Bait shop opens in Holton

First Street Bait shop has opened in Holton, offering live bait and tackle supplies to area fishermen. 

 The new business is owned by Joe Snavely and is located on the south side of Holton Greenhouse at 109 New Jersey Ave. Joe and his wife, Sandy, have owned and operated the greenhouse for five years.

“There’s not a lot of options around town for fishermen so we thought we could expand the greenhouse a little bit,” Snavely said of opening the bait shop. 

Snavely said he’s a lifelong fisherman and that he stocks his shop with a variety of minnows, goldfish and night crawlers.

“If I don’t have something people ask for, I’m going to try to get it for this season or the next,” he said.

The bait shop also stocks frozen shad and prepared bait in jars. Snavely also sells a limited supply of tackle items, including bobbers, floats, hooks, fishing line, sinkers, nets, reels and a few poles. 

“I’m just getting my feet wet and seeing what people want,” he said. 

Snavely said that fishing has been “booming” this year due to stay-at-home orders because of COVID-19 (coronavirus) and more people having the option to work remotely.

“People have been off work and have the extra time,” he said. 

Like the greenhouse, the bait shop will be a seasonal business for the Snavelys.

“Hopefully this will stretch our season out a bit, but this is a retirement job for me,” he said. 

The bait shop is open from noon to 6 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. 

After regular business hours, Snavely, who lives nearby the shop, is available by calling 785-640-2987.

The First Street Bait shop business card sums up the goal of the business with its tag line, “Good things come to those who bait.”

The Holton Recorder

109 W. Fourth St.
Holton, KS 66436
Phone: 785-364-3141
 

Sign Up For Breaking News

Stay informed on our latest news!

Manage my subscriptions

Subscribe to Greer Citizen newsletter feed