A Fishing Tradition: Trantham's Bait & Tackle

Owners: Joseph and Elizabeth Toth

Founded: March 1977

Address: 3118 W. Chestnut Expressway, Springfield, MO 65802

Phone: (417) 869-2248

Products: Live and artificial fishing bait, snacks and limited fishing accessories

Employees: 1 full-time; 1 seasonal part-time

Sue Dickison doesn’t weigh much more than the bucket she’s carrying into Trantham’s Bait & Tackle on this Tuesday afternoon, en route to one of her regular fishing trips.

She’s been a loyal Trantham’s customer for years, she says.

“(They’ve) always done us a very good job,” Dickison says. “That’s why we keep coming back.”

Nostalgia exudes from this 600-square-foot shop at 3118 W. Chestnut Expressway, complete with an ice cooler out front and inside inventory that includes candy bars, sunglasses and 12 varieties of live fishing bait.

“We’re a tradition for a lot of people,” says Elizabeth Toth, who co-owns the shop with her husband, Joseph.

Few changes

Trantham’s was established in 1977 when Elizabeth Toth was 7 and her father, Dan E. Trantham, bought a bait shop on the southeast corner of Republic Road and Fremont Avenue. At that time, the Tranthams also owned the adjacent Pic-N-Pay convenience store.

Pic-N-Pay and the original Trantham’s were demolished after the bait shop relocated to Chestnut Expressway in the mid-1980s. The original site, 1402 E. Republic Road, is now home to a Rapid Robert’s convenience store.

Elizabeth and Joseph Toth began running the store in January 2003, 10 months before Dan E. Trantham died of cancer.

Little has change in 30 years, and that’s just the way customers want it, says Joseph Toth.

“(Customers) have come to expect the best bait, good service and a good buy for their money,” he adds.

Live bait

The Toths claim Trantham’s has the biggest selection of live bait within city limits. They sell about 100 pounds of live bait weekly, including minnows, shiners, crickets, worms and leeches.

A third of sales are via wholesale accounts with area convenience stores and bait shops. Most of the revenues, which the Toths would not disclose, are generated from retail sales at their tiny store.

Trantham’s buys its live bait from fish farms in Arkansas and Kansas City, and deliveries are made the day the bait is ordered to ensure freshness.

“That way the minnows aren’t stressed out,” says Elizabeth Toth, referring to how minnows can become lethargic and ineffective after spending too much time inside small water tanks.

While live bait is its niche, about 30 percent of Trantham’s bait inventory is artificial, which is popular among bass fishermen. Customers typically use live bait to catch crappie and catfish, according to Toth.

Both Fellows Lake and Lake Springfield are about 15 minutes from the store and are favorite destinations for Trantham’s customers, Toth says. Stockton Lake is about 30 minutes away and is also a preferred spot.

Trantham’s’ busy season is spring to fall, and the store stays open seven days a week during those months. During the winter, it will typically open only on weekends.

Even though Elizabeth Toth says the popularity of live bait is down from 30 years ago – primarily because bass fishing is so popular now – sales have been good this year because of wet weather and good fishing conditions.

Sales are good enough that the Toths are considering expansion in the next five years.

“We hope to stay here and continue our family tradition,” Joseph Toth says. “We’ve got two little ones who can take over in the years to come, maybe.”[[In-content Ad]]