Remembering
Ron Lindner On
Dec. 2nd The Minn Trib. posted the obituary of Ron Lindner,
one of the leading educators in modern angling and personal acquaintance
of mine. In the early 70's my bass club, The North Star Bass Masters,
held an invitational tournament on Lake Lida, near Pelican Rapids. Invitationals
are much more significant than local “club” tournaments,
because big name anglers come from all over the region to try to qualify
for the big one, “The Classic.” They also gave the local
less-known anglers like myself a chance to partner with one of the stars.
Some of the already well-known “names” in the game might
still ring a bell There was BabeWinkleman, of T.V. Fame, Gary Roach
(Mr. Walleye), Ron Shera, Outdoor editer. Mpls. Trib., (Still producing
“Back Roads,” and Minnesota Bound”), and of course,
the legendary Al Lindner and his brother Ron. And, once famous among
the Northstars, big names like Jim Stargel, Terry Black, Lynn Schultz,
Warren Williams, Roger Halvorson, and Gene Pinkney. Amazingly,
it was Gene Pinkney's great good luck to draw as a partner for day one,
none other than Ron Lindner, Al's brother and founder of the Lindy-Little
Joe tackle co. As
soon as the “blast off was over and the wakes had died away, Ron
and I started by pitching plastic worms and spinner-baits up into the
dark side of cove cat tails. While fishing, I learned a lot about Ron
Lindner, all of which was positive. He encouraged me to fish up near
the front of the boat to give me an equal shot at reaching some of the
better pockets in the reeds. (a “loser” would have tried
to keep me “ rear-ended” and too far back to hit any good
spots.) Ron also picked my brain to garner as much info as he could
from a “local” like me who perhaps knew the lake better
than he did. Ron turned out to be a humble, approachable and genuinely
likeable guy, but also smart, curious, and always ready to learn. He
too was a bit in awe of his little brother, Al's ability to catch fish. Another
thing about Ron that impressed me was his thick Chicago accent which
was so distinctive that it showed up not only on his little brother,Al,
but also among some of the Nisswa guides. Anglers
used to chide Babe Winkleman that his accent and Al Lindner-style beard
were more like Al's than Al 's. Another connection Ron and I had was
that we were both students of the famous Jason Lucas, the “Lone
Ranger of Bass Fishing who always fished alone, but knew lots! And the
Lindners, like myself, soaked up his columns like sponges. A
little later in the morning came my most memorable highlight of the
tournament: Al Lindner himself hailed us down and pulled along side
for what ever “In” tips we might share. He leaned over to
Ron and whispered out loud. “One foot!” That was as big
a clue as Al thought it ethical to leak. But I was clueless as to what
it meant. Then he sped away, vanishing in a god-like plume of spray
and a comet-like rooster tail of Ranger Bass-boat glory. Ron and I only
caught a couple of small bass that day, but the following day he went
to school on Al's tip and placed in the money. Well,
Al Lindner went on to win the Lida Invitational. He had found the bass
in heavy growths of cat tails in about 1 foot of water. He had to put
his boat literally on top of the fish, catching the bass by bashing
a plastic worm rigged with a ¾ oz pegged slip sinker right down in front
of them.. No other angler in the tourney had even a clue one could do
that without spooking the fish, but Al did. And he went on to win the
big “Classic” in Tennessee later that year. That made him
a national celebrity. Soon
after that, Ron with Al went on to found the “In Fisherman”
magazine and TV show which have been on the cutting edge of American
fresh water angling ever since. In
later years, the Lindners have turned not just to teaching about being
great fishermen, but also about being “fishers of men.”
This has prompted them to sell the “IN” magazine and show
and create “The Angler's Edge.” The “ Edge”
TV Show, the best fishing show on tv, teaches not only great fishing
lore, but the importance of leading others, especially kids, into true
sportsmanship and a deeper understanding of such Christian principals
as sharing with others and loving one's neighbors. Now
Ron Lindner has entered that great Invitational in the sky, where every
entrant is a winner and the banquet is beyond belief. It's said the
Chief Chef can walk on water and even turn it into wine. Now that's
an Angling Edge. edited html update
09-04-2021
(Gene Pinkney/ 12/7/20 for
The Daily News)