Our Story
Not to be confused with the kind of gigolo you can find on Craigslist, Jigalode is a lifestyle apparel brand designed for the new generation of fishing. The kind who grew up spending weekends learning to cast a rod and today, still spends their weekends just the same – only better at catching and with an impressive Instagram feed to prove it.
Simply put, these are not your grandfathers fishing shirts. From partying late to rising before the sun to chase the bite, we are the clothes on your back when you are busy enjoying life.
We Don't Jig A Little...
Back in ’96, before there was a brand, Jigalode began as an idea rooted in friendship and good times. In those days, the Macarena was taking the world by storm and there was a lot less boat traffic on Biscayne Bay. In the midst of it all, two friends from Miami, Florida were on a mission to fish as much as possible without breaking the bank.
Hellbent on catching every bonefish they ran across, Damian Fernandez and Wayne Louk spent hours in the shed tying jig after jig. When the weekend rolled around, it was a race to the secret spot, fueled on adrenaline and cuban coladas. No alarms were needed on those mornings.
As legend has it, on one fateful night the gentlemen went back and forth over a name for this crew of theirs when the idea struck them. They dubbed themselves Jigalode and even named their skiff The Flats Jigalode. “We don’t jig a little, we jig a lode! And catch a lode too!”.
Damian’s son, Damian Fernandez Jr. was raised through it all. He grew up with a love for fishing and design. In 2013, he took that love and founded Jigalode, an apparel brand born from the spirit of simpler times with good company.