Keith “Catfish” Sutton, a prolific wildlife journalist, will be inducted into the Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame August 21 at the John A. and Genny Morris Conference Center in Springfield, Mo.
Sutton’s first wildlife article was published in 1978, the same year he earned a degree in wildlife management at Arkansas State University. In the years since, Sutton’s stories about fishing, hunting, nature, outdoor recreation and conservation have been read by millions of people around the world.
Despite having no formal training as a journalist when he started writing for a small weekly newspaper, Sutton managed to have stories and photographs published in hundreds of magazines, newspapers and websites, such as Field & Stream, In-Fisherman, Bird Watcher’s Digest, Front Porch and many others. He also has written 13 books and contributed to 92 more.
Sutton’s work has also been featured on television as well. In 2005, he provided weekly commentary on fishing in “The Casting Couch” TV show he hosted on ESPN2, and his fishing show, “Roughing It,” ran weekly for the same network in 2008. His “Out There” adventure column and special features have appeared continuously on ESPNOutdoors.com since 2001, with readership in the millions.
Sutton served 19 years as editor of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s award-winning magazine, Arkansas Wildlife, and has served in various editorial positions with Outdoor Life, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the Outdoor Channel, Cabela’s Outfitter Journal, ESPN Outdoors, Grandview Media and other companies.
