FISHING FOR HELP

Houston startup plans to streamline digital booking for aquatic adventures

Houston startup plans to streamline digital booking for aquatic adventures
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.

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Another historic hit for Jose Altuve! Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images.

Jose Altuve has passed Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell for second place on the career hits list for the Houston Astros.

With a bunt single in the first inning and a two-run single in the sixth on Wednesday night at Colorado, Altuve raised his career total to 2,315 hits, one more than Bagwell. Hall of Famer Craig Biggio is the franchise leader with 3,060 career hits.

You can relive the big moment in the video below!

Altuve, a nine-time All-Star who moved this season from second base to left field, is in his 15th major league season, all with Houston. Both Biggio and Bagwell also spent their entire careers with the Astros.

Among active players, Altuve is second in career hits behind Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, who had 2,351 entering Wednesday.

Altuve caught up with MLB.com's Brian McTaggart after the game.

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