Ira was born and raised in Portland, Oregon where he first found his love of fishing with trout, salmon, and steelhead. Over the years he grew to target any species he could find in the Pacific Northwest including albacore, musky, and sturgeon. After graduating high school, Ira moved to San Diego to attend the University of San Diego where he is double majoring in Marketing and Business Economics. During school, Ira worked in the fishing industry doing photography, social media management, and catalog design. At BD, Ira is responsible for managing surf and inshore content as well as photography on various projects.