Flattening waves a family business

The boat maker who originally determined that boats should have a pointed bow to cut the waves -- if there was such a designer -- has been lost to history, I suspect.

But the folks who first made a business out of helping boats back troll into waves without taking on much water ... well, they are still making history:

We're talking about the Herricks, a Minnesota family of walleye zealots who 25 years ago created the Wave Wacker. It was their name for what early walleye anglers called splash guards. The early models were modified truck mud flaps attached to the boat's transom.

In effect, the Wave Wacker raises the height of the transom so walleye anglers can back troll to maintain boat control.

Bill Herrick, 71, along with his sons, Mike and John, came up with a better splash guard system using aluminum framing and stylish polycarbonate plates.

As for appearances, the Wave Wackers were certainly easier on the eye than mud flaps from an 18-wheeler.

"There was nothing out there that looked decent and was also effective,'' Mike Herrick recalled the other day. "My father had been a walleye fisherman all his life and understood the need for splash guards.''

However, the Herricks never thought making Wave Wackers would be a business of its own. But the demand kept growing and finally the Herricks wondered if it could turn into a business.

Little did they know. Today, thousands of Wave Wackers (wavewackers.com) are on walleye boats largely in the Upper Midwest and 270 marine dealers handled the products, ranging in price from $169 to $339.

Despite the growth, it's still a Herrick family business, Mike and John build the units to fit any boat model and Bill's wife handles the books.

Said Mike: "It's still a small business. But where the walleyes are, Wave Wackers go.''

Ron Schara is at mnbound.com.