1997 Hall of Fame Inductees

Former head of TPWD Inland Fisheries Division, Kemp used his own money to introduce Florida largemouth bass to Texas. Kemp also served as the head of the Coastal Fisheries division and was a key player in the move to stop the commercial harvest of red drum.

Hull engaged the Zero Hour Bomb Co. of Tulsa, Oklahoma, maker of explosive devices for fracturing oil wells, to manufacture his invention, a closed-face spinning reel anyone could cast easily. (Some manipulation of letters from the company's name resulted in one of the most famous names in fishing, ZEBCO.) The easy-to-cast reel helped make fishing more popular.

Hewlett was a fishing lure collector and served as secretary-treasurer of the National Fishing Lure Collectors Club (NFLCC). The NFLCC is a non-profit, educational, international organization founded in 1976. The primary objectives of the NFLCC are to foster an awareness of fishing tackle collecting as a hobby and to assist members in the location, identification and trading of vintage fishing-related equipment.

An early bass fishing expert, Mabry promoted bass fishing and traveled throughout the country fishing with leading outdoor writers, distributors and tackle shop owners, demonstrating the virtues of fishing with Bomber baits.