Outdoor Grips Introduces Ergonomics To Rods

You could say Aaron Techlin saw a need in the fishing industry. You’d be even more correct if you said he felt it.

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Techlin suffered a wrist injury while fishing in a tournament on Leech Lake in 2012 that caused him to try to reinvent the grip of a fishing rod. The result is his company, Outdoor Grips.

“After I got hurt I took my sun scarf off and wrapped it around the grip so I could finish the tournament,” Techlin explained. “It was a double-8 bite and it just sucked. I figured there had to be something out there that allows for a better grip of a fishing rod, and this caused me to look at developing a product that allows a more ergonomic alternative.

“There is nothing ergonomic about the way you hold fishing rods. Fishing rods have been pretty stagnant for so many years,” Techlin continued. “When you fish for a while, often you feel pain or a twinge or a tickle in your wrist or forearm. My idea was based on the uncomfortable position of your hand on a fishing rod.”

Techlin found an eager customer base. “We did our first show in Chicago in 2015 and it’s just been a wild ride,” he said. Outdoor Grips, based in Appleton, Wisconsin, is a product development company, Techlin said, but he’s taken it one step further to handle manufacturing and retailing.