The reel deal on your big catch

 reporting by Amy Goldsmith

We sent our Comp Shopper to hook up with some local bait shops so you can decide who to get chummy with for your fishing needs. Here’s the inside line.
  West Side/ Bait & Tackle
1507 W.Vermont
Indianapolis
636-6236		 Fall Creek Bait & Tackle
4215 E. Fall Creek
Parkway North Drive,
Indianapolis
251-9229
The Bait Barn
3241 N.Arlington Avenue
Indianapolis
545-2248
www.thebaitbarn.com
 Who we talked to
JAMES DOLAN, OWNER
BARBARA HOFFMAN, OWNER
DAVID MCCULLOUGH, EMPLOYEE
 Red worms
$2 for 30
$2.50/dozen
$3 for 24
 Night crawlers
$1.50/dozen
$2/dozen
$1.80/dozen
 Wax worms
$1.50 for 40
$2 for 50
$2.40 for 50
 Meal worms
$2.50 for 100
$2 for 50
$3 for 50
 Crickets
$3.50 for 100
$3.50 for 100
$3.85 for 30
 Catalpa worms
$3/dozen
$3.90/dozen
$4.25/dozen
 Crawfish
$2/dozen
$5.75/dozen
not available
 Leeches
$2/dozen
$2.95/dozen
$1.85/dozen
 Minnows
$.60/dozen
$.80/dozen
$.80/dozen
 Minnow bucket
$2/half gallon
$2.35 and up
$2.50/gallon
 Small cardboard cricket  cage
$1
$1
$1
 What is the most  popular fish caught in  the area and which bait  works best?
“Bass, crappies and catfish. Small minnows work great.”
“Crappies. They like minnows,
spinners and small jigs, which
resemble small minnows and
flash through the water.”
“Catfish by far. The best bait is the
catalpa worm, which has an aroma
and a green color that attracts
catfish when pierced or decapitated.”
 Where do you get your  bait?
“We buy our bait through a distributor.”
“Most of it comes from Peru, Ind.
and some comes from Canada.”
“We use Curtis Fisheries and Birch Wholesale depending on the type of bait.”
 What is the best fish  story you have ever  heard?
“I’ve had some customers bring in 20- to 40-pound catfish from the White River in downtown Indianapolis.”
“A guy fishing behind my shop at
the base of the falls caught a fish and ran up here shouting, ‘This fish has teeth!’ I told him it was a piranha. I’ve seen three caught in Fall Creek.”
“That’s easy — the world- record
124-pound catfish a guy caught in the Mississippi. It’s an inspiration
for a lot of guys!”

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