Dean Butler
Lefty Kreh, renowned fly angler and a member of the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame, was once quoted as referring to Dean Butler as the best all-around fisherman in the world. Born in Melbourne, Australia, on February 18, 1962, fishing was not a large part of Dean’s childhood. His first fishing trip came at age seven with a family friend catching flathead in a local bay. Several years later, while in his early teens, Dean began fishing with a friend on weekends, catching trout in a local river. His first exposure to big game fishing came at the age of 18 when he landed a tuna aboard a charter, and from that point forward, he was hooked.
Through his early 20s, Dean worked for his father’s company which made bearings. While working for his father, Dean would fish and travel throughout Australia whenever he could get time off. He always knew he wanted to fish, and at 23 years old, Dean took his first opportunity to make a living doing what he loved. The opportunity came from legendary Australian fly angler Rod Harrison. Considered one of Australia’s most innovative and respected sportfishing and saltwater fly fishing writers, Rod invited Dean to partner with him, and the duo began filming fishing videos in the late 1980s. During this time filming with Rod, Dean met Lefty Kreh, whom he credits with broadening his fishing horizon, and the two became close friends.
In the early 90s, Dean began to target fish on fly for IGFA World Records. While on a trip with friends to Papua New Guinea, he discovered an area where he could have several chances at dogtooth tuna on fly. Their first shot at a record came on the first day when his friend fought a large tuna to the boat after 40 minutes. Unfortunately, the fish was lost boat side, but the early success gave Dean hope that they could achieve their goal quickly. However, this was not the case, as it took Dean nearly three years to land his first dogtooth tuna record. On April 20, 1996, Dean landed his first IGFA World Record billfish, a 199-pound, 8-ounce striped marlin earning him the IGFA Men’s 20-lb Tippet Class World Record.
Word quickly spread about Dean’s fly-fishing world records, and he began to attract charter clients interested in his expertise with large game fish on fly. Over the next several decades, Dean fished with several high-profile anglers, including IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame Member Tom Evans, who he guided to several IGFA billfish records on fly, including the largest striped marlin ever caught on fly, a 240-pound fish caught on 20-lb tippet. He also guided IGFA Fishing Hall of Famer, Enrico Capozzi, to his incredible 735-pound black marlin caught on 6-lb line.
The relationships Dean formed with these anglers gave him the opportunity to travel the globe and fish the world’s premier destinations. However, despite experiencing so many fishing destinations around the world, Dean states that it’s not necessarily a location that attracts him, but more so the untouched nature of a fishery. For Dean, being able to explore the remote reaches of our oceans and fish where no one has before is what has interested him the most, and he is extremely grateful to be able to travel to so many of these untouched parts of our world and fish for such a wide variety of amazing game fish throughout his career.
When asked how fishing has influenced his life, Dean responds simply, “Fishing has been my life.” Throughout his life, Dean has been a fishing photographer, a fishing journalist, a tackle salesman, a tackle consultant, a fishing guide, a deckhand, and a captain. Dean’s entire life has been fishing, but it’s not one linear path. He has kept his passion and interest in the sport by having a hand in virtually every aspect of the industry, brushing shoulders with the legends of our industry along the way.
For his success in all aspects of our sport, the IGFA welcomes Dean Butler into the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame.
10 сен 2023
