Sommerhausers will bring their handmade jigs to Commerce and Outdoor Show March 8-9
Previously featured on fishing shows and in the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Brainerd Dispatch, the next appearance of Hunter and Grant Sommerhauser will be at the Aitkin Area Commerce and Outdoor Show March 8 and 9. At the tender ages of 16 (Hunter) and 14 (Grant), the boys have already turned their love of fishing into a cottage industry. At the Aitkin show, they will display and sell about 600 jigs and 100 bags of soft plastic baits. Both of the boys will be on hand to explain all aspects of their booming business that got in full swing about a year ago.
The St. Paul boys were just 3 and 4 years of age when they started fishing with their parents, Richard and Andrea. Children of the digital age, last March, they took their home-grown love of the sport to a new level. Grant said they learned to tie their own jigs by watching YouTube videos. Now they’re creating not just jigs and lures but their own videos as well. They’ve been making appearances at sports shows throughout the region and they’ve been featured by media outlets throughout the state. They’ve landed a sponsorship from a fishing gear manufacturer and purchased their own 12-foot fishing boat.
“We came across the videos and decided to try it. Now, we spend most of our spare time coming up with new ideas, filling orders, doing research and making videos,” Grant said.
Add to that their own company and website (HG Jigs and HG Bait Co., respectively) and online fishing show (Rip some Lips).
The boys attend Central High School. They make their jigs in the basement of their home in the West Seventh neighborhood of St. Paul, melting plastic in a microwave and drying painted lures in a toaster oven. It’s an easy bike ride to a favorite fishing spot on the Mississippi and, Grant said, both boys are anxious to make the trek north this weekend to connect with northern Minnesotans who share their passion for all things angling. For more information, go to www.hgbaitco. com.
Library booth
A special booth at the show this year will be devoted to the expansion of the Aitkin Public Library. Library representatives will be available to explain the expansion and three pieces of artwork will be on display. The art will be raffled off individually.
The Library Task Force is currently about $15,000 from its funding goal and co-chair David Hommes said the booth at the show will be one of the task force’s last efforts that will get them to their final goal.
Also at the show
The 2014 Aitkin Area Commerce and Outdoor Show will run from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Sunday, March 8 and 9 at Aitkin High School. Admission is free for the show, hosted by the Aitkin Area Chamber of Commerce. It will feature more than 100 booths and displays, food court, health care expo, DNR shooting exhibit, knife sharpening, Deerwood Lions clowns and the Heritage Hall with artisans, hobbies, furs, art pottery and demonstrations.
Booths and displays will include boats, atvs, docks, cabinets, water systems, landscaping, siding, flooring, roofing, windows, toys, Internet, art, insurance, gardening and more.
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