DAVID JENSEN
Inducted 1992
In 1974, Dave Jensen and fishing partner Mort Bank, a 1981 ND Fishing Hall of Fame inductee, fished the first South Dakota Governor’s Cup Walleye Tournament. One year later, Jensen and Bank voiced a need for North Dakota to involve itself in a similar event to promote walleye fishing.
Jensen, along with Marlin Hvinden, Jim Stephens, and Jim Ireland, all of Garrison, prompted North Dakota Governor Art Link to allow hosting of the first derby in 1976, but only after then Attorney General Allen Olson ruled that the derby was not a game of chance but rather of skill.
It took Jensen and fishing partner Mort Bank a few years to win the prestigious ND Governor’s Walleye Cup, but they did in 1980 with a record catch of over 80 pounds.
Helping to get the Governor’s Cup started was just a small part of Jensen’s accomplishments. He was a North Dakota Game and Fish employee and instrumental in establishing the wildlife and aquatic programs among students such as “Take a Kid Fishing” and “Hooked on Fishing, Not Drugs”.
He was active in the department’s public relations efforts and did a weekly hunting and fishing report on radio. Along with Mort Bank, he promoted the concept of catch-and-release.
Inducted 1992
In 1974, Dave Jensen and fishing partner Mort Bank, a 1981 ND Fishing Hall of Fame inductee, fished the first South Dakota Governor’s Cup Walleye Tournament. One year later, Jensen and Bank voiced a need for North Dakota to involve itself in a similar event to promote walleye fishing.
Jensen, along with Marlin Hvinden, Jim Stephens, and Jim Ireland, all of Garrison, prompted North Dakota Governor Art Link to allow hosting of the first derby in 1976, but only after then Attorney General Allen Olson ruled that the derby was not a game of chance but rather of skill.
It took Jensen and fishing partner Mort Bank a few years to win the prestigious ND Governor’s Walleye Cup, but they did in 1980 with a record catch of over 80 pounds.
Helping to get the Governor’s Cup started was just a small part of Jensen’s accomplishments. He was a North Dakota Game and Fish employee and instrumental in establishing the wildlife and aquatic programs among students such as “Take a Kid Fishing” and “Hooked on Fishing, Not Drugs”.
He was active in the department’s public relations efforts and did a weekly hunting and fishing report on radio. Along with Mort Bank, he promoted the concept of catch-and-release.