A sold out crowd is expected to see five men — from the U.S., Japan and Britain, all who have made significant contributions to the sport of recreational fishing – to be inducted into the International Game Fish Association Fishing Hall of Fame this month.
The class of 2010 includes Yoshiro Hattori, Capt. Steve Huff, George G. Mathews, John Wilson and Forrest Wood.
The 12th annual star-studded enshrinement ceremony and dinner will be held Tuesday, October 26, at 6 p.m. at the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum in Dania Beach, Fla. The public is invited.
The honorees are selected each year for the significant contributions through achievements in angling, literature, the arts, science, education, invention, communication or administration of fishery resources.
The five inductees and their contributions are:
- Yoshiro Hattori is an honorary member of the Japan Game Fish Association since its inception. A natural communicator, he is widely known for his television shows “Fishing in Japan” and “11 PM” where he introduced various fishing reports in Japan and overseas.
- Capt. Steve Huff, whose innovations include shallow-water boat building, light-tackle and fly-rod fish fighting techniques, has guided clients to some of the most coveted inshore world records since 1968. Huff revolutionized flats fishing in saltwater and is celebrated in the Bahamas, Mexico, the Florida Keys and the Seychelles.
- George G. Mathews is a big-game fisherman who participated in many of the Bahamas tournaments during the 1960-1970s. A member of the IGFA Board of Trustees since 1971, Mathews has served as Board Chairman and is a former member of the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission.
- John Wilson, a British angler has been a TV personality for 20 years covering big game and deep sea fishing. Voted “The Greatest Angler of All Time” in a 2004 poll by readers of Angling Times, Wilson has published nearly 20 books and authored a column for the newspaper the Sunday Express until 2009.
- Forrest Wood began as a fishing guide on the fabled Arkansas White River, USA. Wood started a small boat repair business on the side and developed his business into what became Ranger Boats. Wood and his family went out to set the modern standard for bass boats, including the first built-in livewell system. Wood validated his early “built by fishermen for fishermen” ad slogan by fishing the B.A.S.S. tour for nearly two decades.
There are currently 80 Hall of Fame members enshrined including Zane Grey, Ernest Hemingway, Curt Gowdy, Ted Williams, Lee and Joan Wulff, Michael and Helen Lerner, Philip Wylie, Bill Dance, Roland Martin, Johnny Morris, Don Tyson and Stu Apte.
Tickets, a few are remaining, are $200 and include the cocktail reception beginning at 6 p.m.; silent auction (with items from Hall of Famers including books, artwork, trips and more), dinner and the induction ceremony in the Greats Hall beginning at 7:30 p.m. Special sponsorships and sponsor tables are available. For reservation information contact Lesley Arico at 954-924-4222 or via e-mail: [email protected].
