About Us
Our Mission:
Fishing Culture was formed to innovate and distribute sustainable fishing products that help anglers make the most of their time on the water and cultivate a community of anglers seeking to learn from and support one another. From your support, we donate a percentage of all profit to causes that protect and restore fisheries and promote recreational fishing. Your support also enables scientific research that will enable development of future products.
Meet the team:
Bernard
My name is Bernard Janse and I am the CEO of Fishing Culture. I have a Ph.D and have been working in Research and Development for more than two decades and in several different organizations. I approach my fishing the way I was trained – with passion, a willingness to learn and with a clear scientific approach to gathering data. I will target any fish species but have a specific interest n bass
and inshore saltwater fishing. As Scientist I am trained to keep an open mind and this together with my ability to think outside the box means that I am continuously trialing new methods, baits, and approaches. Many times I am not happy to buy off the shelf products and have been known to build many of the products that I fish with. Together with the other founding members Fishing Culture, we will continuously look to develop new innovative approaches so as to keep this amazing sport of ours new and stimulating.
Chris
I am an all round passionate fisherman with a diverse background. I studied fisheries and aquatic biology for my bachelors degree (I loved fish so much I studied them!) and I have a masters in business. I have been fishing since the age of 2 and have been an addict ever since! I am what I would call a generalist in my fishing career. I love catching everything from bass to trout and any sport fish in the ocean (especially shark fishing). Currently, I have the privilege of fishing the beaches of the sunshine state every week (as long as my wife doesn't kill me haha). Feel free to follow me on my personal social media accounts (FB, IG, YT) @theblueshirtfishingguy.
Donny
My name is Donny. I’m an obsessed trout angler and bug nut. I defended my PhD in ecology and much of my research dealt with understanding how water quality affects aquatic insects and building models to predict where certain species will occur. Learning about the diversity and unique life histories of aquatic insects has helped me catch trout, but it has also given me an immense appreciation for the complexity and interconnectedness of healthy ecosystems! Follow my fly fishing journey and learn about the bugs our flies are imitating @benkedonny on Instagram.
Kevin
My name is Kevin and I absolutely love bass fishing. After high school I attended college, and after a year & 1/2 left to pursue a full time career as a drummer. Within a few months I joined a Grammy nominated band and toured extensively in The US and abroad. I eventually left the music business and took a job in logistics, retiring from that industry after 25 years. Throughout my entire life I’ve loved fishing. In my late teens I became hooked on Bass fishing, which turned into an obsession by my mid-twenties and hasn’t changed since. Be it small ponds, neighborhood lakes, streams, rivers, or huge reservoirs, whether it’s 30 degrees or pushing triple digits, I will go after those green or brown beauties anywhere, anytime and in almost any weather condition!