From early days fishing Florida piers to building Vanish into a platform for outdoor culture, David Gensler angling relationship runs deeper than sport—it’s philosophy, ritual, and a way of understanding the world.
Do you remember the first time you went fishing? Did you catch anything?
David Gensler: I grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, and my family would vacation in St. Petersburg, Florida during the summers. My mother bought me a rod and a tackle box, and I’d head out with a bucket of live shrimp to fish the piers while everyone else relaxed on the beach.
I caught a ton of snapper and plenty of toadfish. I was given total freedom—I’d fish all day, completely on my own.
Moving from Baltimore to rural Pennsylvania must have been a big moment for your connection with nature. Did you immediately start fishing?
David Gensler: When we moved to Pennsylvania, I was in heaven. Suddenly there was grass, trees, and a creek right outside our house.
I started fishing it immediately. It only had minnows, so I’d catch my own bait and head to nearby lakes and rivers. It was a perfect childhood—independent, outdoors, and fully immersed in nature. My mother always encouraged that independence.
So your mom played a big role in cultivating your love of fishing?
David Gensler: Yes. My father was always busy working and wasn’t into fishing or nature. My mom was the one who supported it.
When I was 11 or 12, she drove me to Virginia for the Bassmaster Classic so I could meet my heroes—Jimmy Houston and Roland Martin. We weren’t wealthy, but she still managed to save enough to buy me my first bass boat when I was 13.
As an adult, did fishing always stay part of your life?
David Gensler: Not always. As I got older, I got caught up in school, travel, and work, and I lost touch with angling for a while.
That changed in grad school at Wharton. I started fishing again regularly—any chance I had. I’d fish the river next to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, or around Boathouse Row. Sometimes I’d wade in, fall in, and head back to class still smelling like the river. My classmates weren’t impressed.
As a father, how important has teaching your daughter to fish been?
David Gensler: Fishing with my daughter Zoe is one of the greatest joys of my life.
She lives in the city, but she has a wild heart. She’s been fishing with me since before she could even hold a rod. I hope it stays part of her life—and maybe one day she’ll pass it on and teach others the craft.
How do you connect fishing with your work building Vanish?
David Gensler: Vanish turns 14 this year.
I started it after finishing the global repositioning of Leica and selling my “futurecraft” design work to Adidas. I was exhausted and needed something real—nature, not another vacation.
Fishing became part of the work. Time outdoors turned into research, inspiration, and content. It didn’t feel like work anymore—I was back in heaven.
Tell us more about your relationship with fishing.
David Gensler: In 2019, I moved to Pennsylvania for a while to slow down, fish more, and spend time with my mom after my father passed.
When COVID hit, I ended up fishing 240 days in a row. Friends came out from the city to join me—I used to joke it was my “self-prescribed COVID cure.”
Whenever people asked why I loved fishing so much, I’d say: “It’s a fish thing—you either get it or you don’t.”
That idea eventually became a lifestyle brand—and it resonated, especially in France and Japan.
David Gensler Angling Brand Favorites:
- Patagonia (waders)
- Norbit (field jackets)
- Daiwa Pier39 (hats)
- Abu Garcia (freshwater reels)
- Van Staal (saltwater reels)
- Shimano & Daiwa (rods)
I avoid traditional wading boots—I prefer sneakers, usually Nike ACG or Merrell.
For eyewear: Oakley UV.
For saltwater rods: Odin.
And I mostly wear my own brand, Landscape.
What other outdoor activities do you love?
David Gensler: Travel—especially long road trips and overlanding.
Also outdoor photography, snowboarding, kayaking, and gardening. Fishing is the core, but it connects to everything else.
David Gensler angling dream destinations:
- Grayling in Mongolia
- Dorado in Central America
- Patagonian trout
- Trout in the Dolomites
- Japan—from Hokkaido to Okinawa
But one of my all-time favorites is still New York City.
Fishing Jamaica Bay in the spring for striped bass, heading out of Sheepshead Bay for fluke or porgies, or even fishing the Rockaways—you’d be surprised how incredible the fishing is there.
What’s the difference between fishing and angling?
David Gensler: Fishing is the act—sometimes simple, sometimes frustrating.
Angling is the craft.
It’s about understanding water, weather, biology, and behavior. It’s tying knots, reading currents, choosing the right lure—sometimes even trusting instinct or something close to magic.
Fishing catches fish.
Angling is a way of thinking.
And if you’ve stood in a river long enough, listening to the water moving around your legs—you know there’s poetry in it.
