Posted by Benjamin Martin on
Martha Henze, the First Lady of PENN The PENN name is legendary in the fishing world. Though few people—even PENN gear loyalists—really know the company's incredible story or the crucial role played by Martha Henze, wife of founder Otto Henze. It's a story about the American Dream and a telling saga of American society in the 20th Century. When Martha Haecker married Otto Henze in 1935 in Philadelphia, her plans were likely along the same lines as the vast majority of American women of her generation—have children, raise them and support her husband's business pursuits. She could never have anticipated...
Posted by Benjamin Martin on
Three Lessons I Have Learned as a Woman in the Fishing Industry 1) If you don’t have thick skin develop it! If you're walking into a captain’s meeting as the only girl in the tournament, hold your head high, girl. Or, if you’re hearing the critical opinion of others after a tournament win, brush it off and keep moving forward. You can’t let what people say bother you. Even as they criticize, take what they are saying and listen; you don’t have to act on it. Sometimes people will give you great advice and most of the time it’s just...
Posted by Benjamin Martin on
Sportfishing Women Throughout History Call it a sea change in the culture of the old salts. The sport of fishing is changing, and women are leading the way. There's a long history of female anglers who pioneered the way for today's women anglers--even if they didn't get the headlines in papers and magazines. Since the start of modern sportfishing in the early 20th Century, these women participated side-by-side men in international tournaments and big game angling, chasing and landing world records, not to mention catching fish for family dinners. Two of the most prominent female American anglers in the 1920s...