National Fishing Week is now in its fifth year of engaging new anglers in the wonderful sport of fishing. This week of celebrating fishing has grown over the years to become the premier promotional vehicle for recreational fishing in Canada.
National Fishing Week was made possible by the devotion and vision of one man: Rick Amsbury, or "Huck" as his friends knew him. As executive director of the Canadian National Sportfishing Foundation, Rick took the bull by the horns in 2000 and with a lot of determination and a shoestring budget, managed to do, almost single-handedly, what had been talked about for years. National Fishing Week finally became a reality.
Rick was the kind of person who loved to make other people happy. He always had a big smile and a word of encouragement for anyone he encountered. But nothing made Rick happier than to take someone fishing. He was forever arranging excursions to introduce novices to his outdoor world. Rick was passionate about the outdoors and seized every opportunity to get back to nature. And if he could share the experience with a kid, it made him even happier. Rick taught more people to fish and to respect and conserve the resource than most of us will ever catch fish.
Rick passed away, too young, in September 2003. His legacy is the national marketing strategy "Catch Fishing," which will promote the sport of fishing year-round. His passion - fishing - will flourish because of his vision.
