LAKEPORT — Have a question that pertains to the outdoors in Lake County? Terry Knight has the answer.
No one knows the local outdoors scene better than the 83-year-old Knight, who has penned a twice-a-week hunting, fishing and outdoors column for the Lake County Record-Bee since 1986. Thirty-four years later, the Minnesota native and retired electronics engineer is being inducted into the California Outdoors Hall of Fame. He’ll be one of five people inducted Saturday beginning at 1:30 p.m. at the Sacramento International Sportmen’s Exposition in Sacramento.
According to Knight, it’s the first time a Lake County resident will be inducted since the California Outdoors Hall of Fame began in 2002. Among its more notable members is Ansel Adams.
“It’s a big honor, a huge honor,” Knight said. “You look at the state of California and only five people made it this year. It’s a huge honor for Lake County.”
An avid fisherman and hunter who was born in a cabin in northern Minnesota in 1936, Knight has been an active part of Lake County’s outdoors scene since relocating to the area in 1986. He has guided professionally for both fisherman and hunters, conducted nature walks and history tours, taught seminars hosted by Wilderness Unlimited and written for a wide array of state and national publications, including Western Outdoor News, ESPN Outdoors, Fishing and Hunting News, and local outlets such as the Record-Bee and Ukiah Daily Journal.
Knight also serves on Lake County’s Fish and Game Commission. He is also active in Lake County Hospice.
Among a plethora of Knight career achievements, he started what became the nation’s largest team bass tournament in 1987 and ran the event through 1992. During its heyday, the Record-Bee/Bruno’s Team Tournament, which survives to this day and is now run by the Lakeport Chamber of Commerce, featured up to 225 two-man teams competing for a 100-percent payback cash purse of up to $45,000.
Knight joins Alex Honnold of Sacramento, Jim Brown of San Diego, Kent Brown of Roseville and Clarence King of Yosemite in the Hall of Fame class of 2020. Of the 25 finalists from a much larger original field of nominees, Knight had to appear on at least 60 percent of the ballots cast by the Circle of Chiefs (voting Hall of Fame members) and other members of the selection committee. All of this year’s inductees appeared on at least 69 percent of the ballots cast, led by the late King with 81 percent and Knight with 71 percent.
Anybody can nominate a candidate but the candidates are required to meet two requirements – inspiration and adventure. The candidate must have inspired thousands to participate in the great outdoors and/or conservation activities, and must have participated in a large number of adventures pertaining to the outdoors.
