Tributes paid to In-Fisherman co-founder Ron Lindner following death at 86

There has been an outpouring of tributes to Ron Lindner, co-founder of the In-Fisherman empire, following his death on Monday at the age of 86.

Ron was due to join his brother, Al, as a member of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame next year, in an induction ceremony postponed from last September due to COVID-19. The brothers were highly successful tournament anglers who launched the In-Fisherman Communications Network in 1975. They also invented the Lindy Rig lure that has gone on to sell more than 70,000 units.

Talking to the Brainerd Post-Dispatch, Al Lindner said his brother’s life revolved around his faith, his family and his fishing business. “Nothing else interested him, nothing else was important to him,” he said.

The Lindners moved from Chicago to Minnesota in the late Sixties. They opened a guide service and went on to build a fishing empire. They grew In-Fisherman into a network that included the magazine, a nationally syndicated TV show, a radio programme, books and videos. They also started the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail. After selling In-Fisherman in 1998, they launched Lindner’s Angling Edge show.

“Ron and his brother were truly pioneers in the era of modern fishing,” said Jim Saric, Hall of Fame angler and host of Musky Hunter TV. “With social media today, it’s easy to take fishing concepts and techniques for granted. If you go back to some of the early In-Fish magazines, as well as some of the original television shows, you can read and watch techniques that are still being used today.”

Well-known Chicago angler and fishing coach, Spence Petros, recalls how the Lindners changed fishing with the Lindy Rig, small hooks and light lines. “They had that magic act and would run from lake to lake with their depth finders, catching fish from spots nobody knew about. It was an exciting time in the golden age of fishing,” he told The Chicago Sun-Times.

Dave Mercer, TV presenter and host for the Bassmaster Elite Series, said: “The fishing world lost another incredible man. The unbelievable impact Ron Lindner made on this world will never be forgotten. Thank you for everything, Ron.” Lindner’s friend, Kim Stricker, host of the Hook n’ Look show on the Outdoor Channel, called Lindner ‘a legendary angler’, adding: “The work Ron, his brother Al and the entire Lindner team have done over the years surely influenced my aspiration to produce fishing programmes … and they set the bar high.”