ABOUT SIDE KICK LURE RETRIEVER
MEET TONY PETERS
Inventor & Founder
Tony Peters is a 50-year Fisherman and retired US Navy Radar System Engineer. Tony grew up as a pond fisherman in his grandfather’s shadow. Over the years, Tony may have traded his lawn chair for a bass boat, his cane pole for a flipping stick, and his fish catching preference from catfish to bass. But have no doubt, five decades of fishing has turned Tony into a diehard lover of the great outdoors.
When Tony is not on Southern Indiana lakes, you can find him enjoying adventures on US Navy Ships and in Navy research labs. During those many hours supporting Navy sailors, Tony developed a keen instinct for issue characterization and problem solutions. A skill he would later use to start a Small Business called Side Kick Lure Retriever.
Tony’s invention and sequential business, is based around a cost-friendly telescoping pole attachment. To his amazement, the simple device he created solved more fisherman’s problems than even he had envisioned. Besides being an excellent above/below water (all bait type) recovery tool, the flat ended right angle spring retriever concept worked well to push his boat around and recover lost rods. With a lot of fellow fishermen wanting a Side Kick, Tony filed for a patent and took Side Kick Lure Retriever public in 2017.
Founder, Tony Peters, holding his catch from the TBF Nation Semi-Finals on the Mississippi River.
MEET
CHARLIE HERNDON
Co-Founder
Charlie Ann Herndon is the daughter of Tony Peters and the co-founder of Side Kick Lure Retriever. Charlie had the opportunity to watch this company grow since the beginning (6 years ago). She is a recent graduate of the University of Southern Indiana, with a Bachelors Degree in Economics. She is also recently married to her husband, Eric. Charlie has many hobbies and passions, including volunteer work, taking her dog to the dog park, participating in the church worship team and swimming in the pool.
In regards to Side Kick Lure, Charlie's main priority has been promoting the products through social media and at shows, Charlie enjoys getting out on the boat and fishing with her family. Her dad, Tony, has to use the lure retriever most of the time to get Charlie's lures out of the trees!
ABOUT SIDE KICK LURE
The Side Kick team, like most fishermen, just got tired of losing baits in trees, getting recovery lucky, breaking props, damaging rod tips, leaving behind submerged fishing equipment, and being attached to the line during underwater bait retrieves. Using sound engineering principles and addressing the problems as a system of challenges, the Side Kick engineering team made a remarkable discovery.
The answer to all the above issues was simply the combination of every fisherman's favorite recovery technique (reeling down to the bait and shaking the bait loose) and a poor man's answer for maneuvering the boat in shallow water. The Side Kick engineering solution; a simple broom threaded attachment to a common telescoping pole.
The Side Kick Lure Retriever encompasses a telescoping pole, a flat ended surface body manufactured from industrial grade plastic, and a stiff spring. The flat end surface is excellent for boat pushing, the industrial grade plastic is nearly indestructible, and the groves of the spring, at a 90° angle, mimics the rod tip/line/bait reel down technique perfectly while doubling as a controllable dangling chain and a lost equipment ensnaring/recovery device.
For above water recovery, just reach up and snag the hooks in the right angle spring. For underwater recovery, lay the Side Kick Lure Retriever on a taught line between one of the spring's coils, use gravity as the connecting force, and hammer or finesse the bait free.
Side Kick's advantages over its competitors are; Side Kick works on ALL bait types using the same recovery technique, Side Kick sits on the line with no permanent attachment allowing for quick transformation between bait recovery tool and push pole, and Side Kick allows for pole customization based on fisherman needs.
Side Kick is a small company with BIG ideas. The Side Kick team firmly believes that our company's future, like our customer's bait recoveries, is no longer based on luck. Our slogan "GET'EM ALL BACK" was chosen for a reason. Fishermen who use the Side Kick Lure Retriever have increased their bait recovery confidence level to a point where fishing, and allowing their kids to fish, expensive lures is now an everyday option.