Helping Canadians Make “Real Fishing” Safe Fishing
Bob Izumi receiving his CASBA award from Ted Rankine, CSBCWhen it comes to fishing, Bob Izumi is a household name in Canada. But it’s not just about fishing for Bob - it’s about fishing safely and that means keeping a spotlight on boating safety. Through his presence in radio, magazine and television, Bob regularly promotes boating safety. With over 30 years in the public eye, that has meant reaching millions of Canadians with the straight goods on boating safety. The Canadian Safe Boating Council is pleased to present Bob Izumi with a special recognition award for his significant contribution to boating safety.
Bob is Canada’s most popular fishing personality and one of the foremost spokespeople on fishing. His enthusiasm and down-to-earth demeanor have made him every Canadian’s “fishing” friend. Bob’s fishing pedigree goes way back. He won his first fishing derby when he was only eight years old and became Canada’s first full-time fishing professional at the age of 20. Bob has been fishing competitively in derbies and tournaments for more than four decades and has won over 80 tournaments including three back-to-back Canadian Opens.
After spending his first few decades on the competition circuit, in 1983 Bob started his television show Real Fishing, Canada’s longest running syndicated television series, airing in both Canada and the United States. Bob also writes for and publishes a quarterly fishing magazine and his radio show is syndicated on more than 50 stations across Canada. In 1998, along with other like-minded individuals, Bob founded Fishing Forever, a non-profit organization committed to preserving and enhancing Ontario’s fisheries.
Bob’s genuine love of fishing is a given but what sets him apart is his amiable personality and his passion to share that love with others. Bob has channelled this into making a difference in boating safety. Simply put, he is uniquely placed to reach out and influence behaviour of the many Canadians that set out on to the water to fish. With about 50% of the boats sold in Canada used for the primary purpose of fishing, that’s a lot of folks to influence. On his television show, Bob consistently promotes lifejacket wear. And over the years, he has done numerous interviews for radio, television, magazines and newspapers with constant references to boating safety. He has also worked directly with the Canadian Safe Boating Council to promote boating safety, carrying full page advertisements promoting Smartboater.ca and many other Canadian Safe Boating Council initiatives. In addition, he created an episode of his television show dedicated to boating safety.
Our warmest thanks and appreciation to Bob Izumi for his continuing support in reaching out to Canadians who fish and promoting boating safety as part of what they “need to know” for an enjoyable day on the water. And congratulations to Bob on the 30th anniversary of his Real Fishing TV show.
