My road to the Natl. Fishing Hall of Fame

Editor’s Note: Imlay City’s Mark Sak, shares his story and appreciation for being inducted to the National Freshwater Hall of Fame for 2026. Mark will be enshrined at the Freshwater Hall of Fame in Hayward Wisconsin.

 

 

This is very surreal, and it makes my head spin thinking about it all. On Friday, August 11, 2025, I received the nod to be inducted into the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame class of 2026.

It was not an easy road, and honestly, it did not come up on my radar until seven or eight years ago, when I made a congratulating post to another Freshwater Hall of Famer on their induction, when another person commented on a post asking me, “When are you going in?”

Fast forward to three years ago, I had a good friend come to me and say he would help with the nomination process to the NFFHF. I thought I’d see where things stack up.

The process for nomination is a difficult one, as things have now turned to me being able to provide verified information. That alone was a six-month process that involved trying to extract information on hard drives that were not even in use anymore. But what I was able to provide was some important highlights and backed them up with verification letters from people in the industry who were part of those programs, tournaments, conservation events and youth initiatives. I can also tell you that a Hall of Fame nomination and induction do not happen without tremendous support and collaboration within the industry. This absolutely never would have happened without this magazine. Woods-N-Water News gave me the initial platform on which to write. I approached them in 1994 and asked them if I could cover the Michigan Walleye Tour for readers. They took a chance, and nearly 32 years later, here we are.

There was plenty of volunteering. I was at the initial meeting to assist with initiating the SAO (Salvation Army Outdoor Program). We assisted with getting a whole bunch of kids who never would have seen outdoor pursuits had they not been in SAO. The program spread to over a dozen states. I will never pass a red kettle on Christmas again without donating.

There was another program through our local Pheasants Forever Chapter that was significant to clean water and fishing. Our group helped keep thousands and thousands of pounds of silt from running into Saginaw Bay by procuring seed for the Conservation Reserve and Enhancement Program. Our habitat chair, Nathan Hager, was all over it and brought it to the board for discussion. Our board rarely said no to good projects. I believe we assisted with approximately 21,000 acres of buffer strips, which obviously helped keep Saginaw Bay from the algae blooms seen on Lake Erie yearly.

Then there was the Commercial fishing battle of the last decade. Special thanks to Gary Howell, who was the Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee for the Michigan House of Representatives. He is an angler and supporter of recreational fishing. I authored many articles and made many more fishing club visits, providing seminars to get anglers to contact their State Reps. Once nets are set, the fishing changes forever, and I was not going to sit on my hands and watch our game fish being sold to Chicago and New York.

Obviously, my impact was only a very small part of what kept gamefish in our live wells and out of nets as Trout Unlimited played a main role in the fight.

Then, of course, were my years on the pro walleye trail. I had a couple of great years before the tour shut down due to the economy. On the trail, I met some true friends who already reside in the Hall of Fame.

I would also say one of my biggest attributes of this induction was the ability, as a professional angler fishing the event, to report on it to readers and help them understand how other pro anglers were successful. I hopefully helped many readers understand a little more about modern walleye fishing techniques.

Finally, in 2017, as president of the Michigan Outdoor Writers Association, I brought the idea of creating the Michigan Outdoor Hall of Fame. The board of directors was unanimously on board, and the initial Michigan Outdoor Hall of Fame was born at the Carl Johnson DNR Education Center in Cadillac. After a few Covid bumps in the road, it has been moved and embraced by Jays Sporting Goods and the Webber Wildlife and Education Center in Clare.

I have so many folks to thank for this wonderful induction. Certainly, my wife is first and foremost. Shannon kept things going at home while I was fishing all over the country. Then I was also gone in the offseason, covering work time I had switched with co-workers, so I could get those summertime tournament dates covered. I owe heartfelt thanks to Randy Jorgensen and Tom Campbell at Woods-N-Water News for taking a chance on a local guy trying to bite off more than he could chew. I called all of those supporters who wrote those wonderful letters of support as soon as I found out I received a 10-0 vote from the Freshwater Hall of Fame induction board.

Special friend Rick Fowler has always been a huge supporter, and that support has been golden for me. Jim Grandt from Chicago is on the HOF committee and was instrumental in his support for my induction. He believed that I belonged in the Hall of Fame.

Obviously, a big thank you goes out to you, the reader. You do not write for over three decades without reader support. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I am certainly not done yet. There is always someone or something trying to take us away from the outdoor traditions we love. I will always stand up for those traditions, and of course, mentoring our younger generation to teach how wonderful these traditions are.

As usual, I will see you at the boat launch. Hope you have a wonderful fall.

Induction Ceremony

The official induction ceremony for Mark Sak will be held at the Ultimate Fishing Show West, taking place at the Devoss Center in Grand Rapids in March of 2026. This event will commemorate his remarkable career and ongoing commitment to promoting conservation and youth engagement in the outdoors.