Tyler Usenick’s affinity for the outdoors started at a young age. Born in Holloway, Ohio, Usenick spent much of his youth hunting and fishing inside the grounds of the Jockey Hollow Wildlife Area.
Little did he know that those early days trekking through the woods to find the perfect fishing spot would have such a profound effect on his life. Nor could he have known they would provide him the inspiration to start a business.
Usenick attended Union Local High School, where played football and was graduated from in 2010. Soon after, he decided to serve his country and joined the United States Army in March of 2011. Usenick finished is commitment in 2015 and returned to civilian life, and now he’s married with three kids, and his two oldest fish with their father often.
He’s also going through Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) through the VA Hospital. He still has the capacity to work; it’s just not what it once was.
So why not try something that always offered a sense of peace and enjoyment?
Thus Jockey Hollow Outdoors was born. Usenick creates and sells his own lures via his website and Facebook page. For now, he offers a small collection of bass jigs: bladed, weedless, and soft plastics.
Usenick has plans for expansion, and not just in types of lures offered. He is already filming hunting and fishing videos to be uploaded to YouTube that offer tips and tricks. Naturally, he’ll be using his own crafted lures as he ensures their quality through countless hours of field testing before putting them up for sale.
How old where you when you first started fishing, and what got you into it? How long did it take you to gain an interest in lures and what inspired you to start making them?
When I first started fishing, I was 5 or 6 with my Grandpa. I realized at an early age that using worms didn’t catch the big bass I always saw swimming around, so I started using different lures.
Do you make only the types of lures you enjoy using yourself, or do you plan to branch out? What makes these unique and gives them that extra advantage to make people want to purchase them? The prices certainly seem reasonable.
Right now, I only sell lures that I would use personally because I know from experience that they work. In the future I do plan on expanding to crank baits and spinner baits. It will also take time to test each new lure because I will only sell lures that I know work.
Was this part of your plan all along, or was it more of a hobby, and you had to shift gears after getting out of the service? How has it gone thus far?
This was not my plan. At first, I wanted to save money by making my own lures, but after I started getting good color schemes and action, I knew they would sell and catch fish. I have gotten this far from social media marketing, and people talk, especially fishermen with a new lure.
What’s the significance of the name Jockey Hollow? Since it’s Jockey Hollow Outdoors, do you plan on one day pushing into other areas of outdoor sports, or is this the niche you want to work in?
I grew up in Holloway, Ohio, next to Jockey Hollow Wildlife area, so that’s where I got the name. I do plan to start an outdoor YouTube channel with hunting and fishing videos, and I have already started filming fishing trips.
If you had to pick the top spots in the Upper Ohio Valley to go fishing, what would they be? More established locations, or do you have a special spot only you know about?
My fishing spots are hard to fish, and if they were easy to get to, they probably wouldn’t produce the quality of fish that I’m after. I would recommend fishing the strip pits and creek in Egypt Valley, the strip pits in Jockey Hollow, and the local lakes (Piedmont, Clendening, and Tappan).
