Wyoming

Wyoming-Based On The Hook Fish And Chips Empire To Expand, Sell Franchises

Published

2 years ago

April 25, 2024

Wyoming-Based On The Hook Fish And Chips Empire To Expand, Sell Franchises

When Ocean Andrew started his popular On the Hook Fish and Chips food truck in Laramie, Wyoming, he had no intention of franchising the concept.

He had always expected to grow the business beyond Wyoming, but thought keeping On the Hook a corporate chain would be the way to go.

But as his territory has grown over the past 10 years with 13 trucks that operate in 17 different states, including Wyoming, Andrew said he’s realized something else — something that made him change his mind about franchising.

“Building that infrastructure, building the whole organization, is very, very difficult,” Andrew told Cowboy State Daily. “And what we’ve done so far, I think we’ve done well. But we felt that it was out of our capacity to keep doing that. It would just become more and more hard, and we were worried that the quality might suffer.”

As he thought back to what made the business fun in the beginning, it was having boots on the ground in a community, and getting to know customers well.

“That’s really what franchising does,” Andrew said. “You have people who own it really close to what’s happening and close to customers.”

So, Andrew’s company is taking the plunge to get to the next level, and will soon offer franchises in states all across America.

Right now, the franchise is only available where the company is duly registered, Andrew said, but he is pursuing registration across the United States, and eventually he envisions the company having franchises in every state from New York to Texas, California and Wyoming, and all points in between.

In the meantime, the first franchise has already been sold in Northwest Montana, and discussions are already underway for other new locations.

There will be two kinds of franchises. The main type will be a district with two trucks, with a building to park in at night and an office. The other will be more of a rural setup with just one truck.

Skipping The Summer Walmart Job

On the Hook Fish and Chips started as a way for two University of Wyoming students to avoid working at Walmart for the summer.

The original concept was simple. They were going to sell one basic thing: Andrew’s father’s fresh, line-caught Alaska cod, beer-battered with thick-cut French fries — classic fish and chips.

The concept didn’t only get them out of working at Walmart. It was such a big hit, it ultimately became the career Andrew had been dreaming of when he decided to pick the University of Wyoming to earn an energy-related degree.

“I was trying to do that so I could make good money to start a business eventually,” Andrew told Cowboy State Daily. “And that was always kind of my passion was owning a business and running something on my own.”

So, he and a college friend went into business together with a refurbished FedEx truck they bought in Denver.

As co-founder Hunter Anderson tells it, Ocean asked Anderson what he was doing for the summer. When Anderson said he’d probably work at Walmart, Andrew said he had a better idea.

Start a food truck with him, selling the wild Alaska cod his father line-catches in Alaska.

At first, Anderson refused, fearing the food truck would probably fail. But eventually he came around, and he helped Andrew taste test more than 50 recipes for what is still their signature crispy-crunchy, beer-battered fish.

Although Hunter and Anderson have continued to try different recipes, even visiting England and coastal cities to try the fish and chips there, they have yet to find a better recipe.

Their original has stood the test of time.

The On the Hook Fish And Chips truck was doing a brisk business parked on the east side of Casper on Monday. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily)

Nearly Over After A Day

Their first day of business was almost the last.

The truck’s propane tanks went out, and they had seriously underestimated just how many people would want to buy fish and chips from their fledgling business.

With some help from other local food trucks, they made it past the first day, barely.

Right off the bat, they decided they needed to simplify their menu if they were going to stay in business.

“We were trying to do tacos and coconut shrimp and fried shrimp and all this stuff,” Andrew recalled. “And we found out it’s a lot harder to run a kitchen than it looks.”

So, they cut the menu back to just fish and chips, all day every day.

However, now that they’re franchising, Andrew said the company is rethinking a few things. That includes the menu.

“As things are being very well run right now, I think the franchises will be able to manage doing a few more things,” he said. “So, we’re starting to add a couple of things, like we’ve just started releasing coleslaw at a few limited locations to test that, and we’re doing private-labeled sodas. We have a strawberry soda that we’re going to have on all the trucks as well. So, we’re testing a few things. We’re trying to have a bit more variety, but in a way that we can manage and not ruin the quality of anything else.”

Fresh, Line-Caught Alaska Fish

One of the things that won’t be changing is the thing that truly sets On the Hook Fish and Chips apart from all others. That’s the quality of the fish, and that’s because of how these fish are caught.

All of On the Hook’s fish are individually line-caught, and every fish is processed and flash frozen within an hour of being caught.

Nets are never, ever used. The problem with net-caught fish, Andrew told Cowboy State Daily, is that the fish often go into rigor mortis before they can be processed. In addition, the fish are subjected to more stress before dying, which affects the taste and quality of the meat.

There’s something else that makes these fish particularly special though.

The fish are caught by Ocean Andrew’s dad, Shaun Andrew, who is captain of the 187-foot Northern Leader and owner/operator of Alaskan Leader Fisheries. The ship was featured on an episode of Discovery Channel’s “Mighty Ships.”

During the episode, the crew fished right through a hurricane.

Andrew told Cowboy State Daily the show was meant to showcase the high-tech aboard modern, seafaring ships like the Northern Leader. But it also offered a glimpse into just how dangerous a job it is to catch fish for American tables.

Another television show that offers a glimpse into the seafaring life of the Northern Leader and her crew would be Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch,” which follows the life of Alaskan crab fishermen. They fish some of the same waters as the Northern Leader.

Andrew told Cowboy State Daily that his parents had always talked about doing a restaurant that served fish and chips using their own line-caught Alaska cod.

“But we never did it,” he said. “So, we were sort of in the middle of when food trucks, there was just this huge upwell in popularity, and there were even people doing it in Laramie.”

That made shifting the idea into a food truck a natural.

Devon Hay and Karsen Kling of Casper were trying out On the Hook Fish and Chips for the first time. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily)
On the Hook Fish and Chips standard meal includes three pieces of fish and fries or chips with choice of sauce to go with it. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily)
Laurie Fletcher of Casper said she regularly tries to seek out the On the Hook Fish and Chips truck when it is in Casper because she enjoys the food (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily)
Manning the On the Hook Fish and Chips food truck Tuesday in Casper were, from left, Matt Hall, Mark Hall and Sam Sherrill. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily)

No More All Blue Trucks

One of the other changes customers are going to notice now that the company is franchising is that the color of the trucks will change.

While they had been two layers of sky and ocean blue, now they’re going to be bright sunshine yellow over an ocean blue wave at the bottom. That will make the trucks much more visible.

The logos will be a little bit different too, to bring more focus to the brand.

But one thing that will never change, Andrew told Cowboy State Daily, is the line-caught Alaska fish that his company uses.

“We are one of (Alaskan Leader Fisheries) largest customers, but we don’t even make a dent in all the fish they catch,” he told Cowboy State Daily. “I mean, their boats are huge and there’s four of them, and they work year-round.”

That means there will always be plenty of line-caught Alaska cod to go around, no matter how big On the Hook gets.

Reaction to On the Hook’s Facebook announcement it is now offering franchises was overwhelmingly positive this week. Many of those commenting recommended their own states and towns for a franchise.

“When are you coming to Grand Forks, ND?” Kristine Stanislowski asked.

“I sure hope someone in Sioux Falls takes this great opportunity, it’s a sure thing here!!!!” Linda Olson Elhassy wrote.

“Franchise to Texarkana, Texas ….. We need a good fish and chips here!!!” Yvonne Danielle Rivers wrote.

Customers waiting in line for fish and chips in Casper on Tuesday seemed equally excited about the announcement.

“I first found them at the eclipse,” Laurie Fletcher told Cowboy State Daily. “They were so good and fresh. We try and see them when they come to town.”

Fletcher felt the food is a “cut above” what others serve.

“And they are really nice people,” she added.

Devon Hay and Karen Kling were trying the fish and chips for the first time after seeing the post on Facebook.

“It looks really good,” Hay said.

Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.

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Wyoming

Meyer’s Late Score Lifts Wyoming past Air Force – SweetwaterNOW

Published

27 minutes ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Meyer’s Late Score Lifts Wyoming past Air Force – SweetwaterNOW

Naz Meyer. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-UW Media-Athletics

LARAMIE — Nasir Meyer converted a three-point play with 35 seconds remaining to give Wyoming Cowboys men’s basketball the lead for good, and Wyoming held Air Force Falcons men’s basketball scoreless over the final two minutes to secure a 66-62 victory Saturday night.

The win marked the 13th home victory of the season for Wyoming, which improved to 16-13 overall and 7-11 in conference play.

“Air Force deserves all the credit and let’s talk about a team that has every reason not to fight, but thats why they are Air Force and the cadets and I have a lot of respect for them,” Wyoming coach Sundance Wicks said. “They were not going to quit, and I didn’t drive that message home enough and hats off to Air Force because they deserved to win. We snuck away with a win. Adam Harakow showed when we need him and he was massive for us. Simm-Marten was made big plays and Naz was clutch for us late.”

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Wyoming shot 35% from the field and went 7 of 28 from 3-point range, making just two from beyond the arc in the second half. Air Force shot 49% overall and 44% from 3, hitting eight shots from long distance. The Cowboys made 13 of 16 free throws (81%) and scored 22 points off 15 Air Force turnovers while holding a 39-36 edge in rebounding.

Damarion Dennis led Wyoming with 16 points and three assists, going 7 of 8 from the free-throw line. Meyer finished with 14 points and tied a career best with eight rebounds. Adam Harakow added 14 points off the bench on 5-of-6 shooting, his first double-figure scoring game since the first meeting with Air Force. Simm-Marten Saadi had nine points in 13 minutes, and Kiani Saxon grabbed seven rebounds.

Air Force opened with back-to-back 3-pointers to take a 6-0 lead. Meyer scored Wyoming’s first basket, and Leland Walker added a 3-pointer to make it 8-5 with 16 minutes left in the first half.

Wyoming responded with a 9-0 run over nearly four minutes, with Saadi and Harakow each connecting from beyond the arc to give the Cowboys an 11-8 lead with under 14 minutes remaining. Air Force regained a 12-11 advantage as Wyoming went scoreless for more than two minutes.

Harakow’s second 3-pointer pushed the lead to 22-16 with nine minutes left in the half, and Wyoming used a 6-0 run while holding the Falcons without a field goal for more than four minutes to build a 28-18 lead with six minutes remaining. The Cowboys closed the half on a defensive stand, keeping Air Force scoreless for the final two minutes to take a 35-25 lead into the break. Wyoming scored 15 first-half points off turnovers.

The teams traded 3-pointers early in the second half, and Air Force cut the deficit to 40-31 with under 17 minutes left before trimming it to seven 90 seconds later. Walker answered with a 3-pointer to make it 43-33 with 15 minutes to go.

Air Force used a 9-0 run during a stretch in which Wyoming went more than 3 1/2 minutes without a point to pull within one with nine minutes left. The Falcons later tied the game at 51-51 with 5:30 remaining after forcing six straight missed shots.

A pair of free throws by Meyer and a basket from Saadi gave Wyoming a 57-53 lead with under four minutes to play. Air Force answered with three consecutive 3-pointers from Kam Sanders to take a 62-59 lead with two minutes left.

Meyer scored with 90 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to one. On the next trip, he converted an and-one to give Wyoming a 64-62 lead with 35 seconds left. The Cowboys added late free throws to close out the 66-62 win.

Sanders led Air Force with 16 points and nine rebounds, going 4 of 5 from 3-point range. Eli Robinson added 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

Wyoming closes its home schedule Tuesday against Nevada Wolf Pack men’s basketball at 8 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the Cowgirls.

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Wyoming

Wyoming High School Basketball 2A State Tournament 2026

Published

13 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Wyoming High School Basketball 2A State Tournament 2026

The 2-time defending champ Tongue River girls, along with both teams from Big Horn will represent Sheridan County in the small school version of March Madness.

Click here to see results from the regional tournaments.

2A Boys:

First Round:

Thursday, March 5th: (All games played at Casper College)

(#2E) Big Horn vs. (#3W) Shoshoni – Noon

(#1W) Thermopolis vs. (#4E) Sundance – 1:30pm

(#2W) Wyoming Indian vs. (#3E) Wright – 6:30pm

(#1E) Pine Bluffs vs. (#4W) Rocky Mountain – 8pm

Friday, March 6th: (All games played at Ford Wyoming Center)

Consolation Round:

Big Horn/Shoshoni loser vs. Thermopolis/Sundance loser – Noon LOSER OUT!

Wyoming Indian/Wright loser vs. Pine Bluffs/Rocky Mountain loser – 1:30pm LOSER OUT!

Semi-Finals:

Big Horn/Shoshoni winner vs. Thermopolis/Sundance winner – 6:30pm

Wyoming Indian/Wright winner vs. Pine Bluffs/Rocky Mountain winner – 8pm

Saturday, March 7th:

Friday Noon winner vs. Friday 1:30pm – Noon at Ford Wyoming Center Consolation Championship

Friday 6:30pm loser vs. Friday 8pm loser – 3pm at Natrona County High School 3rd Place

Friday 6:30pm winner vs. Friday 8pm winner – 7pm at Ford Wyoming Center Championship

2A Girls:

First Round:

Thursday, March 5th: (All games played at Casper College)

(#2W) Wyoming Indian vs. (#3E) Big Horn – 9am

(#1E) Sundance vs. (#4W) Shoshoni – 10:30am

(#2E) Tongue River vs. (#3W) Greybull – 3:30pm

(#1W) Thermopolis vs. (#4E) Pine Bluffs – 5pm

Friday, March 6th: (All games played at Ford Wyoming Center)

Consolation Round:

Wyoming Indian/Big Horn loser vs. Sundance/Shoshoni loser – 9am LOSER OUT!

Tongue River/Greybull loser vs. Thermopolis/Pine Bluffs loser – 10:30am LOSER OUT!

Semi-Finals:

Wyoming Indian/Big Horn winner vs. Sundance/Shoshoni winner – 3:30pm

Tongue River/Greybull loser vs. Thermopolis/Pine Bluffs loser – 5pm

Saturday, March 7th:

Friday 9am winner vs. Friday 10:30am winner – 9am at Ford Wyoming Center Consolation Championship

Friday 3:30pm loser vs. Friday 5pm loser – 10:30am at Ford Wyoming Center 3rd Place

Friday 3:30pm winner vs. Friday 5pm winner – 5:30pm at Ford Wyoming Center Championship

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Wyoming

Wyoming Crow Hunters Can Blast All They Want, But Nobody Eats The Birds

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Wyoming Crow Hunters Can Blast All They Want, But Nobody Eats The Birds

Mention of bird hunting might conjure up images of hunters and their dogs huddling in freezing duck blinds or pounding the brush in hopes of kicking up pheasants. But crow hunting is a thing in Wyoming too.

“It’s about the sport of it,” Dan Kinneman of Riverton told Cowboy State Daily.

He started crow hunting when he was 14 and is about to turn 85. He’s never tried cooking and eating crows or known anybody who has.

Instead, shooting crows is essentially nuisance bird control, as they’re known to wreak havoc on agricultural crops.

“All the ranchers will let you hunt crows. I’ve never been refused access to hunt crows. They all hate them,” he said.

In Wyoming, crow hunting season runs from Nov. 1 to Feb. 28. No license is required, and there’s no bag limit. Hunters can shoot all the crows they want to.

It’s a ball for hunting dogs too, Kinneman said.

“My yellow Labrador retriever, he doesn’t care whether it’s a crow or duck. In fact, he likes crow hunting more than duck hunting, because there’s more action,” he said.

Crow hunting requires skill, patience and a good set of decoys, an experienced Wyoming hunter said. The upside is, there’s no bag limit, hunters can blast all the crows they want. No one eats them, though.

Don’t Expect It To Be Easy

Kinneman said that in the days of his youth, crow hunting was as simple as driving around and “shooting them out of trees with rifles.”

However, as the number of people and buildings potentially in the paths of bullets grew, such practices fell out of favor. Crow hunting became more regulated.

And it evolved to resemble hunting other birds, such as waterfowl.

Meaning, hunters started setting out decoys, hiding in blinds and using calls to tempt crows to within shotgun range.

Kinneman is no stranger to hunting of all types. He’s taken numerous species of big game in Wyoming and elsewhere. And in July 2005, he shot a prairie dog near Rock Springs from well over a mile away.

He hit the prairie dog from 2,157 yards away. A mile is 1,760 yards.

But bird hunting has always been his favorite.

“It’s my life,” he said.

He has a huge collection of duck, goose and dove decoys. And two tubs full of crow decoys.

The uninitiated might think that going out and blasting crows would be a slam dunk.

That isn’t so, Kinneman said. He likes crow hunting for the challenge of it.

“Hunting crows is hard. They are a lot smarter than ducks and geese,” he said.

Pick Up After Yourself

Even though he doesn’t eat crows, Kinneman said he never just left them littering the ground where he shot them.

“I never let them lay out there. I always picked them up and disposed of the carcasses,” he said.

That’s good ethics and it shows respect for the ranchers, he said.

“Leaving them (dead crows) out there would be no different than just leaving all of your empty shotgun shells out there,” he said.

“You have to pick up after yourself, or the ranchers won’t let you back onto their land,” he added.

Slow Year

At his age, Kinneman isn’t sure how much longer he’ll be able to get out crow hunting. And this year has been a total bust.

“I love doing it. But this year there are no crows,” he said.

The Riverton area is along major crow migration routes.

Picking a good hunting spot is a matter of “finding a flyway” that the crows are on and then setting up a spread of decoys and a blind along the route.

But with an unusually warm winter, the crow flyways have been practically empty, he said.