The Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame

Fishing is not just about catching fish. It's about supporting the whole fabric of environment and society that make fishing possible.

The Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame honors individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to freshwater fishing in Texas. Inductees are chosen by the Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame Committee from among those nominated by the public. It is the diversity of the Hall's membership, reinforced by its members' lifelong accomplishments and contributions to freshwater fishing in Texas, that makes this Hall of Fame truly special.

2025 Inductees

The Pierce Brothers

The Pierce brothers (Clayton and late brother Jason) own and operate Lake Fork Taxidermy, which creates fish replicas for clients across the world, including replicas awarded to anglers who contribute Legacy Class fish to the Toyota ShareLunker Program.

More than 30 years ago, the Pierce brothers decided to follow their dreams and love of fishing by opening Lake Fork Taxidermy. Their goal was to help anglers remember their special catches while at the same time help them become stewards of natural resources. Anglers had limited options for fish replicas when the Pierce Brothers arrived on the scene with their new venture.

“The Pierce brothers are innovators who revolutionized the taxidermy industry with their fish replicas—giving anglers something to commemorate their catch of a lifetime while promoting conservation”, said Kelly Jordon, Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame selection committee chairman.

"Supporting Texas fisheries has always been a part of who we are at Lake Fork Taxidermy, whether it be making replicas for the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center or the Toyota ShareLunker program, it’s just part of who we are, but it’s nice to be recognized,” said Pierce. “It always seemed like such a shame to see those big bass harvested for skin mounts and not released for someone else to catch. That’s why we really worked hard to make such beautiful replica mounts that look better and last longer. It saved big bass for others. We didn’t fully realize how much of an impact our work would have on conserving Texas’ big bass. We just knew it was the right thing to do."

Michael Scherer

Michael Scherer of Houston serves as the program director of Fishing’s Future, which has a mission to reconnect youth to family, strengthen family relationships, reconnect families to nature and teach environmental stewardship. Additionally, the program aims to increase awareness for the protection, conservation and restoration of the nation’s aquatic natural resources and increase participation in recreational angling.

Scherer teaches angler education events with Fishing’s Future across the United States. He became a TPWD Angler Education Instructor in 2011, and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Scherer adapted the traditionally in-person program into an interactive online experience, which allowed angler education and TPWD certification workshops to continue without interruption. He has conducted more than 100 angler education instructor workshops, training more than 1,200 angler education instructors and contributing more than 8,000 volunteer hours. Scherer has taught more than 1,100 freshwater fishing classes, reaching more than 43,400 youth and nearly 31,000 adults.

“I think what comes to my mind on being inducted into the Hall of Fame is that I need to do more,” says Scherer. “I’m overjoyed and deeply honored for my name to be going up on a wall with people that mean the world to me and who helped me grow — my heroes and mentors. That wall is a massive food web of giving, teachable skills, stewardship, giving back, and conservation. That wall is dedicated to individuals who have changed lives and I still haven’t been able to fathom that yet. My family and every person I have ever educated, tied a knot with, or caught a fish with are going to be up there with me on that wall. My family today will see me with my heroes, and when my grandkids visit the Hall of Fame, they are going to say, ‘That’s my Pops.’ I just can’t get over that, right now, every time I think about it. It’s such an incredible honor to be recognized for something that you were just doing because it is how I share my passion.”

Previous Inductees

Hall of Fame Nominations

Individuals or organizations that have made a lasting contribution to freshwater fishing in Texas may be nominated through November 1 for induction into the Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. The 2026 nomination cycle has closed. The 2027 nomination form will be available soon.

Rules

Anyone may nominate an individual or organization that they feel has created a lasting, beneficial impact on freshwater fishing in Texas.
Individual nominees can be living or deceased.
Nomination packets must be postmarked on or before November 1 to be considered.

Selection Criteria

Nominations will be reviewed by an independent selection committee made up of media and industry professionals from across the state. Nominees will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Ethics
Leadership/Commitment
Unselfish contributions to the sport
Scope of impact on freshwater fishing
Overall contribution to the sport or to fisheries management in Texas

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