Frozen and freeze-dried

Frozen and freeze-dried minnows that keep until you need them

Frozen 1 lb bags from $164, frozen solid blocks from $126, bulk freeze-dried golden shiners from $108.50 and freeze-dried pet treats at $9.99.

Call 1-800-206-4666Ask the farm

What comes in the 1 lb frozen bags?

The frozen 1 lb bags hold shiners or fatheads, packed into 12 lb or 18 lb boxes, from $164. Because each pound is bagged on its own, you pull out what you need and the rest stays frozen. That suits a bait shop or a heavy user better than a box of loose fish does.

Shipping on the frozen bags is listed as free. The one limit is geography: the farm cannot ship frozen product to Alaska, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Minnesota, Montana, South Dakota, Utah or Vermont. Questions about an order go to the farm in Lonoke at 1-800-20-MINNO (1-800-206-4666).

Why buy a solid block instead?

Each order is a Solid Block of Fish, no water used in freezing, in the farm's own label wording: one slab of minnows, sold in 8 lb, 20 lb and 30 lb sizes, from $126. Because no water goes in, you are paying for fish and not for ice, and the block is guaranteed to arrive frozen.

Blocks are for people who go through bait in volume. A 30 lb block is a lot of fish to hold, so it asks for a chest freezer and a plan to portion it out. The usual way is to break off what you need with the block still partly frozen and put the rest straight back.

The size choice is a storage choice more than a fishing one. A smaller block is easier to manage in a household freezer, and the larger sizes belong to shops and guides who refill often.

What about the freeze-dried line?

Freeze Dried Minnows, sold in bulk, are golden shiners, from $108.50. The farm's own product copy reads: 100% Arkansas Farm Raised, All Natural, Grain & Gluten Free, USDA APHIS Inspected & Certified. Freeze-dried fish weigh almost nothing and need no freezer, which is the reason people choose them for a shelf or a tackle bag.

The same Lonoke fish are also sold as Anderson's Freeze-Dried Pet Treats, $9.99. The listing gives crude protein at 70%, fat at 3% and fiber at 3%.

A frozen solid block of minnows from the Lonoke farm

A frozen solid block of minnows from the Lonoke farm

Anderson Minnows, Lonoke. Call 1-800-206-4666.