AYLESWORTH'S FISH AND BAIT, INC.

What AYLESWORTH'S FISH AND BAIT, INC. does

AYLESWORTH'S FISH AND BAIT, INC. is a wholesale-only distributor of frozen fish bait and related products operating under the BAITMASTERS brand since 1944, headquartered in Saint Petersburg, Florida. The company maintains a 19,000 sq ft warehouse with 12,000 sq ft of frozen storage and a catalog exceeding 100 SKUs, including a proprietary "Brine Brew" formulation, Crabs Bait for commercial and recreational use, and a wildlife rehabilitation food line. Distribution is executed through a company-owned freezer truck fleet across the Southeastern U.S., supplemented by national and international shipping via UPS, FedEx, USPS, and common carrier, with EDI capability for larger retail accounts.

The company serves a diversified customer base spanning bait and tackle retailers, convenience stores, big box retailers, grocery chains, commercial fishing operations, and wildlife rehabilitation facilities. Upstream supply is secured through partnerships with Raffield Fisheries and Lund's Fisheries. The business model is a B2B wholesale distribution model with no direct-to-consumer retail presence, generating revenue through unit-volume sales across fragmented dealer accounts at commodity-adjacent margins.

At 11 employees, the operation is small and tightly run, with the owner and core management handling sales, procurement, and logistics. There is no evidence of digital platform innovation, AI/ML capability, or external capital; the company is privately held and has not disclosed funding. The competitive position rests on cold-chain logistics, brand longevity, and EDI-enabled dealer relationships rather than technology differentiation.

Name

AYLESWORTH'S FISH AND BAIT, INC.

Legal name

Aylesworth's Fish and Bait

Website

https://fishandbait.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AYLESWORTH'S FISH AND BAIT, INC. is a Saint Petersburg, Florida-based wholesale distributor of frozen fish bait and related products under the BAITMASTERS brand since 1944. It serves bait/tackle retailers, convenience stores, big box retailers, grocery chains, commercial fishing operations, and wildlife rehabilitation facilities via a company-owned freezer truck fleet and carrier-based shipping.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fishing Bait Wholesale Distribution

NAICS

Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers (42446)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Bait, Chum & Livewell Supply Retail (CRAMALAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Saltwater & Offshore Fishing Specialty Retail (CRAMALAC), Freshwater Fishing Specialty Retail (CRAMALAB)

Keywords

• Wholesale fishing bait
• Frozen bait distribution
• Fishing tackle supplies
• Wildlife and game food
• Commercial fishing bait

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Petersburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Bait Distribution: Wholesale-only distribution of frozen fish bait, chum, and fishing accessories to retailers and commercial fishing operations. Products sold in bulk case quantities through dealer network.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Aylesworth's Fish and Bait, Inc. is a wholesale-only fishing bait distributor that manufactures, processes, and distributes frozen bait, chum, and fishing accessories under the BAITMASTERS brand. The company sells exclusively to authorized dealers, retailers, and commercial accounts via telephone ordering, its own freezer truck fleet, and common carriers. Its catalog spans baitfish, trolling/rigged baits, chum and attractants, miscellaneous baits, freshwater baits, wildlife food, crab bait, and supplies/accessories.

Product overview

Aylesworth's Fish and Bait is a full-service wholesale fishing bait distributor founded in 1944, offering a comprehensive product portfolio centered on frozen natural baits. The company operates as a single unified product line under the BAITMASTERS brand umbrella, supplemented by third-party brands (Village Pride, Capt. Van Hubbard, Lund's, Cap'n Salty, Killer Bait, L & L, and others). The product portfolio consists of core baitfish products (Baitfish, Trolling & Rigged Baits, Chum & Attractants, Miscellaneous Baits, Freshwater Baits, Wildlife Food) complemented by Crab Bait products and Supplies & Accessories (Banners, Brine Salt, Chum Bags, Fishing Towels, Hats & Visors, Logo Stickers, Oil Dispensers, Oils & Attractants, T-Shirts). The company distributes locally via a fleet of freezer trucks and nationally/internationally via common carrier, UPS, FedEx, and USPS.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BAITMASTERS: Primary product brand for frozen fish bait, chum, and fishing attractants. Products are sealed, stackable, and sized for convenience under the BAITMASTERS logo.

Products and services

• Baitfish Wholesale line of frozen baitfish species sold to bait dealers, retailers, and commercial fishing accounts for resale to recreational anglers.
• Trolling & Rigged Baits Pre-rigged and trolling-ready bait products supplied to dealers and commercial fishing operations for offshore trolling use.
• Chum & Attractants Chum and fish-attractant products formulated using the proprietary Brine Brew brining process, sold to dealers and anglers for use as fishing attractants.
• Miscellaneous Baits Assorted specialty bait products sold wholesale to dealers for resale to recreational anglers.
• Freshwater Baits Freshwater bait products sold wholesale to dealers for resale to freshwater anglers.
• Wildlife Food Feed products sold wholesale to wildlife rehabilitators, raptor centers, and wildlife control operators for animal care.
• Crab Bait Crab bait products sold wholesale to dealers and commercial crabbers for resale or operational use.
• Supplies & Accessories Fishing-related supplies and accessories sold wholesale to dealers for resale to recreational anglers.

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Raffield FisheriescoreOthersKey supplier of Cigar Minnows (harvested from Northern Gulf of Mexico, packed in Port St. Joe, Florida) and Chub/Northern Mackerel (harvested in northern Gulf of Mexico). Provides premium quality baitfish products.
• Lund's FisheriescoreOthersSupplier of various squid products including Loligo squid (California Market Squid), Illex squid (Atlantic), and commercial crab bait products (menhaden). Provides bulk commercial quantities.
• Capt. Van HubbardminorOthersFlorida West Coast fishing guide who developed 'Magic Fish'n' chum formula. Exclusively distributed by BAITMASTERS. Secret mixture chum product requiring no refrigeration.
• A.P. Bell FisheriesminorOthersSupplier of Glass Minnows under Village Pride brand. Wildlife food product supplier.
• jswCREATIVEminorOthersWeb development partner responsible for company website (fishandbait.com) development and maintenance.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Pure Fishing: Largest global fishing tackle company (Shakespeare, Penn, Berkley, Abu Garcia, etc.), now owned by Sycamore Partners. Overlaps with Aylesworth's tackle, line, and accessory categories and competes for the same bait-adjacent retail shelf space.
• Bass Pro Shops: Largest U.S. sporting goods retailer focused on fishing, hunting, and outdoor recreation, and now owner of Cabela's. Represents the dominant downstream retail channel for branded bait and tackle and competes for shelf space with brands like BAITMASTERS.
• Rapala VMC Corporation: Global fishing tackle company with deep lures, hooks, and rig portfolio. Comparable to Aylesworth as a fishing-category brand that distributes through dealer networks and competes for the same end angler and dealer wallet.
• Shimano North America: Subsidiary of Shimano Inc., the global fishing tackle giant. Comparable as a broad incumbent fishing brand whose dealer-channel relationships and tackle breadth create downstream pressure on independent bait distributors.
• Penn Fishing (Pure Fishing subsidiary): Heritage saltwater reel and tackle brand under Pure Fishing. Comparable to Aylesworth in saltwater fishing DNA and long-standing brand equity within the same recreational and commercial fishing customer base.

Emerging players

• SPRO Corporation: U.S. fishing tackle brand distributing lures, hooks, and saltwater rigs through dealer channels. Comparable to Aylesworth as a growing brand pursuing saltwater and tournament segments through independent dealer networks.
• DOA Fishing Lures: U.S. soft-plastic lure and terminal tackle brand with strong saltwater inshore presence. Comparable to Aylesworth as a saltwater-focused fishing brand competing for similar inshore and nearshore angler customers through tackle shop channels.

Regional players

• Tampa Bay Fisheries: Florida-based seafood harvester and supplier with bait and frozen fish product lines. Regional peer operating in overlapping geography (Florida Gulf Coast) and overlapping product categories (frozen bait, menhaden-based products).

Direct peers

• Sea Striker: U.S. manufacturer and distributor of fishing tackle, rigs, and saltwater bait accessories serving both recreational and commercial anglers. Highly comparable to Aylesworth's rigged trolling baits, chum rigs, and wholesale dealer-channel go-to-market in the saltwater fishing category.
• Lund's Fisheries: Multi-generation Atlantic coast seafood and bait supplier that already supplies Aylesworth with squid and commercial crab bait. Operates as both supplier and competitor in the wholesale fish/bait market, making it a direct channel peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fishandbait
• Facebookfacebook.com/BAITMASTERS
• Instagraminstagram.com/baitandfish
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aylesworth's-fish-and-bait-inc.

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AYLESWORTH'S FISH AND BAIT, INC.