With BOTH bait shops closed in Decatur, where is the nearest place to get minnows????

Thanks in advance!

It's a bit of a drive but whenever I am in AL we usually fish Guntersville and a few other areas we stop at Guntersville Tackle Outdoors on 69. We have had better luck keeping their minnows alive than any other place and their price is very reasonable. We will by a pound and keep them in fresh water and cool with air for over a couple of weeks.

There may be some closer but I know the chevron at the greenbrier exit carries them year round.


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Originally Posted by Bamafan2277

It's a bit of a drive but whenever I am in AL we usually fish Guntersville and a few other areas we stop at Guntersville Tackle Outdoors on 69. We have had better luck keeping their minnows alive than any other place and their price is very reasonable. We will by a pound and keep them in fresh water and cool with air for over a couple of weeks.

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I bought minnows there, for the first time, last Friday. I was truly impressed with their set up. My modified bait cooler holds 2 gallons of water and the guy turned on the water faucet to fill it up. I said, "Whoa, you can't use chlorinated water" He said it's not, and opened the door on the cabinet. They've got some huge filtration system hooked to the plumbing and a chiller. That water coming out of the faucet was probably 50 degrees. I bought the minnows at noon and at dark still didn't have a single dead one. I did run a bubbler on them the whole time, but still.... They don't even put any of that blue stuff in their water. I'll never buy minnows at any of those gas stations in Guntersville again after stopping there.

Yea they have one of the best minnow setups I've seen. We used to buy them by the dozen at the gas stations and they would be lucky to live a few hours in cold water with bubbles. We started buying them at GTO and have never looked back. We might lose one or 2 in a week from there. The main thing is if you are keeping them more than a day or 2 is clean water or something to take the ammonia out of the water like used in fish tanks. We would take out some old water and replace it with the bottled spring water and add the fish tank ammonia treatment along with keeping them cool and on a bubbler and have minnows for a week or 2 depending on how hot the bite was. Their price at GTO is well worth it too! For what I would pay for 2 dozen at a gas station I get 8-10 dozen at GTO.

Can get them at Priceville, or Hartselle across the road from Lowe's, or go out old river road,go over interstate 65 be down on your right.

Cooleys groceries locate the Dam road on Arab side of Guntersville Dam, has the best minnows in the gville area both tuffies and Shiners .His minnow tanks are using water from the creek behind his store as long as it keeps running and then he will declorinate as well as he uses methy blue to keep them from getting fin rot, plus he has a major aerator in each tank and he always has the delivered on Friday mornings even giant shiners for those who fish for the salt water stripe. To far for Decatur fishermen for sure

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Originally Posted by FurFlyin

I bought minnows there, for the first time, last Friday. I was truly impressed with their set up. My modified bait cooler holds 2 gallons of water and the guy turned on the water faucet to fill it up. I said, "Whoa, you can't use chlorinated water" He said it's not, and opened the door on the cabinet. They've got some huge filtration system hooked to the plumbing and a chiller. That water coming out of the faucet was probably 50 degrees. I bought the minnows at noon and at dark still didn't have a single dead one. I did run a bubbler on them the whole time, but still.... They don't even put any of that blue stuff in their water. I'll never buy minnows at any of those gas stations in Guntersville again after stopping there.

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How much and how many approximately come in a pound? I always just buy by the dozen.

A 1/4 lb of minnows is about 5-6 dozen and is $5 when I was down there in March.

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Originally Posted by Bamafan2277

A 1/4 lb of minnows is about 5-6 dozen and is $5 when I was down there in March.

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Thanks. That's a good deal.

I have a well right by the house we use for irrigating our shrubbery and garden....may have to create a bait tank in my screened in porch and can use well water to keep them fresh for extended periods.