Link to an interesting story from today’s Pioneer Press:
Chris Niskanen: Beanies bait shop all about good fishing and good people
Pioneer Press
Updated: 04/27/2010 11:44:10 PM CDT
Gary and Dottie Mau operate one of the last bait and tackle stores along the St. Croix River. Their store, called Beanies at Maui’s Landing, is located in Lakeland.
Back in 1919, a fisherman named William “Beanie” Miller opened a commercial fishing business on the Minnesota side of the St. Croix River, on land just south of today’s Interstate 94 bridge.
On Saturday, fishing once again will be the main order of business at Beanies at Maui’s Landing, when the St. Croix River opens to walleye and northern pike angling.
Gary and Dottie Mau, who purchased the property 19 years ago, still operate a bait-and-tackle store at the historic spot. They also rent fishing and pontoon boats and not long ago added a rental houseboat to their operation.
Commercial fishing left the scene decades again, but anglers young and old still crowd Beanies’ docks and boat launch on the St. Croix opener, eager to try their hand at catching fish, mostly walleye.
“We open at midnight,” said Dottie Mau, 70. “There are always a few people who want to get an early start.”
In an age in which boating and fishing has been super-sized, the Maus represent the quintessential ma-and-pa operation. They and their crew of teenagers sell fathead minnows and bags of potato chips, and provide critical boat access to the river that anglers seem to favor.
The Beanies bait shop is a throwback to shops of yore, where a few dusty stuffed walleyes adorn the walls, along with pictures of anglers possessing large fish and haircuts from the 1980s. Gary and Dottie enjoy the hominess of their operation because it is their home. The living room of their home overlooks the docks and boat ramp.
When they purchased the operation in 1991, they were looking for a new place to live, not a business. Living in northern Washington County, Dottie insisted they move next to a pretty lake. Gary wanted to live near the St. Croix.
“It was Easter and we were driving around and saw the for-sale sign at the top of the hill,” said Dottie, who still works part time as a registered nurse. “We were not looking for a business, but we moved in the day before the opener and we hired some people who worked here before. I didn’t know anything about fish and bait.”
They decided to keep the name “Beanies” and added their own twist by calling it “Beanies at Maui’s Landing.” It’s not only the most exotic-sounding bait and tackle store on the river but one of the last of the small boat-rental operations.
“There is no other place where you can rent a cheap fishing boat, the plain vanilla kind,” Dottie said. “We’ve also got seven pontoons now, and five personal watercraft and our 53-foot house boat for rent.”
On Tuesday afternoon, the sun shone brightly on the St. Croix, luring Seth Slaikeu of Hudson, along with his girlfriend Alicia Deithert and their friend Matt Vangsgard to go fishing on Beanies’ docks.
“It’s an awesome place to fish,” Slaikeu said of the docks. “I’ve caught 50-inch sturgeon off the dock and a 30-inch carp. Last week I caught a 5-pound smallmouth.”
The Maus allow dock fishing as long as you’re customer.
“No. 1, you have to be a customer, and No. 2, you can’t bring coolers of beer,” Dottie said. “Otherwise, you can fish off our docks for free.”
A few years ago, Gary, 71, retired from his job as an international salesman of defense equipment. On Saturday, you’ll see him at the docks, directing traffic and dispensing with fishing advice.
“Get here when the first streaks of sunlight are coming up and you’ll catch fish,” he said. “Last year, they caught ’em between 5 in the morning and 7.”
Hundreds of teenagers have worked at Beanies over the years; some started when they were 14 and continued until graduating from college, Dottie said. Hiring young people is one of the joys of the job, Gary and Dottie said.
“The young kids who have worked for us are phenomenal,” Dottie said.
She said her biggest regret was not owning Beanies when she and Gary were 20 years younger, when they could have put more money into the business and expanded it.
Some people head to Arizona for retirement. Others escape to a quiet cabin in the north woods. Gary and Dottie Mau will be surrounded by dozens of eager fishermen come Saturday morning, and there will be dozens of minnows and night crawlers waiting to be sold.
“It beats the heck out of hanging around other people our age who are sitting in rocking chairs,” joked Gary. “We’re sailing past our golden years.”
