IN recognition of their extraordinary contributions to recreational angling around the world, The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) named five angling greats to the 2023 class of the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame.
This year’s inductees include IGFA World Record consummate and tournament champion Roberta G. Arostegui; flyfishing adventurer and trailblazer, Kay Brodney; conventional and fly-fishing master angler, captain and writer Dean Butler; distinguished Avalon Tuna Club member and conservation advocate, Gerald A. Garrett; and marine resources champion and fishing tackle and apparel pioneer Bill Shedd.
Dean Butler’s recognition as an angler, captain and writer extends far beyond his home waters of Australia. Having fished the world over from Papua New Guinea to the Florida Keys, Butler has been involved in more than 30 IGFA fly fishing World Records both as an angler and a guide. As captain, he guided IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame Member Tom Evans to several IGFA billfish records on fly, including the largest striped marlin ever caught on fly, a 240-pound fish caught on 10-kg (20-lb) tippet.
He also guided IGFA Fishing Hall of Famer Enrico Capozzi to his incredible 735-pound black marlin on 3-kg (6-lb) line. He has refined and developed several successful techniques for pursuing pelagic species on fly tackle and in 1995 became the first person to catch a dogtooth tuna on IGFA-compliant fly tackle.
An accomplished writer, Butler has published numerous features in prominent fishing magazines including Fishing World, Marlin, Sport Fishing, BlueWater and Fly Fishing in Saltwater.
Butler was also a pioneer of Fraser Island and its shallow water black marlin fishery, as well as one of the early pioneers of Papua New Guinea’s black bass fishery. A master of both conventional and fly-fishing tackle for inshore and offshore species, IGFA Fishing Hall of Famer Lefty Kreh was quoted as referring to Dean Butler as the best all-around fisherman in the world.
