Innholdsfortegnelse for March/April 2025 i In-Fisherman

Someone once said there are three things no person can do to the entire satisfaction of anyone else—make love, poke the fire, and run a magazine. I suspect they got the first two right and I’m quite certain the last one is on target. It does seem like far at times, but overall, on behalf of our staff, it’s been a joyous ride all these many years—50 to be exact. Ah, running a magazine. Readers depend o n a clear vision of content from a magazine’s staff; the talent of the chosen writers to cover topics well; the knowledge of those finally sitting in judgment of the writing, making sure the material is accurate and easy to read and understand; and the design genius of the art director. That calls…

As the In-Fisherman Communications Network celebrates its 50th year, it’s a good time to revisit the classic theories that propelled the growth of In-Fisherman magazine and our other media outlets through the end of the 20th century and on into the 21st. One of the key foundations that co-founders Ron and Al Lindner presented back in 1975 was a formula for fishing success. Too many anglers seek shortcuts to success—a secret lure, hot new color, or a super-special jigging motion. This sort of thinking can arise when the winner of a big tournament announces that his success was largely due to a new lure style or secret spot. Stores sell out of the bait and the hotspot is drowned by fishing pressure. Fishing often isn’t easy, so such temptations enter…

It’s fair to say that In-Fisherman, through In-Fisherman magazine, Walleye In-Sider magazine, annual Walleye Guides, television programming, books, videos, radio, online content, and the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail (PWT) fueled the advancement of walleye fishing and conservation more than any other single empire or entity. Collectively, the contributions of these media and tournament platforms increased the popularity of walleye fishing while teaching anglers how to catch more fish by coupling basic understandings of walleye biology and behavior with innovative techniques and technology. Along the way, they also championed selective harvest and walleye conservation. Given this incredible backstory, it was an honor—if not a bit daunting—when Editor In Chief Doug Stange asked me to give writing about it a whirl. “Take a historical look at In-Fisherman’s role in all things walleye…

Gamechanger: An event, idea, procedure or product that affects a significant shift in a current manner of thinking. In the fishing industry, the term “gamechanger” gets tossed around too much. In fact, over my 20-year career, I’d suggest there’s only been half a dozen or so products that indeed truly changed the game. It would be easy to look back over the last 50 to 60 years and find fishing products—or inventions—that could be considered gamechangers of their time. As you’d probably expect, the farther down the timeline we go, the rarer such an occurrence becomes. There have been a few recently, though, that have indeed changed the game. Once a product has cleared most of the engineer’s testing processes, professional anglers and guides associated within a brand’s pro staff…

Using our fish resources wisely has long been a central issue of concern for In-Fisherman. Here we offer a brief look at our role in the promotion of catch-and-release fishing, and our introduction of the more inclusive concept of selective harvest. This is from my perspective as a longstanding In-Fisherman magazine editor and isn’t meant to be an exacting wider examination of these subjects. Peripheral to In-Fisherman 1936: Lee Wulff, a famous fly angler, writer, and outdoorsman, maintains for the first time that gamefish are too important to be caught just once. Many, perhaps most, angling historians consider him the “father” of catch-and-release fishing in North America. 1966: Muskie Incorporated is founded to conserve existing populations and help in establishing others. Releasing fish becomes a suggested practice in 1968 but…

Stretching 5,525 miles, the United States and Canada share the longest undefended border in the world, butting up against 13 American states and 8 Canadian provinces and territories. So it is fitting that In-Fisherman knows no boundaries. Since day one, the quest has been to teach North American anglers how to catch more fish. More and bigger walleyes, bass, trout, salmon, muskies, northern pike, catfish, carp and panfish. Fact is, Canadian anglers view In-Fisherman as much a treasured institution as their American counterparts. As avid anglers, we also share some of the most famous waters in the world, including the St. Lawrence River; lakes Ontario, Erie, St. Clair, Huron, and Superior; and boundary waters like Rainy Lake and Lake of the Woods. Some mighty river systems originate in the U.S.…

This is about crappies and bluegills. Two fish—technically three species because crappies includes both black and white crappies—that share many similarities but in a few important ways are quite different. Both are widespread throughout the U.S. and southern Canada and provide bountiful angling opportunities throughout their range. Both are usually abundant and, historically, harvest regulations have been very liberal. But the size structure—the relative abundance of large fish—of many populations of both fishes has declined, and in many cases the reason is angler harvest. Using increased knowledge about these two panfish and their populations, some fishery management agencies have implemented restrictive harvest regulations. Compliance with regulations is always essential, but even in waters with restrictive minimum length limits (MLLs) or creel limits, judicious selective harvest can go a long way…

Finesse anglers from around the world appreciate and applaud In-Fisherman’s many contributions to the art and science of fishing with light lines and small lures on spinning rods and reels. One of the most notable ones in the minds and hearts of Midwest finesse anglers is former In-Fisherman editor and now Field Editor Matt Straw’s “Small-Time Jigs, Big-Time Bass,” which appeared in the March 1998 issue of In-Fisherman. Despite In-Fisherman’s historic and enlightening publications during the past 50 years, many anglers still maintain that finesse fishing originated in California and several other western states. Michael Jones helped to promulgate much of this myth in his informative book titled The Complete Guide to Finesse Bass Fishing. There are also some anglers who think that Japanese anglers are the originators. Japanese and…

As you’ve been reminded throughout the pages of this special 50th anniversary edition of In-Fisherman, we are indeed half a century old. We’re very proud of our In-Fisherman family and heritage. Thank you for 50 wonderful years! Our original ambition hasn’t changed: We want you to catch more fish. Naturally, that pathway occasionally veers side-to-side or jumps over hurdles along the road to success. But ultimately, and unavoidably so, things change. One way or another, electronics technology has impacted our fishing, and it’s here to stay. I’m going to preach at you for a little bit. Not because I come from a place of authority, or to browbeat anyone into doing things my way, nor to condescend—not at all. I have a tremendous amount to learn and a deep respect…