Black Americans have fished these waters for 400 years. This track honors that heritage, spotlights modern Black angling leaders, and builds the mentorship pipeline for the next generation.
The Kimbutu Project. Black angling heritage documentarian.
Black Bass Anglers Association co-founder. Pro circuit veteran.
Founder, Brothas Fishing Together. 4k+ member community.
First Black woman on the B.A.S.S. National Elite Series.
Fly fishing ambassador, Orvis. Mentor, speaker, conservation advocate.
Kayak fishing tournament pro. Community mentor in the Carolinas.
Fish Translator proudly partners with the Minority Outdoor Alliance — a nonprofit dedicated to creating opportunity, representation, and access for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in the outdoor industry. Together we support scholarships, mentor programs, guiding diversity initiatives, and the annual MOA Mentor Match.
Black Pullman Porters, working cross-country rail routes, formed the first nationwide Black fishing clubs in the 1920s–1940s. During their layovers they fished every major American watershed, documenting species, hotspots, and conservation concerns. Their oral histories shape Black angling tradition to this day.
The Gullah Geechee people of the South Carolina and Georgia coasts have maintained West African sweetgrass net-making and shrimp-harvesting traditions for three centuries — unbroken. The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor protects these traditions, many of which continue in commercial and recreational angling today.
Many WWI veterans of the all-Black 369th Infantry Regiment returned to Harlem and migrated north to Buffalo, Cleveland, Chicago, and Detroit. They formed Great Lakes-centered Black angling clubs whose descendants still fish together today.
Post-Emancipation Freedmen's Towns along the Trinity, Mississippi, and Alabama rivers became hubs of self-sufficient fishing communities. Many modern Black bank-fishing traditions in the South trace to these settlements.
Annual bass tournament and gathering in Alabama. All-day fishing, evening education panels.
Annual Juneteenth fishing events on state lakes and rivers nationwide. Free entry, all gear provided.
Monthly community tournaments in 12 states. Open to all skill levels, mentor spots reserved.
Partnership days at historically Black colleges connecting students with fisheries careers.
Register as a mentor or mentee. We pair Black anglers within 100 miles. First-generation-welcoming, always.
Scholarships + internships placing Black students in state and federal fisheries agency positions.
Full-scholarship summer camp serving 800+ Black youth anglers annually.
Pipeline from mentorship into guiding, outfitting, and outdoor media careers.