Sure Catch Fishing Products is an “Employment / Income Generating Project” (EIGP) of IDEA that was started eight years ago. This small business is providing jobs for 45 deaf women and one deaf man and is located in the IDEA Livelihood Center in Tagbilaran City, Bohol. Mostly the group tie fishing flies that are sold in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming through a wholesaler, Yellowstone Fly Goods in Billings, Montana. They also tie some squirrel tail treble hooks for a company called MEPPS out of Wisconsin. The employees of Sure Catch are all former students from IDEA’s various supported deaf schools around the island of Bohol, in the Philippines.
Mike Hoiness from Yellowstone Fly Goods was able to visit Bohol this January to teach the crew some new fly patterns. We had a chance to get a group shot when Mike was here. It is hard to overstate just how demanding and exacting this business is. The accurate production of fishing flies is equivalent to in difficulty to the production of micro electronics. It requires a great deal of concentration and dexterity. These deaf woman of Bohol are up to the task.
Many of these ladies are married and have families that they support and there are very few businesses in the Philippines that ware willing to employ the Deaf. IDEA is happy to help these women make a living.