks are loaded at the mouths on the east side tribs with them. I go to any creek around there in my waders and get 5 dozen in 5 mins

It's his business what he charges for a DOZEN (That's 12...) minnows. You can call it greedy if you want...dishonest? No. I would argue that it's unwise from a marketing/business perspective. It's YOUR business where you get your minnows. I'm always amazed at people that expect more than what they paid for. If I purchased minnows from BAC and I noticed that I could get a better value from the guy a few miles down the road, then I'd have to decide if it was worth the extra drive to get minnows at the other place next time. I wouldn't argue with the owner or employee at BAC (unless I thought I DIDN'T get the amount I paid for), what's the point in that?

We're talking about purchasing a couple dozen minnows guys...not stereo equipment or boats.

The only solution for this is buy more than you'll need when you go to the baitshop thats out of the way. That way you save time on your next trip out. That is, if your bait survives. Everybody has their opinions here. I dont understand some but i respect everyones right to one.

when a shop owner tells me to go elsewhere if i don't like what i'm getting from him, that's exactly what i do. haven't been to BAC in years and will never go back. they can stick their attitude up their dupas. all the other bait shops are more than generous with their minnie counts (love the old guy at the East Ave. marina). can understand the low counts as the summer wanes on and the minnies are going deeper and are harder to get to, but not in the spring and early summer. i'm not looking for something for nothing, just liked the customer service and the need NOT to make the biggest buck off of your customers if it keeps them returning. customer satifaction and loyalty need not become a thing of the past in this industry too. the old bait shops were like the old general stores of eons ago: a place to buy what you needed, get info, congregate and just shoot the bull, AND NOT GET RIPPED OFF! Ahhh Smitty's!!!!!! i'd like to know the ages of the posters here who thinks a "dozen" minnies is the actual counting out of 12 baitfish. willing to bet they're younger and used to these kind of changes in the american marketplace. old timers like myself tho know a dozen minnies is always a healthy scoop.

This is by far the biggest collection of greedy whiners I have ever seen. Any of you that complained about BAC have bigger problems than math. If I owned the store, I would ask you to shop elsewhere as well. Dude don't need your minnie money, or your hassles, believe it.

All of You should be ashamed, what an "expectant" group of people. That's my last comment on it, whine away

Sure do miss the days of the Bait Pond up at Chautauqua.
used to buy them by the scoop for $2. 3 dozen minimum.
If you were a regular you got even more..
Was getting bait for the Canadohta derby once and asked for 3 scoops, There was more bait there than you could keep alive in a 5 gallon bucket...

Only time I have ever had my bait counted was at the shop on Dobbins landing many years ago.
7 of us were going to hit PI that day and stopped in there for bait.
We spent well over $100 between the 7 of us.
I asked for 5 dozen minnows not realizing they were going to be counted (as this had never happened before).

As he was counting the minnows I repeatedly asked him for the larger minnows as that was the bait we desired, he kept telling me I did not want the large ones and kept counting out the smallest minnies in the tank, giving me more attitude as his counting progressed. Not what I wanted or asked for..If you can pick out the small ones you can just as easily pick out the larger size.

He was lucky we had two young boys with us, this kept me from arguing with him over the deal.
He was dam lucky I didn't trip on the way out of his store and spill my 5 dozen mini minnies on his shop floor. Was the last time I ever set foot in his establishment...
Mind you this was before any of the restrictions were put on bait and the prices rose.

I have bought a lot of bait over the years and very seldom are they counted to the exact number.
So I choose to frequent the places that are a little more generous with their "dozen" minnies.