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Growth Forecast
WHY KAYAK fISHING IS SeT foR A Big-BOx BOOm
BY CONOR MIheLL
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few years ago, Emotion Kayaks presi- Strategic alliances are common for busi- ing low-cost boats for first-time paddlers
dent Tom Strauss and VP of sales Dave nesses looking for alternate inroads to a and kayak anglers.
D’Auteuil were looking for a smart way to sell broader market share—think Sony partner- Lee says that these affordable, widely
more kayaks and enter the ballooning kayak ing with Ericsson to gain foothold in the available boats could be the next step in
fishing market. Then they spotted a hard-to- mobile phone market, says outdoor industry kayak fishing’s popularity—especially if
miss Shakespeare banner at a trade show. analyst and marketing consultant Sven Lee of they come equipped with paddles, rod hold-
“We saw this big Shakespeare display and Fendler Communications. What makes Emo- ers, anchors and other gear. Whereas the
it hit us,” says D’Auteuil. “Why wasn’t anyone tion’s partnership with Shakespeare unique is first manufacturers to latch onto the kayak
taking the number one recreational consum- that until now, mainstream fishing has tended fishing trend did so by modifying existing
er name in fishing and partnering up?”
Now, Shakespeare-branded kayaks built by
“We’re going after the fishermen who’ve never kayaked.
Emotion are set to take the fishing world by
storm through the backdoor: via the “hook
It’s a whole new demographic.”
and bullet” outdoor stores whose patrons
know nothing about kayaking but know the to be self-contained without lateral connec- sit-on-top kayaks with added-cost accesso-
Shakespeare brand. tions to other outdoor sports, says Lee. “But ries, Lee believes the sport will expand with
“There are millions of anglers who have nev- it’s become pretty obvious that kayaking and bargain packages that are driven by boat and
er thought about kayak fishing,” says D’Auteuil. fishing can support each other.” tackle alliances.
“We’re not targetting the specialty paddle shop. Emotion and Shakespeare’s game plan in- “Right now we’re seeing a lot of decent
We’re going after the fishermen who’ve never volves “value-oriented boats with reasonable fishing kayaks that are palatable to begin-
kayaked. It’s a whole new demographic.” price-points,” says D’Auteuil. Case in point is ners who are gun shy of spending a lot of
After piloting the partnership in 2009, a new $279 Shakespeare sit-inside that will money,” says Lee. “Putting together a pack-
D’Auteuil says Emotion’s distributorship has retail at hunting and fishing shops and box age that’s easy for fishermen to get into is
increased by 23 percent. In 2010, Shake- stores like Costco. the next step. I hate to use the term one-stop
speare Kayaks’ first full season on the market, Meanwhile, other kayak manufacturers shop, but that’s what [Emotion and Shake-
D’Auteuil expects sales to explode. like Sea Eagle and Pelican are also produc- speare] are creating.”
ReADeR Tip Send your reader tip to
editor@kayakanglermag.com
Moving Fishfinders Between Kayaks
BY Jeff LITTLe
I use different kayaks for different kinds of trips. A 10-footer with thigh straps
gets the nod for whitewater fishing, 12- to 14-footers for reservoir trips, and
the 16-foot for big water. The only drawback for this “right boat for the float”
approach is leaving behind my GPS/depthfinder combo unit that is installed
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on the wrong kayak. By installing the unit, transducer and battery on a Johnny
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Bar (
madfroggear.com), I avoid a technology handicap when changing boats.
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KayaK angler sPring/suMMer 200
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