254 Commercial Aspects of Sport Fishing 



voted to all sportsmen's items, were largely for "red wigglers" or "hybrid 

 red wigglers" or for information on how to raise them. Other live baits 

 for sale were crickets, gray crickets, grubs, meal worms, "mousie" grubs 

 (rat-tailed maggots), brownnose worms, wax worms, and Giant African 

 crawlers. Only one ad offered night crawlers ( Liimbriciis terrestris) for 

 sale, presumably because they cannot be raised without special refrigera- 

 tion equipment, and are perishable in shipment. Prices for red worms 

 varied from $3.00 to $3.50 per 1000; crickets, both common and gray, 

 were $7.50 per 1000; African night crawlers were $8.00 per 1000. Other 

 grubs and larvae ranged in price between red worms and crickets. 



The propagation of manure worms ( Helodriliis spp. ) and other annelids 

 for fish bait is sufficiently common to make them available in most cities 

 and towns through local bait dealers who either raise their own or buy 

 from a wholesaler supplying several outlets. In winter these same dealers 

 may handle the larvae of various insects used for ice fishing. The large 

 night crawler worms are usually captured and sold locally, and may bring 

 as much as four or five cents each because of their desirabilitv and the 

 effort required in catching them. Most state fish and game departments 

 have leaflets on raising various kinds of live baits. 



Minnows. The raising and retailing of minnows has become a very 

 specialized operation and is often done on a very large scale. However, 

 small operators having one or several small minnow ponds may sell 

 wholesale to local distributors. There are a number of comprehensive 

 bulletins on minnow propagation available and one of the best is U.S. 

 Fish and Wildlife Service Circular 12.^ 



Some commercial dealers seine their minnows from shallow prairie 

 lakes that often are subject to winterkill. If these are stocked with a few 

 minnows in spring, they usually will produce a good crop large enough 

 to sell by fall. 



Within recent years some states have restricted the transportation of 

 minnows across state lines. This restriction protects licensed minnow 

 breeders within these states from excessive competition and reduces the 

 spread of fish diseases and parasites. There may also be restrictions on 

 the sale and use of carp, goldfish and suckers for fish bait, to prevent 

 contamination of lakes and ponds with these undesirable species. 



FISHING FOR SALE 



When fishing was entirely free it was valueless, a time- wasting activity 

 not to be followed by the ambitious, an activity fraught with some secrecy, 

 not only because good fishing "holes" were private knowledge, but be- 

 cause over-indulgence might brand one as a "loafer." Now that fishing 

 activity is more limited, the opportunity to fish has become quite valuable, 



