GARY COE

Gary Coe is a top winning tournament fisherman, fishing instructor and ambassador for his sport. He is recognized for having spent 20 years enhancing fisheries through hatchery programs, educational scholarships and grants, promotion of ethical sportsmanship, tournaments, and youth development.

 To drive these efforts, he established the charitable non-profit Kokanee Power and built it to 1,200 volunteers who donate their time, money and energy toward making California freshwater fishing programs better for all anglers.

 His fundraising generated over a half million dollars toward improving fish pens, kokanee egg collection and events. Along the way, he formed partnerships with the Department of Fish and Wildlife and many organizations to create the foundation to restore and enhance fisheries at many lakes across California.

 Coe bought, delivered and donated food for ten independent projects to grow and release large trout, including at Shasta, Lewiston, Siskiyou and Collins. He developed partnerships with the U.S. Forest Service, which designed pens and the Mt. Shasta Rotary Foundation, which built three pens and set them in a single huge dock structure to grow trout to 4 to 7 pounds for release every April. Coe also has put together volunteers to assist in kokanee egg taking for CDFW at the Little Truckee River.

 As an outdoorsman, he developed trolling methods to catch large kokanee, trout and salmon and fished at nearly every inland water in California. If the lake has large fish, Coe has fished it. His favorites include Shasta, Whiskeytown, Almanor, new Melones, Don Pedro, Shaver, Berryessa, Bass, Stampede, Tahoe, New Bullards Bar, Union Valley, Donner, Pardee and many others. He is a master angler at choosing rods and reels, rigging, downriggers and tackle selection per water.

 There's no secret fishing hole with Gary Coe. He's an angler who doesn't hide what he knows. He is an ambassador for his sport, passing on his knowledge at sport shows and events across the state.

 His enthusiasm is contagious with all who have met him. His nomination to the Hall read, “You leave with the faith that, as long as Gary Coe is involved, the chance of something special happening is just ahead." Asked why he has devoted his life to developing Kokanee fisheries, Coe said, “We do it to allow people, especially parents and their children, the chance to catch a fish of a lifetime that otherwise would be near impossible.”