;)Thank's For the WONDERFUL posting re; Jim's Bait in Nowata !!! It's been a long haul in getting it open , but thank's to ALL the positive feed-back , we plan on staying a LONG time !! Again " THANK YOU EVERYONE " : ) : )
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;)Thank's For the WONDERFUL posting re; Jim's Bait in Nowata !!! It's been a long haul in getting it open , but thank's to ALL the positive feed-back , we plan on staying a LONG time !! Again " THANK YOU EVERYONE " : ) : )
You're welcome! And welcome to the top Crappie fishing website there is. There is more info about Crappie fishing to be read in this forum than anywhere else in the world.Quote:
Originally Posted by bait101
OK! Ive missed something. Somebody update me on this. Its very close to my stomping grounds we might be able to trade stories sometime.Quote:
Originally Posted by bait101
Jim's Bait . We are located at 305 E. Cherokee in Nowata . 918-273-7485 !!
We only opened our door's a week ago yesterday and already it's been GREAT !! The best part of all this is meeting everyone and being able to help with whatever we can !! Come on down ,, We'll swap stories !! My coffee pot is ALWAYS on !!!!
Been there twice already. Awesome service, selection and competitive pricing. Even helped me carry stuff out to my boat. Open at 6 so that's a plus!
I most likely will be wholesaling minnows also and can meet or beat prices you are already paying have family in hospital gonna set me back a lil bit for now however
Hope everything goes well with your family member . I send you my prayers !Get in touch with me re; Bait when your ready !!! Thank's : )
Bait101 and Crappie George - Both of you do yourself AND your customers a favor. Treat your minnows. What the dickens am I talking about... treat your minnows?? Typically, when a minnow is seined out of the minnow growers rearing ponds they are dipped and handled 5 times before the bait shop(Bait101) receives the minnows. The sixth dipping is out of Crappie George's holding/transport tank and the 7th time is out of Bait101's tank to the end user....the customer. By this time the minnows have alot of their scales knocked off and are bruised which,due to overcrowding, causes stress and allows various fungi and bacterial infections to start growing on the minnows.
Case in point, I purchased 2 dozen 3" shiner minnows on 8/14/10 from an OKC bait shop. The same day or more specifically 2 hours later a minnow was acting funny and died. I was not able to go fishing that day and I put the minnows in a 55 gallon holding tank with aeration. Sunday morning I dipped a dozen dead ones out. Tonight I dipped the rest of the 3" shiners out. They were all dead. Last night I added 1 pound of rock salt and 1 1/2 tablespoons of oxytetracycline (antibiotic) to the water but it was too late the minnows were too far gone. Tonight I lost $8.00 worth of minnows. Never got to use them.
Bait sales are slow right now which is typical for late summer. It is too hot for most people to go out and fish. The bait shops have to hold this bait much longer and the water temps in the tanks are high. The higher water temps trigger the bacterial growth on the injured minnows which causes the ammonia level to rise in the tanks. When the ammonia is at or near a toxic level then we notice foam in the tank. The minnows slowly begin to die and the ammonia levels rise aided by the warm water and the exponential growth of the bacteria. The dissolved oxygen level drops because of the bacterial oxygen demand and the minnows die.
Ok, now what do I do? I want to develop a good reputation with my minnows so customers will speak highly about me and come back. Good bait means happy repeat customers:) Home Depot sells salt for a persons water softener which costs around $5.00 or so for a 50# bag. That is cheap. I would add at least 1 pound of salt per 200 gallons of water in the holding tank. Next I would add oxytetracycline, an antibiotic that is normally added to drinking water for chickens and turkeys. This can be found at a coop or feed store. It runs around $7.00 a bag. These 2 working together will kill your bacterial issues and promote healing/conditioning of the bait. The antibiotic is used up within roughly 48 hours after adding to tank. The salt remains to keep working. If the bait is not too far gone then the minnows should be fine.
You say that is too much trouble? Its a hassle and costs me money? Yes, it is on all three counts. But then what is your reputation worth???? If both of you do this the bait is in better shape, lives longer and people will tell their friends about your new venture.
The problem that I just laid out is the biggest problem in handling minnows. The various people involved want to handle the bait and sell it as fast as they can before it dies with no regard for quality. Typically the bait shop and the bait shop supplier get caught in this trap. The reputation goes out that "old Joe" does not have good minnows cause they all died before I got to use them. Who takes the hit? Old Joe.
An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure and apologizes plus replacing the lost minnows that the customer complained about.
This is just a suggestion, do what you will
CG
I've been there three times now and its a great place. I'n gonna do my part to help stay round for awhile!!
Thank you CG ! Very well put !! Your right , It all fall's on "Joe" the Bait Shop owner ! So far it's going good . I do treat my tank with salt & antibiotics. I so far have a loss of about 2 per day . Normal . I feel very fortunate to have my tank & minnows doing well. I also keep my tank at a steady 60*. That has realy helped . I am new to this whole adventure , so believe me when i say , "THANK YOU " for the advise !! : ) Please keep it coming ! bait101
Thnk's AC :) :) :) !!!
Bait101- I agree that 2/day is acceptable for loss. What type of antibiotic are you using? The best thing that you are doing is maintaining 60 degs water temps. For every 20 degree increase in water temp the bacterial action/activity doubles. So with 40 deg water temps the bacterial action is low because they are virtually dormant. Now at 60 degs the activity doubles. 80 degs the activity doubles again and the bacteria are close to their most efficient environment and the minnows are in trouble REAL quick.
If you will provide salt and antibiotics year round to your minnows then they AND your holding tanks will be in good condition and have little bacterial problems. If you slack off with treatment then soon enough the bacterial problems will surface. If you are using well water as your water supply then change the water once a week to rid the tank of ammonia and waste.
If you have questions and need help then shoot me a PM.
FYI I have been in the wastewater consulting business for 20 years and deal with bacteria in millions of gallons of wastewater each day.
How do you regulate water temperature?:confused:
I have a chiller hooked up to my bait tank .
Is this something designed and made for minnow tanks? I'm just curious because someday I want a small tank for personal use here at my home.Quote:
Originally Posted by bait101
Are you able to set the temperature with a thermostat?
I'm going to try and get up to your bait shop soon and pay you a visit. Welcome aboard crappie dot com.:D
Bait,
Thanks for a great chat, and you will be seein alot of me!!! Will be lookin to see how it comes along! And I'm not afraid to help throw alil eblow grease in there also if you ever need help. Just helpin the small town bait shop!
AC
They do make regular "BAIT TANK" chillers ,, but they are "OUT OF THIS WORLD" expensive !!! Anywhere from 2-10 grand & above . They also make chillers for aquariums. They run between 3-8 hundred . Some times you can get a good deal on e-bay. I was fortunate enough to have a few of my local businessmen here in town help me design one when my temp got above 90* !!! We used a coil & condenser from a lrg. beverage cooler , hooked it up with a thermostat and the rest is history : ). It maintains a perfect temp with no change . My building does not have central air , just window & portable units . It can get pretty warm in here but my tank stays cool . It's a pretty cool set-up !! Would love to have you drop in sometime and have a look !!
Thank's AC !!! Your ALWAYS welcome : ) : )
Gonna be swingin by later!! I think its one of my fav places in town!!
I am a Nowata member, and had to get there as soon as possible to show my support. I really like the Bait Shop, it is very clean, has a good variety of bait and a great selection of tackle & fishing accessories. I bought all of the boat rod holders he had in stock! I also recommended that he get one certain kind of jig! :) This store will see a lot of me! :)
cant get out today..but hoping to head out in the morning!
Bait101..didn't check..you guys open on sundays??????
I will have my door's open at 6;00 am !! P.S. The coffee pot will be ON :) . Look foward to seeing you !
In our bait shop here in Augusta, ARK, we keep the water temp at 58* - 60*. When your water temp gets above 68*-75*, you will start to have problems. You also have to treat your water with a chlorine neutralizer if your on city water. Well water not so much trouble unless it has a lot of different minerals. We use "Better Bait". We also use Tetracycline Hydrochloride in our water when getting in a new batch of minnows (40-50#).
We hand sort our minnows so as to offer different sizes for the fishermen.(small, medium, bass, trotline). No matter how well the minnow farms grade their minnows, you will still wind up with different sizes from a #6 crappie vat. If your selling by weight and do not sort, sombody will pay a lot for a few minnows the size they are wanting. Anyway, once they go into those different size tanks, they are not handled again until they sell. Ours are handled 3-4 times. We also feed our minnows. You will have problems once in a while that will be beyond your control. Sometimes the farms will have problems with a pond that affects your minnows. You just have to tough it out and clean your tanks out really good and get another batch. You do not want the bacteria to continue to spread to a new crop.
Do not overcrowd your minnows! This will be the main cause for ammonia. Change your water on a regular basis. We change ours out every other day. We never put new minnows into dirty water. We try to keep 10# of minnows to every 100 gal of water during the summer months. As it gets cooler weather, you can keep more as their metbolism slows down with the cooling of the water (45*- 50*).
Are there minnows farms in OK? We only have one area here in Arkansas that is suitable for raising minnows. Hope this helps. No one helped us 6 yrs ago when we started...It was like a big secret and they did not want competition...lol..If others in your area do not sort their minnows, it will help you on your minnow count by weight. The fishermen will like that.
Good Luck!!!
PD
Judy's bait Shoppe
Augusta, AR
Thank You so much for the info !!! And your right ,, people are afraid of the competition . When your just starting out , you need all the advise you can get ! I have learned that Crappie.com has been a GREAT source for me ! Not sure about the minnow farm's here in OK. Can any of you guy's out there answer that one ? Again ,,, Thank You Very Much For The Info :) :) :) :)
bait: I just got off the phone with my minnow supplier about if he goes to OK. He said there is a guy who comes down to his place and gets minnows for there. He is to be there on Wednesday to get a load. Email me and I will give you his name and maybe you contact him or find someone who knows him.
PD
Judy's Bait Shoppe
[email protected]
Bait101,
We hauled them minnows to bluff landing by BA this weekend and had a blast. Not sure if I am gonna get out this week or not..but be sure you'll see me if I do!
Also,
Are those 10' or 12' light action crappie poles in there..I need a replacement..had a tip break on me this weekend.
I'm glad you guy's had a good time !! I have a couple 12' Zebco Slab Seeker's . Very light weight . Have a few replacement tip kit's also but not sure if it's the size you need .
hey bait101 You still got them fishing lights? how much?
Sure do ! Range from 19 to 26
BAITSHOP - Grasshoppa, you have learned well:D You are the first person that has really done your homework and it shows. Your customers should be happy as can be.
The Okla Dept of Wildlife has on their website a list of aquaculture growers.
Bait101 - If you have any more questions or problems with your minners, I am just a click away. You too have learned well.
CG
hey Bait..are you guys going to get a credit card reader??
yes we will . sorry for the inconv.
CG ,,,, Thank You !
CG - I don't know about the homework, but I appreciate your comments. When we started out on this venture of having a bait shop, I listened to what the fishermen were saying, their complaints, advice they might have had, and I went to a minnow farm and asked questions about maintaining minnows in good condition. This did not happen over night and I have seen some major problems pop up. As with any living thing, you have to take care of them as they depend on you for their food & proper care.Quote:
Originally Posted by cricket george
We do the same with our crickets. In our cricket cage, they can live their total life cycle. they eat, drink water, poop, mate, reproduce by laying eggs in a container we provide. I was told by a biologist that if you do not disrupt their life cycle, we would have happier and more productive crickets, and less death before their time (8 weeks).
And, we are still listening and learning as we go! I have always been one to help out whenever possible with information that we have encountered. Jim's bait will do go as they have the personalities and drive to do a good job for their customers needed to be a successful bait shop.
Good luck everyone. and maybe one day I can drop in and visit if we are over that way. Bait-I am still trying to catch that guy at the minnow farm...lol
Hey Bait...you should put together a tournament to promote your shop. check in and weigh in at your shop should bring lots of business too. Just a suggestion.
Bait: Ok has a great idea about the tourny. But, just weighing in and checking in doesn't always mean things will be purchased. Most fishermen are in a hurry. Just a suggestion, what we have done in the past is hold a tournament for the largest catch or most caught by weight, but hold it over a period of time, say a week to include a weekend. Free to enter, only restriction: you have to sign in everyday you are fishing for the tournament and also buy some type of live bait. They had to come by your shop to weigh in before you close that night. That will insure you get some business and keep people honest. We gave out $25 to the 2 winners (largest & most lbs caught). If it were a major tounry, the prize money would be more, but if it is just for advertising, they won't spend much for the bait and it will be a good way for folks to visit the shop.
We are putting together plans as we speak :)
Hey guy's ,,, just got some new T-Bone Custom Jig's in !! Nice colors !!!
Bait:
Where is your store located in Nowata?