FISHING FOR HELP
Houston startup plans to streamline digital booking for aquatic adventures
Sep 30, 2019, 11:44 am
Photo by Lum3n.com /Pexels
This article originally appeared on InnovationMap.
Fishing is always an exercise in patience, but by the time Jonathan Newar had planned his former work team's trip to New Braunfels, he had already lost all of his. The precious hours he would spend on the water were backed by so much more time reeling in dead ends on potential fishing guides online.
That's because, back then, there were no sites for Houstonians and Texans that compiled information about trips and properly vetted guides, who have to be insured and licensed — until Newar launched Captain in June.
Captain is a business for booking guided fishing trips. It's a little like Yelp for water sports — allowing people to read and write reviews about their experiences with the trips — but they can also book directly on the site, which keeps customers from the hassle of making reservations and lets the guides spend more time on the water and less in the office.
"The guides really love what we're doing," Newar says. "They're jumping on board."
Captain has more than 70 guides, offering over 160 trips, and caters to a market of the outdoor-oriented: fishermen, boaters, campers, the kind of person who spends their weekdays swiveling in a desk chair and weekends spooling line around a fishing rod. That might be a niche market, but it's not a tiny one; In 2016 alone, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service reported that Americans spent $46.1 billion on fishing-related expenses.
Continue on InnovationMap to learn about Captain's plan for expansion.
Pressure ignites as Astros and Red Sox clash again
Aug 13, 2025, 1:00 pm
Alex Bregman homered against his former team for a second straight game and Carlos Narváez added a three-run shot to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 14-1 win over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.
Dustin May (7-8) scattered five singles across six scoreless and struck out eight in his second start since a trade from the Dodgers.
The loss drops the Astros into a tie with Seattle for the AL West lead after the Mariners beat the Orioles 1-0 for their eighth consecutive win Tuesday.
Bregman, who is playing in Houston as a visitor for the first time this week, hit another two-run home run Tuesday night after hitting one in his first at-bat in Monday night’s 7-6 loss. He spent his first nine seasons with the Astros before signing with the Red Sox this offseason.
His homer came after Narváez slugged a three-run shot as Boston scored five runs with two outs in the sixth to push the lead to 7-0.
Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti (1-3) struggled with command in his second start since missing four months with a broken right thumb. He allowed just one hit and two runs, but walked a career-high five in five innings.
The bases were loaded with one out in the third when Arrighetti plunked Trevor Story on the hand to make it 1-0. The Red Sox made it 2-0 when Roman Anthony, who hit a solo homer in the eighth, scored on a sacrifice fly by Masataka Yoshida.
Wilyer Abreu hit an RBI double in the seventh and a two-run double in Boston’s four-run eighth that made it 12-0.
The Red Sox added two runs in the ninth with outfielder Chas McCormick on the mound.
Key moment
The home run by Narváez that padded the lead in the sixth inning.
Key stat
Bregman’s home run Tuesday was his 96th in the regular season at Daikin Park.
Up next
Houston RHP Hunter Brown (9-5, 2.51 ERA) opposes RHP Walker Buehler (7-6, 5.40) in the series finale Wednesday night.