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John Barrett

John Barrett is an Emmy Award-winning television producer who changed the face of outdoor television and introduced the sport of fly fishing to millions of people worldwide. Born in Red Lodge, Montana, in 1959, John can never remember a time when fly fishing was not part of his life - something he credits to his Finnish grandparents.

As a young adult, John was a competitive tennis player and tennis pro in Billings, Montana. In his early 20s, he left tennis and began a new career as a fishing guide on Montana’s famed Big Horn River. He grew up watching Curt Gowdy’s “American Sportsman,” Jerry McKinnis’ “The Fishing Hole” and, later in his life, a new generation of fishing shows that began airing on the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN). During an era of rapid proliferation of television fishing shows, Barrett perceptively observed that virtually none of them focused specifically on fly fishing.

In 1989, Barrett approached ESPN with the concept of producing and hosting a television program devoted to fly fishing. ESPN accepted Barrett’s proposal and “Fly Fishing the World” was born. John’s concept was somewhat different from other fishing shows of the day. Instead of featuring guests from within the fishing industry, he chose professional athletes and famous actors. The first episode aired in 1990 with Baseball Hall of Famer George Brett fishing for permit and bonefish in Mexico. Over the next 22 years, Barrett would be joined by a multitude of notable personalities, including Walter Payton, Liam Neeson, Robert DuVal, John Denver, Chris Everett and Michael Keaton, just to name a few.

“Fly Fishing the World” quickly became one of the most acclaimed television fishing shows of its era. John’s famous guests brought notoriety to the program, but also gave viewers a rare glimpse of these well-known figures outside of their normal comfort zones and larger-than-life personas. While all of his guests were avid anglers, none were professionals, which he believed gave viewers a sense of belief that they could also travel and fish the same locations they saw on the show. By demystifying fly fishing and bringing it to the mainstream, Barrett exposed the world to a facet of fishing that wasn’t well known to the masses at that time.

“Fly Fishing the World” was so successful that it drew the attention of the Director of Cinematography for what would later become one of the most famous fly fishing films of all time, “A River Runs Through It.” Before shooting the film, the director requested three seasons of “Fly Fishing the World” so that he could better capture the essence of fly fishing in the movie. John’s contributions to “A River Runs Through It” helped make the movie a great success, which brought the sport of fly fishing further into the limelight.

“Fly Fishing the World” ran for 22 years and was filmed in 74 different countries around the globe. After he stepped down as the show’s host, John went on to produce a number of other highly successful outdoor television programs including “Fly Fishing America”, “Trout Unlimited Television” and “Fly Fishing Masters.”

John still can’t get enough of fly fishing and when asked what the sport has taught him most as a person he remarked: “There is an enormous amount of one’s personality that is exposed in fly fishing. Adaptability, persistence and humility are all brought to the surface. It’s a lot like life in that every day is a new day and every cast is a new opportunity.”

The IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame welcomes John Barrett for sharing the sport of fly fishing with the world through years of innovative and memorable outdoor television.