One way to get better bait and save money is not to buy bait at bait shops
Get it from seafood outlets.
If you're coming into Cambridge from the North, at the marina on the right side of the bridge on the North side, there's a crab operation..they have shedding tanks right there, and I've gotten BIG peelers there for less than bait shops (and bait shops these days often have peelers so small you need a microscope to see them.)
You'll also get thicker, cheaper squid at seafood outlets as well.