In Memoriam

Captain Billy Knowles and Robert Lowe

The angling world lost two incredible advocates and visionaries over the past month with the passing of Captain Billy Knowles of the Florida Keys, US, and Robert “Bob” Lowe of Australia. Both individuals have left indelible marks on the world of sport fishing which have extended beyond their regions. Listed below are short biographies for each individual that only scratch the surface on how influential they were to our sport.

 

Captain Billy Knowles

Captain Billy Knowles was a true pioneer and revolutionary in the Florida Keys inshore fishery. Knowles was a fourth-generation captain and one of the best-known guides in the Florida Keys for the past seven generations.  Knowles received his captain’s license in 1961 and the list of notable people he fished with includes the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Grace Kelly, President George H.W. Bush, President Herbert Hoover, and Ted Williams.  During his career, Knowles earned dozens of tournament victories as a captain including the prestigious Gold Cup Invitational Tarpon Tournament, the Don Hawley Tarpon Tournament, the Spring Fly Bonefish Tournament, and the Fall All-Tackle Bonefish Tournament. The IGFA proudly honored Knowles with the IGFA Tommy Gifford Award in 2019 for a lifetime of angling achievements and the advancement of sport fishing.  

 

 

Robert "Bob" Lowe

A former President and Life Member of the Game Fish Association of Australia (GFAA), IGFA Representative Robert ‘Bob’ Lowe left a significant impact on the world of sportfishing. Lowe was awarded The Billfish Foundation Achievement Award for Conservation in 1998, and became an IGFA Elwood K. Harry Fellow in 2000. In 2006, Lowe was awarded the coveted IGFA Gil Keech Heavy Tackle Award, and also served as the tournament director of the iconic Lizard Island Black Marlin Classic tournament for many years, where he was instrumental in the deployment of satellite tags for the IGFA Great Marlin Race (IGMR) that produced incredible and groundbreaking data on black marlin migration patterns.

 

The IGFA extends our condolences to both families of these incredible anglers and influencers of our sport.