You’ll find more than just fishing celebrities in this list. One can make a significant impact
on the lives of many without ever being well known. It is important to honor all of
those who had a great influence on the great sport of fishing, whether famous or not.
Corporate advances tend to be much more visible to us. For it’s their products that
shape the evolution of the sport of fishing.

Joe’s started as a Buick repair garage in 1930. When founder Joseph J. Rauscher recognized his customers’ need for live bait, he began selling minnows. The garage soon became known as Joe’s Live Bait and quickly grew to include a wide range of outdoor activities.

In August 1959, Joe’s son and daughter-in-law Joseph D. and Loretta Rauscher purchased the store. They added the ski business in 1963 and continued to expand the store through several additions.

The current Joe’s Sporting Goods store opened in August 2003, and our online store followed soon after to serve customers nationwide. Today the store is owned by Joseph H. and James Rauscher, sons of Joe and Loretta. As a family-owned and operated business since the beginning, we’re committed to providing our customers with the highest quality, best value, and finest service in the outdoor industry. If you’re passionate about the outdoors, you can always count on Joe’s to get you there.

You can get outdoor gear just about anywhere. But if you shop at the wrong store, you’ll end up taking the wrong equipment with you. The outdoor experts at Joe’s are committed to delivering quality products that are perfectly suited to your specific adventure. Every team member at Joe’s is an expert in their department. From ski fittings to selecting the right fishing rod, our experts know the sport and know how to set you up with exactly what you need to enjoy the outdoors to the fullest. We also know how to talk to you like outdoor companions, not like the pushy or impatient sales people you’ll find at the big box stores. And a lot of times we beat them on price too.

Joe’s Sporting Goods delivers high-quality outdoor gear at a great value to customers throughout the U.S. Our physical store in St. Paul, Minnesota, is staffed by experts who are passionate about what they do outdoors. Home to the best ski shop and gun shop in the Midwest, Joe’s provides the custom fittings, tune ups, cleanings, and advice you need to be at the top of your game.

The following is from Sybil Smith, another Minnesota Fishing Hall of Fame Member, on Joe’s Sporting Goods.

Joe’s Sporting Goods

Maplewood, MN

Joe’s Sporting Goods has been offering free fishing seminars, until Covid-19 appeared, for over 15 years. Taught by the state’s best angling experts, topics have included river muskies, walleye trolling, fishing electronics, fly fishing Lake Superior, slab crappies, fast-tracking river walleyes, bass fishing‘s hottest trends, and many other subjects. According to Doug Stahly, Joe’s general manager and events organizer, some seminars attracted up to 250 participants.

Regarded by many as their “fishing home away from home,” shoppers know they can buy a product and the staff will teach them how to use it.

Joe’s Sporting Goods also partners with area groups and schools to provide angling expertise and equipment. Those groups include Fishing for Life, Women Anglers of Minnesota, Minneapolis Head Start Program, Ramsey County Sheriff’s Department, bass clubs, and school fishing teams around the state.

Joe’s Sporting Goods began as a Buick repair garage by Joseph J. Rauscher in 1930. Many of his customers were fishermen, so he added minnows to his list of services. Soon the garage became known as Joe’s Live Bait and now includes a wide variety of gear for fishing, hunting, camping, and skiing.

Today the store is owned by Joseph H. and James T. Rauscher, sons of Joe, and is located just north of Saint Paul on County Road B in Maplewood, Minnesota. An internet store was launched in 2007.