Article Courtesy: coastalcarolinafisherman.com | Originally Published: 2/4/16 | Click here for original article

The Origin of the Fishing Fighting Chair

Over the years there have been numerous versions of how the fishing fighting chair came into existence. One popular rumor tells that famous writer and world class fisherman, Ernest Hemingway was the original inventor. As the legend goes, Hemingway used a birthing chair from a Key West hospital and mounted it near the transom of his sport fishing boat, Pilar. While this version is not true, Hemingway was close to the actual creation of the fighting chair. His good friend and fishing partner, Julio Sanchez was actually the inventor. Sanchez was a native of Cuba, growing up on his family’s sugar plantation while fishing the waters of Cuba. He later became an engineer and used those talents to create what is today’s fighting chair which has become an important part of sport fishing around the world.

Sanchez actually fashioned his fighting chair design after a barber chair. One day while getting a shave and haircut, Mr. Sanchez became stuck in the barber’s chair. When the barber tried to pull him free, Mr. Sanchez braced his feet firmly on the foot stand. The result was a barber sent flying across the room. And the idea of the fighting fish chair was a reality. He was an avid Bluewater fisherman and fished many times with the likes of Hemmingway and Howard Hughes. He is listed in IFGA Hall of Fame for his many fishing accomplishments and his contribution of the “fighting chair”. Julio passed away in 1985 at the age of 86 years old but his legacy lives with every angler that lands a monster fish from a fighting chair.