MinnKota

Legendary writer Jerry Gibbs was honored as the Samuel C. Johnson Fishing Journalist of the Year at a July 20th luncheon during the 2006 International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades (ICAST) in Las Vegas. The award is sponsored by Minn Kota, Humminbird and Cannon in honor of Mr. Samuel C. Johnson, a pioneer in the fishing industry and a legendary corporate environmentalist.

The award’s namesake is the late Samuel C. Johnson who grew a small Midwestern wax company into a family of four different market-leading, global enterprises, with combined annual revenues of nearly $10 billion, including: SC Johnson, makers of Pledge and Ziploc; Johnson Diversey, the world’s second largest commercial cleaning products company; and Johnson Financial Group, which is among the five largest privately owned community banks in the United States. Sam founded Johnson Outdoors 35 years ago driven by his love of the outdoors, his passion for the environment and his entrepreneurial spirit of adventure.

Gibbs was selected by a panel of judges based on his contributions to the fishing industry in the fields of journalism, conservation and philanthropic leadership. He has held the position of Fishing Editor at Outdoor Life for 33 years and was also named one of Field & Stream’s 50 Legends of Fishing. In addition, Gibbs is an inductee of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame as well as having Hall Enshrinement, the organization’s highest honor. He has authored numerous technical fishing books, short stories and also has been a contributor to Encyclopedia Britannica. His writings have been honored by the Outdoor Writers Association of America as well as the U.S. tackle industry. 

As part of the Samuel C. Johnson Fishing Journalist of the Year award program, a $5,000 conservation grant is being presented in Gibbs’ name. This year’s recipient of the grant is FishAmerica Foundation which unites the sportfishing industry with conservation groups, government natural resource agencies, corporations, and charitable foundations to invest in fish and habitat conservation and research across the country.

The Marine Electronics Group of Johnson Outdoors Inc. oversees the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of products under the Minn Kota, Humminbird and Cannon brands. Minn Kota is the world’s leading manufacturer of bow- and transom-mount trolling motors, as well as a complete line of battery chargers and marine accessories. Trolling motors include Maxxum Pro, Maxxum, PowerDrive V2, Terrova, Edge, Vantage, Vector, Endura, Riptide Pro, Riptide, Riptide SP, Riptide ST, Engine Mount and E-Drive models. Humminbird is a leading innovator and manufacturer of fishfinders, fishfinder/GPS combo units and digital depth gauges.  Products include 900 Series, Matrix, 500 Series, PiranhaMAX and SmartCast. Cannon is the leader in controlled-depth fishing and includes a full line of downrigger products and accessories. Downriggers include Digi-Troll, Magnum, Mini-Mag, Uni-Troll, Easi-Troll, Sport-Troll and Mini-Troll.