The Canadian Angler Hall of Fame names Bruce Tufts as the 2026 inductee

Highly regarded for his scientific approach to fisheries management and sportfishing best practices, Dr. Bruce Tufts is this year’s inductee into the Canadian Angler Hall of Fame.

His induction into the Hall of Fame took place Friday morning during a special breakfast reception kicking off the annual Spring Fishing and Boat Show, emceed by Outdoor Canada editor-in-chief Patrick Walsh.

Members of the 18-year-old Hall of Fame include recreational and competitive anglers, media representatives, angling advocates, and fishing industry leaders, all chosen by past inductees for their work in promoting and championing sportfishing in Canada.

Since 1990, Tufts has been a professor and fisheries scientist in the Department of Biology at Queen’s University, where he teaches and supervises the Freshwater Fisheries Conservation Lab. Over the years, his science has not only improved understanding of the biology of fish, but it has also made many important contributions to the development of sustainable recreational fisheries.

Some notable achievements in this area include his studies to maximize the benefits of live-releasing Atlantic salmon on Canada’s east coast, and his efforts to improve practices in competitive fishing events.

Tuft’s scientific research also led to pushing back the opening of Ontario’s Zone 20 smallmouth bass season to the first Saturday in July in order to protect nesting fish.

In addition to teaching popular undergraduate courses at Queen’s, Tufts has published numerous articles for anglers in the popular press, as well as in other media targeting anglers. He is also frequently invited to speak at angler events.

One of his favourite topics when speaking to anglers is the science that can improve their success on the water. His expertise in this area also recently led to a collaboration with American Baitworks to develop their line of BaitFuel fish-attractant products. Namely, his lab followed scientific methodology to identify chemical triggers that stimulate a fish’s predatory response.

According to Tufts, the most rewarding part of his work has been the large number of graduate students he’s supervised who’ve gone on to successful careers as fisheries biologists for provincial and federal governments, as well as for conservation organizations.

Although he’d argue he’s a better fisheries scientist and educator, Tufts is also a keen multispecies angler who can usually be found on the water when he’s not at the office.

Rick Amsbury Award of Excellence

Also honoured at the morning ceremony was the recipient of the Rick Amsbury Award of Excellence, presented annually by the Hall of Fame to an individual for his or her outstanding contributions to sportfishing in Canada over the course of the year. This year’s recipient is Lawrence Gunther, the founder of Blue Fish Canada, a registered Canadian charity dedicated to the future of fish and fishing.

Having grown up along the banks of the Credit River in Georgetown, Ontario, Gunther has a wide range of passions, including conservation, podcasting, writing, creating documentaries, and opening up people’s imaginations to Canada’s many amazing fish species. And, of course, he is an avid angler.

As a person without sight, Gunther depends on much more than the feel of his fishing rod to visualize Canada’s mostly hidden underwater worlds. He also relies on talking and audible electronics, SCUBA, science, local and indigenous knowledge, and his own invention of the world’s first “Blind Fishing Boat,” which is equipped with advanced audible sonar and navigation systems .

In 2012, Gunther went from fishing upwards of 20 tournaments a year with the support of numerous leading sponsors, to launch Blue Fish Canada. For that, he used the licensing revenues generated from his award-winning documentary What Lies Below, which examined the effects of pollution on fish and water.

Today, Blue Fish Canada’s initiatives are diverse and many, from the spring-time “Get Ready for Fishing” program for families to more than 470 episodes of The Blue Fish Radio Show podcast and 120-plus issues of the popular Blue Fish Newsletter.

Then there’s the reverse aquarium experience Gunther offers aboard the fully accessible Blue Fish Explorer; his promotion of sustainable fishing tourism through the Blue Fish Certification program; and the establishment of fish health working groups across Canada.

His latest project? A brand new, fully accessible off-grid research station capable of accommodating eight scientists and 18 youths interested in taking their love of fishing to the next level.

Hank Gibson Memorial Award

This year’s winner of the second annual Hank Gibson Memorial Award was also honoured at the ceremony. Created to celebrate Canadians who have made significant achievements on the pro fishing scene, the award is named after the late Canadian tournament angler Hank Gibson, the first person from outside of the U.S. to qualify for and compete in the Bassmaster Classic.

This year’s recipient is Peterborough, Ontario’s Chris Johnston, who won his very first tournament when he was just 11 years old, fishing with his father, Lynn. Since then, he and his older brother Cory have become a formidable force on the Ontario tournament scene. Today, they both also compete down in the U.S. in the Bassmaster Elite Series.

Chris has been doing particularly well in recent years. In both 2024 and 2025, for example, he won the prestigious Bassmaster Angler of the Year title, making him one of just four anglers to earn the honour in consecutive seasons. That puts the 36-year-old alongside fishing legends Kevin VanDam, Roland Martin and the late Guido Hibdon.

The win in 2024 also made him the first Canadian to earn the Angler of the Year title. And setting another milestone, he was also the first Canadian to win a Bassmaster Elite Series tournament. That was in 2020 on the St. Lawrence River, one of his favourite places to fish.

Among his many other pro angling accomplishments, in 2018 Chris became the first Canadian to win an FLW Tour event, and just last July he won the Major League Fishing invitational, again on the St. Lawrence.

Perhaps fittingly, Chris was unable to the Friday ceremony as he is currently on the water down in Florida, prepping for the Bassmaster Elite Series.