Petry’s [pea-trees] Bait started in 1923 when Henry Petry bartered 160 acres of land for a service station in Finlayson, 15 miles north of Hinckley between Mille Lacs Lake and I-35. Petry’s son Sylvester and his wife Rosa ran the station for decades and started the bait business in 1952, when their kids helped collect minnows to sell. In 1978 Sylvester’s son Calvin bought the business and has been expanding ever since, including the addition of self-service gas pumps in 1983.
Along with bait for fish, today Petry’s sells plenty of “bait” (a.k.a. snacks and grocery items) for humans, along with myriad other products. The store was recently expanded and remodeled to offer more groceries, apparel, and sporting goods. Outdoor enthusiasts can find pretty much everything they need to enjoy a day in nature. In addition, hunters can purchase licenses, register deer, and enter the store’s annual big buck contest. And, of course, those who fish can find anything they need.
If you’re hunting or fishing for entertainment with the possibility of a big win, Petry’s Bait also sells plenty of lottery, and with a $100,000 Print-N-Play winner, a $5,000 winner, and five $1,000 winners in the past couple years, the store seems quite lucky.
Stop by on your way to outdoor adventures and don’t forget to pick up some lottery games.