Minnesota Bait & Fly Co.

One of KC’s oldest continually operating tackle shops — founded by Rudy Zurbuchen in Kansas City, Kansas in the early 1960s and now run by his daughter’s family into the third generation.

Description

Minnesota Bait & Fly Co. stands as one of the oldest surviving tackle shops in the Kansas City metro, operating from its storefront on Minnesota Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas for more than six decades. The shop stocks live bait (crickets, minnows), freshwater tackle, fly fishing supplies, and maintains a wholesale bait operation supplying roughly 25 smaller shops throughout the region.

The shop was built around a very specific Kansas City invention: Bee-Jay stink bait, founder Rudy Zurbuchen’s proprietary catfish attractant made from a secret recipe. That product gave the shop its initial identity and drew a regional following before broadening into general bait and tackle. Walking through the door today feels much as it has for generations — aerators humming, crickets chirping, the smell of live bait and river gear.

Jan Jobe, Rudy’s daughter, grew up working the shop. Her husband Fred joined her in 1974 and they bought the business outright in 1993. Their son Eric now serves as general manager, making this a three-generation Kansas City fishing institution. The Jobes know the majority of their customers by name, and regulars describe the shop as family.

Ownership and history

Year	Event
c. 1961	Rudy Zurbuchen opens Minnesota Bait & Fly Co. on Minnesota Ave, KCK (per building mural)1
1968	Official founding date per company website — possible date of incorporation or expansion2
1974	Fred Jobe begins working at the shop after meeting Rudy’s daughter Jan2
1993	Fred and Jan Jobe purchase the business from the Zurbuchen family2
2000s–present	Eric Jobe (Fred & Jan’s son) joins as general manager; third generation operational2
2026	Active; hours Mon–Sat 8AM–6PM, Sun 8AM–2PM3

Links

• Site: https://www.minnesotabaitkc.com/

Sources

Disputes

The founding date is contested between the building mural (“Since 1961”) and the company’s own website (“1968”). The difference may reflect Rudy Zurbuchen beginning informal operations or lure-making in 1961 with formal incorporation in 1968, or simply a legacy dating convention. No editorial resolution attempted here; both dates noted with sources.

Footnotes

1. https://www.yelp.com/biz/minnesota-bait-and-fly-co-kansas-city — Asserts: Address 1124 Minnesota Ave, Kansas City KS; open May 2026; sporting goods / fishing tackle shop. ↩

2. https://www.minnesotabaitkc.com/about-us — Asserts: Founded 1968 by Rudy and Lou Zurbuchen; Fred and Jan Jobe purchased 1993; Eric Jobe general manager; founded to promote Bee-Jay stink bait catfish attractant. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

3. https://reviews.birdeye.com/minnesota-bait-and-fly-168973168303490 — Asserts: Active with recent reviews including February 2026; regular business hours confirmed. ↩