Who Were Those Guys at ICast?
from The Fishing Wire

Although it seems like ICAST was six months ago, it’s barely been three weeks ago the sportfishing industry gathered in Orlando for their annual event. And chatter may have been dissipated by distances, but one question remains that had absolutely nothing to do with the constant hassles of government regulation, access to public waters and the usual regulatory baloney that comes along with doing business in today’s climate.

The Huk booth featured performance fishing attire (top). The obvious presence of the Spanish Fly boat and logos of the legendary saltwater angler Jose Wejebe (below) generated buzz, too, as did signing KVD. But the presence of other big names -like Skeet Reese (bottom) had ICAST attendees wondering if the new clothing company was out to move into fresh and saltwater fishing in a big way. Jim Shepherd/OWDN photos.

The question? “Who are those guys?” And like the iconic line from the classic Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, everyone agreed with the follow up, too: “they’re very good.”

In this case, “those guys” were the guys from Huk Performance Fishing. They showed up at their first ICAST with a slick-looking booth that seemed to be a lure custom made for “name” anglers from professional bass fishing. And their announcement -made during ICAST – of signing Kevin VanDam to an apparel contract had more than a few attendees watching their booth to spot other “name” anglers looking at their very contemporary looking technical clothing.

At the start of ICAST, I was one of those people unable to tell you what the heck a “Huk” was. But tipster told me this “new” company was anything but new to the industry. Turns out, the company founders’ experience in sports and technical clothing was considered crucial to the success of another apparel company now a very major player in virtually all sports, including “the outdoor space”.

Yup, the same loosey-goosey guys joking about being friends since college were telling the truth- mostly. They just weren’t sharing was info that while they’re longtime friends, they’re proven corporate business veterans who left a company they felt was walking away from a great opportunity- fishing.

Another reason they seemed to be operating sub-rosa was the fact that Huk isn’t the company. That’s Marolina Outdoor, Inc. – a partnership of Ben Verner, Josh Reed and Jason Hart. They’re the longtime troika of friends with that “deep-seated expertise in technical apparel and intimate knowledge of the outdoor industry”.

Spending a few (disjointed) minutes talking with them at their booth, it quickly became obvious they’re playful in their demeanor, but when it comes to business, “they ain’t playin'”.

That’s the reason we’ll see KVD (and others) sporting a camo pattern on his fishing jerseys. It’s also why other names were checking out their goods. Marolina wasn’t started on a whim- or a shoestring. Seems the three founders are guided by a single position: if you’re going to play, be number one.

So, they came to ICAST with a full line of technical and casual clothing and a few surprises up their sleeves- like the KVD announcement. But they also had a business partner present in their booth whose name is iconic with saltwater anglers: Wejebe.

Krissy Wejebe, daughter of legendary saltwater angler and longtime “Spanish Fly” TV host Jose Wejebe was there, talking up a new Spanish Fly/Marolina partnership that will bring out a new line of “coastal lifestyle apparel” offering a fresh take on the classic.

A blend Krissy says is “truly unique, as was Jose.” Marolina’s Ben Verner calls the partnership a “dream come true” for the new company.

But there’s a deep-seated appreciation for the man who made “Spanish Fly” an angling standard, and that’s coming into play as well. Wejebe’s iconic -and re-outfitted- Spanish Fly boats were unmistakable at ICAST. But their presence wasn’t just to conjure up a nostalgic memory of Wejebe. They were there to foreshadow something I learned about during my visit with the Marolina crew: a resurrection and revamping of Wejebe’s now classic fishing shows.

No specific details on when we’ll be seeing the “new” Spanish Fly TV shows, but as always, we’ll keep you posted.