Richard is from Windsor, Ontario Canada and has worked in the Manufacturing Industry since 1978, only started fishing in 2008 from a Hobie Mirage kayak after giving up playing hockey and golf due to lower back issues. The Hobie Mirage Drive helped to strengthen his core which eliminated the back issues.
Richard is married to Julie and between them have four grown kids and three grandchildren.
Originally targeting mostly multi species, walleye, pan fish, Sturgeon, Pike, Muskie and Bass, he started the Border City Classic in 2011 which eventually became a Hobie Fishing World qualifier. He was invited to fish HFW3 in Australia where he was bitten by the live competition bug. Both he and Julie as a photographer worked at the Hobie Fishing Worlds in Louisiana in 2016.
Richard continued to run the BCC until 2018 and ran the KATS Midwest series from 2016 to 2019 until Covid eliminated the opportunity to continue the event. He qualified for the Hobie Fishing Worlds 9 in 2019 and has been waiting for the opportunity to attend the event for the past three years.
During Covid he fished competitively in the Ontario Kayak Bass Series, winning the AOY in 2020 and now in 2022, happy to be able to travel in the USA again, participating in Hobie Bos events.
Working with the Topwater Series that started in Michigan a few years ago he recently expanded their format to Canada, the “Topwater Ontario Southwest League – Kayak Fishing Southwest Ontario”, running weeknights through June, August, and September.
Both Julie and Richard look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones in Amal, Sweden.
