Ugly Baby Bait

07/14/2026

Due to the BWCAW wildfire closures, parts of the Gunflint Trail on evacuation notice, and poor air quality - Ugly Baby Bait will not be open this week.

Sorry for the inconvenience. Stay safe everyone.

07/09/2026

New shipment of leeches and crawlers...really good, healthy bait!

07/04/2026

Need more red, white, and blue in your boat today...we have you covered!

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

07/02/2026

Check out this interview on WTIP North Shore Community Radio! Scott's daughter and her husband carrying on the Ugly Baby tradition.

The Ugly Baby Bait Shop opened in 1998, when Scott and Deb Stahnke started the business. Despite ongoing health challenges, Scott Stahnke opened the shop for its 25th season this spring. He died a few days after Minnesota’s fishing opener in May. Stahnke left the shop to his daughter, Tisa Butcher...

06/27/2026

Summer is in full swing on the Gunflint Trail!

Customers are reporting excellent fishing on the local waters. A lively leech under a slip-bobber has been the downfall of many walleye. On the mid-sized lakes, an exciting topwater bite has developed for smallies. Stream trout are showing a preference for night crawlers. Warming water temps have pushed the lake trout deeper. Northern pike are northern pike - they are numerous and not bashful, but reports of mostly smaller fish.

A major shift in the weather is heading our way, with a hotter and wetter pattern developing. Expect the fishing to be up and down with the atmospheric instability.

06/20/2026

This gal is one of my most frequent visitors (I'm told by the neighbors its a female).

Sporting her sleek summer coat, she makes a good living working the locals and tourists! Unfortunately, I'm really stingy with my pack lunch, but I appreciate her effort!

06/19/2026

One of our talented little customers made this amazing UBB hat! He and his dad stopped by yesterday to proudly show it off. Loved it!

If we are lucky, it might one day be displayed in the bait shop, but for now he wanted to first bring it home to show his mom. Fair enough! 😄

06/18/2026

New on our shelves - GT Baits!

Made locally on the Gunflint Trail, they can be found exclusively at Ugly Baby Bait. These plastics are well made and come in a mix of unique colors, shapes, and sizes!

Come check them out!

06/11/2026

Just finished unpacking a new shipment of big, lively leeches and crawlers!

Open Thursday-Sunday, 8AM-4PM. Please stop by!

06/11/2026

Happiness is rolling up to one of your favorite fishing spots and the locator looks like this!

For those not familiar with reading a depth locator, each one of those 'spaghetti noodles' is a fish. On this particular morning they were stacked!