IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum

Sorry to say that the Museum along with all of its artifacts and exhibits are now gone and have been moved to Hayward, Wisconsin. Except for a library on the second floor, some remaining executive offices and a lot of vacant meeting space to rent out, it’s a nothing. Stopping by here would now be pretty much a waste of time.
Disregard all of the photos, they no longer represent the present.

My kids attended day camp during spring break at the Fishing Hall of Fame and it was awesome! Very well planned day with lots of activities to include fishing and educational games. To top it off, they dissected small sharks. The price was great too. Highly recommend this camp!

07÷27÷14 We decided to do something different. We took the tri rail from Boca Raton to check this place out. A fun adventure. I never knew we had a Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum. I love fishing and I really enjoyed this place.
We started with a short film about fishing and it was cool that the movie screen opened up to the outside. As you venture into the museum, above you are many sharks and large fish. I love the sailfish. I was in heaven. There were also a few aquariums with fish and lionfish. You can venture outside too. There area small marina with a few boats and a an outdoor trail.
The museum is really dedicated to those who have caught the large fish and showing respect to all the record holders around the world. Rods, reels and hooks were displayed. Lots of memorabilia. It was quite an interactive experience, too. My favorite was the virtual fishing. You really can feel the pull and the fight of catching a fish. Kids would love this! I definitely did!
We went on a Sunday, which was not busy at all. A great way to spend the day. It’s so close to Bass Pro Shops/​Outdoor World to round out the whole fishing adventure experience.
ADMISSION: Children under 3 are Free
Children 3 – 16 $ 5.00
Adults $ 10.00
Seniors 62 and older $ 5.00
FREE for Bank of America/​Merrill Lynch cardholders on the first full weekend of each month!
You gotta check it out! Have fun!

Ducked in next door to tighten my line game in anticipation of an upcoming fishing tourney and decided to dip in here for a refresher on tourney records and standing accomplishments.
Feeling nautically refreshed. What a great resource.
Cabeza TIGHT LINES!

I am writing this review based my experience with the ballroom/​meeting space available for rent here. I have zero interest in fish (other than snorkeling in the Keys and eating the occasional grilled mahi mahi or salmon). I’m sure my Dad (the avid fisherman) would love this place which is dedicated to extremely large fish and the people who reeled them in. Strategically placed next door is a Bass Pro Shops so dudes can get all jazzed up about fishing at the museum and then go buy some fishing gear and/​or a boat so the can skip work and track down Moby Dick or Nemo’s bodyguard. My company rents the meeting space here every year for our annual «kick-​off» event. The space can accommodate from 50 – 200 people comfortably. The museum is located right off I-​95 with a huge parking lot so it’s easy to find. From what I hear the cost is very reasonable and you can bring in whichever caterer you want. It’s definitely an educational spot for kids, but I think they might get bored after about 20 – 30 minutes. Better have a back up plan (i.e. Boomers amusement park nearby).

Our Son and daughter-​in-​law had their Wedding at the IGFA. It is an amazing venue. Joanie, the event coordinator is a doll.

This place is super cool and interesting.

This place is really interesting and has many activities for families. There is an alligator feeding demonstration out back and there is a cool fishing game that lets you feel what it would be like to reel in a monster. Its pretty cool.
Also throughout there is memorabilia from past well-​known fishermen. Lots of factoids about the different fish there are around the world.
I didnt come here expecting too much but was blown away by how interesting and interactive the whole museum was.
I would definitely come back.

I was there for a conference, but they gave us a free tour of the place. I can only imagine a fisherman would love it. I enjoy it.

Good stop for anglers and anglers in training. Right next to Bass Pro shop and seafood restaurant. Price is $ 20 for adults kids are cheaper but I didn’t have one with so can’t remember the price. Takes about hour to hour and half to go through it unless you have children along and want to do a closer study of the interactive exhibits. Good for kids to educate them and great that there are stuffed trophies to see so you can learn to identify fish. There’s a little gift shop and a 9 minute movie that’s a good watch. Go out back after and walk through the «wetlands» where you can see fish swimming around and quite possibly catch sight of an alligator. Motivating for the avid fisherman! Good stop for the family then go eat next door followed up with a shopping trip to the Bass Pro Shop.

Very cool place. If your a fisherman there’s no excuse not to visit. Same goes if you have kids. This place has something for everybody. From the history of fishing to interactive activities for the kids. Very cool displays and even a outdoor nature walk where you can feed the water critters. Great place to spend a couple hours and it’s next door to Bass Pro. Enjoy and Cheers.

IGFA = International Game & Fish Association. The IGFA establish methods for responsible fishing, study and manage fisheries, and most prominently: certify record size fish. It’s more in depth than one might think. Records are held for fishing line size, angler age, rod type, tackle type, fish species, country and territorial records, and more. Most coveted is the all tackle world record.
This is not just a museum, it’s the world headquarters of the IGFA. Strategically located next to Bass Pro Shops, they were constructed at the same time back in 2000 – 2001. The museum consists of a small movie theater, hundreds of record size fish mount replicas, historical fishing memorabilia, library, wetlands area with live alligators, and fishing simulators, which are fishing rods synchronized to tug & pull with video footage.
This 3-​star review is not intended to tell IGFA what they can do better, this is a VERY well done museum. This is just the reality that a museum about fishing is not extremely entertaining. And I LOVE FISHING. Once you’ve seen it, you won’t be dying to return. I’m always dying to leave, and go fishing!
$ 8 admission is appropriate. All fishermen should check this out at some point. It’s a 1 hour visit to the casual observer. 2 hours for people who love to fish. And all day if you’re thirsty for fishing knowledge, and want to read everything. The 50 foot sport fishing boat on the water has always baffled me. You can’t board it. What a waste!

If you are ever in the area and have some time to kill, head down to the IGFA Hall of Fame just off the highway in Fort Lauderdale. Heck, if anything, just go out of curiosity. I did!
Lots of photos, models and even a couple of cool simulators! Epic!

This place is nice if you have any interest in fishing it is a least worth a trip and you can hit the Bass Pro Shop next to it at the same time.