Dry conditions last fall caused water levels to drop dramatically in Ebner's minnow ponds. Combined with the severe winter, the shallow ponds produced few minnows. Prices for minnows are expected to escalate. There's no consistent pricing structure among bait retailers, so in addition to price increases, the amount of minnows doled out in scoop could get smaller. More than half of the sales were in fathead minnows, the most common minnow for bait.
Fatheads also are the minnows hardest hit by winterkill.
Johannes said winterkill was the most acute in southern and south-central Minnesota, but shallow lakes as far north as Detroit Lakes were affected. He said winterkill affects lakes 15 feet and shallower when oxygen levels drop. It's illegal to ship minnows into Minnesota, so bait dealers are stuck dealing with in-state sources. Because lakes in northern Minnesota suffered little or no winterkill, it's expected dealers there will be working overtime to supply the rest of the state with minnows. Bait dealers who were lucky enough to aerate their ponds should be in good shape, said Johannes.