California Fishing Passport Award Winners

four award pins for Passport categories: Coldwater, Warmwater, Ocean, and Shellfish

One of the primary goals of the California Fishing Passport Program is to recognize anglers' accomplishments with a number of different awards. This page lists all California Fishing Passport award winners for each award category. For information on California Fishing Passport awards and how to apply for them, check out our Awards page. If you would like to see your picture here, email us at passport@wildlife.ca.gov with a picture of you with your catch, certificate and/or pin after you have received your official award.

Featured Fishing Passport Award Winners

Warmwater Fishing (Inland) Achievement and Recognition

  three images side by side, with a man holding a catfish in his boat, a Warmwter Angler Award certificate, and a man fishing with his daughter next to a pond     

Warmwater Angler
at least 6 different qualifying fish

Tim McAroy
Awarded 2010

Steven Shailer
Awarded 2011

Starr Samsom
Awarded 2015

Gregory Berhenke
Awarded 2016

Margaret Stooksberry
Awarded 2016

Kazunori Okada
Awarded 2017

EJ Stowe
Awarded 2017

David Shigematsu
Awarded 2017

Randy Okuhata
Awarded 2018

Aron Brooks
Awarded 2019

David Brooks
Awarded 2019

Ruby Bryant
Awarded 2019

Tyler Lenart
Awarded 2019

Andrew Simmons
Awarded 2019

Karolina Simmons
Awarded 2019

Ben Friedman
Awarded 2020

John Cherry
Awarded 2021

 

Accomplished Warmwater Angler
at least 12 different qualifying fish

*David Shigematsu
Awarded 2017 

Tim McAroy
Awarded 2010

Andrew Simmons
Awarded 2019

Karolina Simmons
Awarded 2019

Ben Friedman
Awarded 2020

 
 

Master Warmwater Angler
at least 25 different qualifying fish

David Shigematsu
Awarded 2019



 

 

 
 

*Angler has also achieved Warmwater Angler status

Coldwater Fishing (Inland) Achievement and Recognition

three images side by side, two fly fishermen fishing in a bubbling river, a Coldwater Angler Award certificate, and a swimming rainbow trout hooked on a line

Coldwater Angler
at least 3 different qualifying fish

Harold K. Owens Jr.
Awarded 2009

Shane Fusier
Awarded 2011

Steven Shailer
Awarded 2011

Azure Cohen
Awarded 2012

Johnathan Leong
Awarded 2012

William Evans
Awarded 2013

Craig Reimche
Awarded 2014

Ed Gomes
Awarded 2015

Frank Burr
Awarded 2015

Kazunori Okada
Awarded 2015

Chris Halliday
Awarded 2016

Gregory Berhenke
Awarded 2016

Margaret Stooksberry
Awarded 2016

David Shigematsu
Awarded 2017

Randy Okuhata
Awarded 2018

Andrew Simmons
Awarded 2019

Karolina Simmons
Awarded 2019

James Guth
Awarded 2020

Randy Guth
Awarded 2020
 

 

Accomplished Coldwater Angler
at least 6 different qualifying fish

*Michael K. McVay
Awarded 2010

*Jonathan Leong
Awarded 2012

*Craig Reimche
Awarded 2014

*Kazunori Okada
Awarded 2016

Azure Cohen
Awarded 2016

*David Shigematsu
Awarded 2017

*Frank Burr
Awarded 2018

Andrew Simmons
Awarded 2019

Karolina Simmons
Awarded 2019

James Guth
Awarded 2020

 

Master Coldwater Angler
at least 10 different qualifying fish 

Nicholas Ciani
Awarded 2018

Kazunori Okada
Awarded 2018

 

*Angler has also achieved Coldwater Angler status

Ocean Fishing Achievement and Recognition

three pictures side by side, a pier with rods poking over the sides, an Ocean Angler Award certificate, and a young man fishing off the side of a boat on the ocean

Ocean Angler
at least 10 different qualifying fish

Erickson Nunes Marques
Awarded 2009

Steven Shailer
Awarded 2010

Tim McAroy
Awarded 2010

Craig Reimche
Awarded 2011

Azure Cohen
Awarded 2011

Jack Halliday
Awarded 2013

Ed Gomes
Awarded 2015

Dylan Halliday
Awarded 2016

Ethan Mayes
Awarded 2016

Margaret Stookksberry
Awarded 2016

Kazunori Okada
Awarded 2017

David Shigematsu
Awarded 2017

Thomas Smith
Awarded 2018

Williams Evans
Awarded 2019

Tyler Lenart
Awarded 2019

Kim Fane Miller, Jr.
Awarded 2019

Ben Friedman
Awarded 2020

Antonio Ortiz
Awarded 2021

 

Accomplished Ocean Angler
at least 25 different qualifying fish

*Azure Cohen
Awarded 2012

*Chris Halliday
Awarded 2016

Tim McAroy
Awarded 2016

*David Shigematsu
Awarded 2017

Kazunori Okada
Awarded 2018

Tyler Lenart
Awarded 2019

Robert Dengler
Awarded 2019

Ben Friedman
Awarded 2020

Craig Reimche
Awarded 2021

Master Ocean Angler
at least 50 different qualifying fish

*Ethan Mayes
Awarded 2018

Azure Cohen
Awarded 2016

David Shigematsu
Awarded 2018

Kazunori Okada
Awarded 2018

 
 

*Angler has also achieved Ocean Angler/Accomplished Ocean Angler status

Shellfish (Inland and Ocean) Achievement and Recognition

three pictures side by side, an abalone diver measuring a red abalone on the seafloor, a Shellfish Expert award certificate, and a sucba diver holding a spiny lobster

Shellfish Specialist
at least 3 different qualifying species

Chris Halliday
Awarded 2013

Timothy McAroy
Awarded 2010

Steve Shailer
Awarded 2010

Azure Cohen
Awarded 2011

Jack Halliday
Awarded 2016

Dylan Halliday
Awarded 2016

Margaret Stooksberry
Awarded 2016

Kazunori Okada
Awarded 2017

David Shigematsu
Awarded 2017

EJ Stowe
Awarded 2017

Thomas Smith
Awarded 2018

Robert Dengler
Awarded 2019

Aron Brooks
Awarded 2020

 

Shellfish Expert
at least 7 different qualifying species

*Steven Shailer
Awarded 2010

*Azure Cohen
Awarded 2012

Kazunori Okada
Awarded 2018

Robert Dengler
Awarded 2019

David Shigematsu
Awarded 2019

 

Shellfish Master
at least 15 different qualifying shellfish species

None at this time

 
 

*Angler has also achieved Shellfish Specialist status