If it wasn’t for fishing, some people wouldn’t even own a boat. For others, the relationship between boating and fishing is more casual. Yet we can all appreciate the accomplishments of the exceptional anglers profiled here. Some gained recognition by excelling as tournament competitors and record setters; others distinguished themselves by working tirelessly for conservation or sharing the sport with future generations. The criterion for our list is broad, but the number of prominent anglers is modest when you consider so many deserve accolades for their achievements. If you have thoughts on anglers we missed, please weigh in with a letter to the editor.
LARRY DAHLBERG
“I had the pleasure of guiding Larry in the Florida Keys in the 1970s. He caught his first tarpon with me,” says Capt. Jake Jordan, a big-game fly fishing legend in his own right. “He is the best all-around angler I’ve ever known, and a master with any kind of fishing tackle. Incredibly perceptive, he is an innovator.”
Dahlberg grew up in a tiny town in Wisconsin near the St. Croix River. He was fishing at age 4, and guiding clients to the river’s outsized smallmouth bass and muskies by age 11. In his early 20s, he was spending 1,500 hours a year on the water, although his goals were changing. He became highly focused on catching the biggest fish, in fresh or saltwater. This led to a 30-year career on television that brought him international fame. In 1992 he developed and starred in “The Hunt for Big Fish,” a unique program that over the 24 years it aired, followed him around the globe to 87 countries to challenge the biggest fish and most exotic species. He fished in every ocean and major river, including the most remote stretches of the Amazon.
Dahlberg is a thinker, tinkerer and innovator with a dedicated workshop in his house overlooking the St. Croix. He has developed new flies
