BILL POOLE

1922 - 2009

As a teenager, Bill Poole sometimes cut morning classes at Oceanside High School to go fishing. His love of fishing saw him rise from deckhand to owner of boats, businesses and marinas.

As a pioneer in long-range fishing and a founder of the local chapter of Safari Club International, Mr. Poole was a legendary skipper and big-game hunter.

In 2003, he was honored by the International Game and Fish Association for establishing and nurturing long-range sport fishing in San Diego.

Mr. Poole died of complications from cancer Oct. 21 at his San Diego home. He was 87.

“He was a very smart, intelligent, successful man,” said friend and former business partner Frank LoPreste. “He also had the wherewithal to enjoy life.”

Mr. Poole grew up during the Depression and knew his share of hardships, including going broke during his first plunge into a sport-fishing enterprise with his father in 1946 and suffering serious burns from a fire aboard his first fishing schooner.

By the late 1960s, Mr. Poole was part owner of Fisherman's Landing, Seaforth Sportfishing and Marina, Sun Harbor Marina and Marina Cortez. He loved taking passengers on recreational fishing trips.

He owned, operated and built dozens of custom sport-fishing boats. When he couldn't get a boat to do what he wanted, he opened his own boat-building yard, the Poole Boat Co., longtime friend Bob Fletcher said.

“Bill was absolutely critical in creating the (sport-fishing) industry as we know it today,” said Fletcher, former president of the Sportfishing Association of California.

When most sport fishing consisted of one- or two-day trips, Mr. Poole was making longer trips, venturing into waters not usually frequented by recreational fishing expeditions. He worked with the Coast Guard and Mexican government officials to establish the necessary permits and regulations for long-range sport fishing, Fletcher said.

Friends said Mr. Poole was an accomplished entrepreneur whose life was filled with adventure and success. “He had a tremendous amount of energy and a lust for life,” said Theodore Gildred, former U.S. ambassador to Argentina. “He was very generous and very open. His word was his bond.”

Mr. Poole enjoyed hunting throughout the world, including Africa and Argentina. He and his wife, Ingrid, founded the San Diego chapter of Safari Club International in the 1970s.

“He was always interested in conservation and wildlife,” Ingrid Poole said. The couple established the Bill and Ingrid Poole Foundation to provide fishing and hunting opportunities for deserving youths.

Mr. Poole was also a mentor and supporter of many in the sport-fishing industry, LoPreste said.

William E. Poole was born April 10, 1922, in Oceanside to Herb and Faye Poole. After graduating from high school in 1940, he earned money by driving trucks. He enlisted in the Navy during World War II and was an aviation mechanic and gunnery instructor. He served until 1946.

Mr. Poole, who also spent time in Montana, was a member of many fishing, hunting and conservation groups, including the California Wildlife Federation, the Montana Wildlife Federation, the World Wildlife Museum, the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep and Ducks Unlimited. He was also active with the San Diego Rod & Reel Club and the Masonic Lodge.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Poole is survived by his daughters, Sandra Schafer of Rancho Santa Fe, Sharon Thomas of Lake Stevens, Wash., and Billie Zambroski of Arizona; sons, Randall of Lakeside, Erik of San Diego and Stine of San Diego; and nine grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Bill and Ingrid Poole Foundation, 1028 Savoy St., San Diego, CA 92107, or the Sportfishing Association of California. Contributions to the Bill Poole Memorial Fund can be sent to the Sportfishing Association of California, 5000 N. Harbor Drive, Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92106.

A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Nov. 25 at the Scottish Rite Event Center, 1895 Camino Del Rio S., San Diego.