Whether he is on a lake trolling for early season trout, producing his television show or competing in a tournament, it's easy to see that Ray Carignan was born to fish and share his passion for the sport with others.
His love for fishing and the outdoors started when he was 4 years old. His first memories of fishing include catching a 10 inch brook trout. Those magic moments in Canada and Florida spent fishing with his father Roger and his uncles made him a fishing fanatic at a very young age. Then one day after catching a huge amount of fish, his father sister Rosanne told him; "Ray you have received a gift of catching big fish from St-Peter the fisherman's saint. If you use this gift wisely you will reach goals way beyond your imagination." These words coming from a hard working religious nun who received the Canada Order as recognition from Prime Minister Brian Mulroney himself made a big impression on the young man. Since that moment, not a day has passed that he did not either go fishing or think about it.
He quickly evolved into an accomplished multi-species angler. At 14 years old, he entered his first derby and ended up winning first place. After this, there were many other derbies where he made some money. For Ray that was better than having a summer job. A year later, he figured he could make more bucks by guiding clients to his secret fishing spots with his small boat, and he became a very popular fishing guide. Wanting to share his love for the sport that consumed him, Ray started to write for local fishing magazines. Being able to share with others his observations, adventures and tips on the water was very rewarding.
This worked for a while until he found out that some major fishing tournaments were offering big money to the winners. So at 18 years old he decided to try his luck in professional fishing tournaments for bass and walleye, between guiding trips. His rookie year was disappointing. He found out that there were many good hard working anglers out there, and they had more experience. The next season in his first tournament of the year he won The Budweiser National Walleye Championship in Ontario with a world record mark. Winning the tournament money, plus the boat-motor and trailer rig that came with the lunker prize, gave Ray the confidence to attack the North American Tournament trails. Four years later Ray beat his own record at the same tournament to prove that records are made to be surpassed.
With over 200 successful tournaments from Ontario to Florida under his belt including his qualification for the East Coast Pro Bass Tournament Classic in the US we can safely say that Ray used his sacred gift to it's full potential. Ray wanted to do something new and unique. His main goal was to share his passion with everybody. He needed to get more exposure. He spent a few years in college learning all about video production and working part time for CBC. That's when Outdoor Passion was created.
