Reeling Them In

6th Sense Fishing makes a splash in the thriving angling scene

By Andrea Agardy

Bass fishing isn’t just a popular sport. It’s a booming, multibillion-dollar industry. But ask anyone who loves to cast a line, and they’ll tell you it’s so much more than that. It’s a labor of love, a quest, a community, and it can even be a gateway to a college education.

“Largemouth bass is a culture and a lifestyle all in itself down here in Texas,” says Zach Kinart, sales manager for 6th Sense Fishing. “It’s definitely a subculture down here. If you get the opportunity and the luck of hooking into a 10-pound-plus fish and landing it, that’s just something you never forget.”

Humble Beginnings

6th Sense Fishing, the Willis-based company that employs Kinart and about 45 others, traces its roots back to a dorm room in Nacogdoches in the early 2000s, when company founder Casey Sobczak was a student at Stephen F. Austin State University. In 2005, Sobczak was part of a team that won the inaugural College Smash-Mouth Bass Championship. The event appeared on ESPNU, and after they won, Sobczak and his teammate were invited to appear on the ESPN2 show “BASS Tech.”

“As part of their participation in that show, they were gifted an airbrush set,” Kinart says. “Casey took that, went back to his SFA dorm, and started custom painting crankbaits. He was selling them on eBay and ended up gaining so much popularity and demand for his product that he said, ‘Well, I guess it’s time I start a company doing this.’”

That company, 6th Sense Fishing, officially launched in 2008 and has grown rapidly, thanks in large part to Sobczak’s talent and stellar reputation for painting baits.

“I tell people all the time, what has driven the success of 6th Sense is, first and foremost, his artistic ability,” Kinart says. “There is nobody in this industry that paints baits like Casey Sobczak. He’s kind of like a mad scientist when it comes to that.”

Becoming a Premium Brand

Today, the company offers its customers a wide variety of items, from baits and rods to apparel, bags, outerwear and more. 6th Sense products are available through the 6th Sense Fishing website, as well as through a nationwide network of dealers that includes small, independently owned shops, as well as big-box retailers.

Kinart says 6th Sense has big plans for the future. For example, this year it will launch a dealer lookup feature on its website so customers across the country can find stores in their area that carry 6th Sense products. The opening of the first store of its own is also in the works.

“We have a really big following and loyal fan and customer base in our local area around Lake Conroe,” Kinart says. “They may someday very soon be able to check out 6th Sense directly at our own shop here in this area.”

The 6th Sense team realizes the importance of innovation and diversification in the rapidly growing fishing industry.

“We’re constantly evolving, trying to come up with the latest and greatest,” Kinart says. “We pride ourselves on quality and top-notch products. Our growth is proof in the pudding.”

With that fact in mind, 6th Sense recently launched a sister company, WaterLand, offering a line of sunglasses specifically designed for anglers. “We’re working on bringing the best fishing optics to the market for the customers to enjoy,” Kinart says.

The 6th Sense team appreciates the groundswell of support the company has received from the fishing community. “To anyone who’s ever purchased anything from 6th Sense in the past, thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” Kinart says.

“We’re blessed. We have so much fun trying to make our customers better anglers and equip them with the best stuff in the business.”

An Angler's Paradise

Texas is a hotbed for bass fishing.

“In my opinion, it’s the best in the world,” Kinart says.

Anglers have a bevy of lakes to choose from in East Texas, including Lake Livingston, Lake Cherokee, Lake Conroe, and the Toledo Bend Reservoir, which Bassmaster Magazine selected as the best bass fishing lake in the U.S. in 2015 and 2016.

Many Texas lakes host fishing tournaments, starting in early spring and running through October, both for professional fishermen and for amateurs. Tournament fishing can mean huge paydays for anglers with the right skills and connections. Successful pros on the major league circuits can earn as much as seven figures a year in prize money, sponsorships, and endorsement deals.

“This is how some guys make their living,” Kinart says. “It’s a very lucrative opportunity, but it’s a grind. I work with professionals on our pro staff who are legitimately in the pro circuit, and there’s nights where they may have a bad tournament and they just want to call me and vent. You’ve just got to tell them to keep their head up. It truly is a full-time job for these folks.”

Amateur anglers can claim prizes of their own — as well as coveted bragging rights — in local tournaments. These tournaments are also a way for young anglers to hone their skills and potentially help further their education. An increasing number of colleges are starting bass fishing teams, and the number of available scholarships is on the rise.

“Texas high school bass fishing probably started back in the ’90s, but it’s really starting to take off in popularity,” Kinart says. “When Casey won in 2005, they invited six schools to the national championship tournament. There are almost 50 schools that participate in the national collegiate championship of bass fishing now. You can just see how much the industry and the sport has grown, and it will continue to grow.”