[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 164 (Thursday, November 5, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2728-E2729]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         IN HONOR OF BILL POOLE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DUNCAN HUNTER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 5, 2009

  Mr. HUNTER. Madam Speaker, many years ago on a high mountain lake, 
two young boys were catching trout from a small rowboat, using corn 
kernels for bait. The ``captain'' of this ten-foot boat was a wiry, 
older guy with an ageless face and a direct manner. He was all 
business.
  ``Keep your rod tip up. You're hooked into a monster,'' he commanded. 
The boy let out a whoop as the ``monster,'' a twelve-inch rainbow 
trout, broke the surface of the lake.
  That boy was me. The other boy was my brother Sam, who is now serving 
in Iraq.
  The captain of the rowboat was Bill Poole who, on this and other 
occasions, made life very exciting for us. Sadly, Bill lost his battle 
with cancer last month.
  After our first experience together, I would learn that Bill was a 
legendary outdoorsman and sport fishing captain, whose ``monsters'' 
were fish that weighed in at hundreds of pounds, whose fishing trips 
were 1,000 mile sojourns, and whose boats were the standard for the 
sport fishing industry.
  But on that day, Bill was exhibiting the quality that made so many 
San Diegans and outdoorsmen from around the world want to be near him. 
He radiated outdoor excitement and anticipation. Bill Poole was fun. 
For us kids, his mock sternness would half-frighten us and then melt 
into a big smile as he showed us ``the right way to do it.''
  Bill represented the fabulous outdoor dimension of our San Diego 
community. Early on he recognized the treasure that the fishing grounds 
of California and Baja California offered to outdoorsmen who wanted 
their fishing trip to be a real adventure. He was the father of long-
range sport fishing in San Diego. His talent for finding big fish was 
legendary. His integrity was stainless, and his personality pulled 
people of all ages to him like a giant magnet.
  One of those people was his wife Ingrid. A combination of beauty and 
purpose, she shared Bill's life on a thousand outdoor adventures around 
the world. Together, and with thousands of adventurous San Diego 
friends, they made the Safari Club a wellspring of conservation and 
outdoor fun.
  When the Hunter family was going on a hunting trip, Dad would always 
make a swing by Bill's house to ``borrow'' equipment. Bill would ladle 
out gear and advice on our upcoming outing, interspersed with comments 
like ``I'll never see this again.'' Then he and Dad would laugh. The 
gear would eventually make it back to Bill's garage.
  A new generation is charged with stewardship of the magnificent 
outdoors resource that we call America. It's our job to keep our waters 
and land full of game and fish. As important, it's our job to keep our 
wonderful resource open for enjoyment by our citizens and their kids. 
Let's remember that enjoying that resource was Bill's legacy, so that a 
hundred years from now, a small boy can bring in a 12-inch ``monster'' 
rainbow trout under of the encouragement of people just like Bill 
Poole.

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