At In-Fisherman, we pause to offer our condolences to the family of In-Fisherman co-founder Ron Lindner. Lindner passed away on Monday at the age of 86. Lindner is survived by his wife of 66 years, Dolores, and their seven children and numerous grandchildren. The brother tandem of Ron and Al Lindner were the masterminds behind the creation of the In-Fisherman Communications Network, which launched in 1975. At first, it consisted mainly of a magazine, focusing on multispecies fishing. Eventually, a nationally syndicated television show and radio program joined the mix, along with a series of books and videos, all geared toward introducing anglers to new fishing tactics and equipment. Later, the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail was launched by the Lindners as a means to promote competitive angling and create marketing opportunities for various manufacturers in the industry. Ron and Al were the perfect team, both visionaries playing off each other’s strong points. They invented and marketed a number of lures that remain fixtures in tackle boxes around the country, including the Lindy Rig. They developed the “Fish+Location+Presentation = Success” (F+L+P=S) formula to help simplify fishing methods across the seasons. A co-author of several books and owner of multiple patents, Ron was always measuring the pulse of the fishing industry in order to stay a step ahead of the crowd. That was in large part what made In-Fisherman such a popular entity among a hardcore group of anglers. “Teaching North America to Fish Is Our Business” was the In-Fisherman call to action and it served a generation of anglers and industry insiders well. The Lindners sold In-Fisherman in 1998 to Primedia and later launched a new television show named Lindner’s Angling Edge under the Lindner Media Productions umbrella. Rest in peace, Ron. Your accolades are too many and varied to be captured here, right now, but will be revisited as we move forward in a fishing world much influenced by your life of service to the cause. Editor’s note: This is a developing story and will be updated with additional details.
RIP ,Holy Smokes I had no idea he was that old. I had to google him to make sure I was thinking of the right person. Has it been that long that I haven't seen his show.
i have so many of his books and videos,i always cosidered myself ,(self taught) in the world of fishing since i had nobody to take me out and teach me,iwould buy any video or book i could find on walleye fishing,and read or watch them till i knew them by heart,i guess you could call ron an al my mentors,without them knowing it,sad time for sure
Loved the show and magazine. Learned a lot. Been tying on Lindy rigs since I was knee high to a grasshopper. Wow, owe them a ton for all the help and encouragement over the decades! Lot of great memories!
I fished with Al but never met Ron. When Ray O Vac owned Lindy Little Joe tackle my buddy flew for Ray O vac and I got to make some of those fishing trips.
Sad very sad day, good people he will be missed... I meet him on the Minnesota river, Ron named me River Rat after declining to give them my name, the locals however were not happy with our chance meeting they included our use of big bullheads as bait in that video "a tactic we recently seen produce large numbers of big fish by a local River Rat" years later working up north, I herd a crew was filming a smally video outta the Crane Lake MN resort I was working at usually Midwest Outdoors, that night eating supper I here "River Rat" yelled across the normally quite dinning room, I was shocked the TV "super star" remembered me yeah my plans changed for that week, the down to earth approach of the Linder family is what sperates them form others RIP Ron
Rest In Peace. Ron was a very nice guy. I met Ron on the Mississippi River in Sartell Mn. I was 11 yrs old. First time we saw anyone in chest waders. He told us how lucky we where to grow up on that section of Mississippi River. It was and still is the best small mouth fishery. I enjoyed everything he shared throughout his lifetime
Met and talked to both Ron and Al when I was younger. Me and my buddy drove all night to some outdoor show in Minnesota in part just to talk walleye fishing with them RIP Ron you were an inovator in fishing
Was an early subscriber to the mag and kept it up for nearly 20 years. Seem to recall that a magazine subscription came with a book or reference guide that explained their fishing system, along with seasonal movements, and the nature of different bodies of water. Natural lakes, impoundments, rivers and streams. Ron, Al and Doug Stange (you can take the boy out of Iowa, but can't take Iowa out of the boy) probably taught more people to fish well than everybody else combined. Including me.
Virgil Ward? Yes.....his place was at Amsterdam, MO.
And Harold Ensley, The Sportsman's Friend....and son Dusty......."last time you saw old Ensley, he was heading out in that red Ford Country sedan.....I hope you drive a Ford too".
And all of them combined not as helpful or informative as the In-Fisherman stuff.
I remember watching the show with my dad back when I was a kid. And reading the magazine. I'm 61 now.
Since were dating ourselves anyone OLD remember the Virgil Ward Show??
OMG! Yes-Virgil Ward was God to me during my childhoold "Where the fish are biting, that's where were gonna go" Don't feel bad, I'm right behind you @ 55 yrs old
I do. As a kid I would take my bike to the Milwaukee Sears store and talk to Bill Binkleman. He worked in Sporting goods, mostly selling Spoonplugs. LOL
Dont want to take away from this thread but Bill B was a contributing factor to the success of the F,L,P presentation. Most of what Bill offered was shrouded under the cover of darkness.
He was in hospice for a couple weeks. He had survived COVID and pneumonia before succumbing to cancer. About a month ago, he told me, no more hospitals, I'm ready to go.
It's not often that a hero becomes a good friend but that's what happened to me with Ron. He become somewhat of a mentor to me and he always had great insight when I called him and asked for advice. Even at 85 years old we had a discussion about email marketing and he was very knowledgeable, sharp as could be and incredible vision. He could see trends before anyone else would. Incredibly brilliant businessman.
We were also in a regular poker home game together for the past couple years. Tonight we are having a Ron Lindner memorial poker tournament at Ron's longtime friend's house.
Al Lindner called me to tell me the morning after Ron died and I seriously haven't cried that hard since my own mother died. Feels like the end of an era.
Good stuff.
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