The Fly Fishing Industry has suffered a great loss
At 2:30PM on April 24, Kay Mitsuyoshi of Fishabout Sport Fishing Adventures passed away as the result of a massive stroke suffered 3 weeks prior. Kay was 73 years old.
Kay has been such a great friend for 30 years, my business partner, and a loyal companion. Together we built Fishabout to reflect a set of business ethics and principles that we agreed upon when we first started building the company.
Kay will be deeply missed by all of us on the Fishabout Team and the many friends and clients that he served. Kay will be best remembered by his cheerful enthusiasm and devoted service that he gave generously to his angling friends and clients.
Fishabout will continue to function under the same ethics and principles and will continue to provide a high standard of service to the Angling Community. Kay’s memory will live on with every trip we arrange.
Howard McKinney - Fishabout
Fishabout and Kay’s family will have a memorial Celebration of Kay’s Life May 12, at 12PM - 2PM Los Gatos Lodge, 50 Los Gatos-Saratoga Rd. Los Gatos Call 1 800 231-8676 if you need instructions how to get there.
KAY MITSUYOSHI'S HISTORY OF SERVICE TO THE ANGLING COMMUNITY
Kay’s history of service to the fishing community goes back over 50 years. His first career with Japan Airlines allowed him the ability to travel around the world, and fly fisherman that he was, he always sampled the water, wherever there was a trout stream, lake, flat or a fish to be caught. He was one of the first fly fishermen to sample the waters of Tierra Del Fuego, Argentina and
Chile. His career with the airlines also stationed him in Anchorage, Alaska, where he became involved in the Alaska seafood industry. During his time there in the late 50’s he fished Alaska when there were virtually no fishing lodges. He worked closely with John Walatka, Ray Petersen (famous for pioneering flying into the Alaska Bush) and Chuck Petersen during the early years and founding of the Angler’s Paradise Lodges, Kulik, Brooks and Grosvenor. Kay moved to San Francisco and assisted several lodge owners and operators including John Pearson and Bob Curtis with marketing plans and lower 48 operational assistance. Many of the old-timers in the fishing community will remember Kay at Creative Sports (the first and best fly shop during its era in the Bay Area). Kay then moved to The Millpond Fly Shop in the early 70’s to create and oversee the travel program. This is when Howard McKinney (me) became obsessed with fishing travel and he started me down the long road of a career in an industry that I have been extremely privileged to be a part of. Kay then went to work at Fishing International to oversee their Alaska operations and I followed as an outside sales representative.
Kay and I started Fishabout in 1989. At first the going was tough as in any new business, but in a relatively short time we were having the time of our lives working on new fishing programs, building our client base and enjoying the best fishing spots in the world. We made a pact that the minute it stopped being fun, we would move on to something else. For the last 18 years, Kay has devoted his life to serving the Angling Community. He always said that he wasn’t in it for the money, but to be a member of the greatest bunch of people in the world. He was proud of our company and worked tirelessly. He was best known for his “Gift of Gab” and loved to spend time talking to the hundreds of friends and clients that called the office every day. He loved his fly fishing, helping people into the sport, and talking about the little details involved in tying a special fly or knot. He gave of this information freely and was always there for anyone who wanted to call and talk fishing.
Kay is loved by many, including myself. I can see him up there in fishing heaven, where the trout are always taking hoppers, the bonefish are all over 8lbs and the permit are dumb and hungry.
I salute you Kay as one of the greatest fly fishermen in history...
Howard McKinney
Fishabout inc
