THE BISBEE’S BLACK AND BLUE A BAJA MIRACLE

An accidental entrepreneur who parlayed an ordinary fuel-dock business in California into what would eventually become the largest independently run big-game fishing tournament in the world, Robert (Bob) Bisbee’s remarkable journey began on March 6, 1933, and spanned 85 years.

Bisbee migrated from Excelsior Springs, Missouri, to Orange County, California, where he married Aina Williams on November 1, 1960—a marriage that lasted 58 years—and had five children: Bob Jr., Wayne, Tricia, Erik and Destiney. He was also blessed with many grandchildren and great-grandchildren before his death on June 14, 2018.

Along the way, the elder Bisbee touched the lives of millions through his passion for sport fishing. In 1975, he leased the Shell Fuel Dock on Balboa Island, California, and rebranded it as a 76 Union facility known as Bisbee’s Marine Fuels. He also opened a modest tackle store, which became Bisbee’s Sportfishing Headquarters.

A RADIO LIFELINE

The tackle store was the first to set up a land-based marine single-sideband radio to keep in touch with boats traveling up and down the West Coast. At the time, this was often the only way for the crews to communicate, by relaying messages to and from their families, boat owners and others. Boats that