Photo by Joselyn King David Wharton, owner of Wharton's Bait and Tackle, stands alongside some large mounted fish he has caught.

WHEELING – If you’re angling for a late evening fishing expedition and need bait after hours, the live bait vending machine at Wharton’s Bait and Tackle will get you hooked.

Inside there’s even more bait and tackle, as well as some high end rods, reels and bait buckets waiting for the experienced fisherman.

David Wharton opened Wharton’s Bait and Tackle about 18 months ago behind Wharton’s Auto Service at 2201 Lumbar Ave. in Elm Grove. And yes, there is business there year round as fishing for different types of species happens during different seasons, he explained.

“In the winter, there’s walleye fishing, crappie fishing … you can fish the river all year round,” Wharton said. “You would think that people who fish would fish for everything. There are people who fish year-round, but there are a lot of people who target certain species.”

Crappie and walleye are popular among local fishermen in the winter, while summer anglers cast for bass and catfish.

Wharton, an avid fisherman, decided to open a bait shop after realizing there were few places to buy fishing bait locally. He reports he has been busy ever since.

Fishing enthusiasts had had to go their own bait in local creeks, but the supply is not plentiful, Wharton explained. Ducks, geese and blue herron are eating the smaller fish.

Additionally, not everyone who makes the spur of the moment decision to go fishing always has the time to go look for bait, he continued.

“It’s pretty convenient to just stop here for what I’ve got,” Wharton said.

Wharton has a bait license to catch bait. But acknowledged it’s becoming more difficult to find the bait to catch, and that demand has been increasing.

“In the summertime, I go through about 1,500 minnies a week,” he reported.

Wharton had a custom tank built to house and maintain the minnies within his shop. Among the live bait he carries are bass shiners and crappy shiners in different sizes.

He also sells fishing poles, tackle and other items. Among the brands he sells are St. Croix, and Megabass – well-known makers of lures with stylized paint colors.

Wharton explained the vending machine idea is one that is popular in the south, and his has both refrigeration and heating capacity.

“I have nightcrawlers, mealworms, green worms, red worms, fishing line, stringers – I’ve got every kind of tackle you can think of in there,” he said.

The content switches with the seasons, and Wharton noted he changes and refreshes it frequently. He said live bait is used most frequently by fishermen in the winter seeking to catch walleye – even by those who use them as backup for lures.

Also available at the shop is a solar powered bait bucket and aerator which generates oxygen inside without the need for batteries.

And what does every fishing aficionado need? A glow in the dark fishing rod from Mad Katz.

He plans to offer fly fishing rods in the future.

“It’s a big hobby for some people,” Wharton said.