PADDLING PIONEERS CONVERSATIONS WITH KAYAK FISHING’S MOST INFLUENTIAL INNOVATORS


challenging part of being a kayak fisherman back then was obtaining the accessories and parts needed to turn a recreational kayak into a fishing vessel. Second was the lack of kayaks designed for fishermen. I saw the potential in the sport, but I knew only the hardy and adventurous would take the plunge unless both information and equipment were readily available.


KA: How did you get others onboard?


JS: I tried to get kayak shops to cater to fishermen but they didn’t see the sport’s potential. I also wanted the kayak companies to make better gear. I knew busi- nesses wouldn’t embrace the sport unless they saw a market and opportunity for profit. I wanted to help create a kayak fishing arms race where the fishermen would be the winners. To get the attention of the indus- try, I had to show them the money.


KA: How did kayak fishing grow in the early years?


JON SHEIN O N L I N E O UTF IT TE R


At the birth of modern kayak fishing, Jon Shein’s Kayakfishing- stuff.com was a repository of information and instruction that fostered the development of fishing kayaks and accessories.


Kayak Angler: Where does your story start?


Jon Shein: I started out fishing from the surf. I was tired of watching fish blitzing just out of casting distance. Then I read an article about kayak fishing on Stripersurf.com and I knew it was the answer. There wasn’t much information about kayak fishing back then. As I outfitted my first kayak and started fishing, I posted my experiences online and people kept asking for more and more information.


KA: How did you get into the online store?


JS: After a year of posting on Striperonline.com, I suggested they add a specific kayak fishing forum. The site owner agreed with one condi- tion—I had to moderate it. A year later, things started rolling. The most


54 …KAYAK ANGLER SUMMER/FALL 2013


JS: I’m the type of person who will do what needs to be done if an issue is important to me. I wanted better gear. Someone had to take the bull by the horns. I enlisted my friend, Joe Cambria, and we created a website that not only dispensed information but made the equipment available in one place. The old say- ing that says, if you build it they will come, was never truer. The first year we had a retail store we sold 11 Hobie kayaks, 55 the next year and 329 the year after that. We were working out of my house, then we got a 2000-square-foot store and grew out of that in three months.


“The most challenging part of being a kayak fisherman back then was obtaining the accessories and parts needed to turn a recreational kayak into a fishing vessel.” —Jon Shein


Our success showed manufacturers how fast kayak fishing was grow- ing. The forums helped new people meet, exchange ideas and share feedback with manufactures. But health problems and other issues were getting to me so I sold the business.


KA: What’s the future for you and the sport?


JS: I’m back into retail with Thekayakfishingstore.com. In addition to the online store, we’ve got two locations in New Jersey and opening a third in Salem, Massachusetts. Word has spread and people are finding us. Most kayak shops don’t understand the sport because they are owned and run by people who do not fish let alone fish from kayaks. We win customers with great service and support.


I think motorized kayaks are the next big thing; they’ll win over motor boaters looking to simplify. With more options for kayaks and accesso- ries, even more people are getting into kayak fishing. It’s not a gimmick, it’s being accepted by the mainstream. The sport exploded in the 2000s, but I think this is the decade where kayak fishing is really going to grow.


PHOTO: COURTESY JOHN SHEIN


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