Invention: CatchMate (for counting fishes)
Inventors: Bruce Moen, Jeff Thielke
Inventors’ Location: Benson, Minnesota, USA

Counting fish is a popular activity, even if you are not fishing. Sites like primarygames.com provide games for kids which involve counting fishes. And some kids are given toys by their parents to learn how to count fish.

All this is fun, but the fishermen take counting of fish seriously, because it is vital and essential for their profession. A resident on Benson, late Orvald Moen, had came up with an invention for counting fish during the last decade. It was not complicated, and involved a bail counter and hole cut in the top of a five gallon bucket cover. Now, his son Bruce Moen and his partner Jeff Thielke, have come up with a greatly improved version, called Catchmate. This will keep track of all of the big and small fish of different colors that anglers can catch from a lake.

Jeff Thielke used to work with Bruce Moen at Backstreet Media in Benson. Jeff went to Bruce with some ideas, and they started working on improving this invention together. Jeff started a company called CAAB Industries for this, and their combined work resulted in CatchMate as it is now.

The new version of CatchMate is made of hard plastic. It is spring loaded. CatchMate has a counter which will far exceed the amount of fish caught in the average afternoon on the lake. It will fit most five and six gallon pails and has the ability to count everything from fish to apples to small parts, anything which can fit into the hole on top of the lid.

Catchmate can be used in fishing boats, according to the inventors. It can be placed between two people, or can be placed next to a person fishing on shore or in marinas, according to the inventors.

Moen and Thielke started marketing the product seriously from October onwards, and they have enjoyed some success as the product is now sold in a number of large chain stores.