You’ll find more than just fishing celebrities in this list. One can make a significant impact
on the lives of many without ever being well known. It is important to honor all of
those who had a great influence on the great sport of fishing, whether famous or not.
Corporate advances tend to be much more visible to us. For it’s their products that
shape the evolution of the sport of fishing.

During a long career spanning the most revolutionary years in sportfishing history, Al Lindner ranks among the most renowned leaders in the fishing industry. He continues to fish avidly for all freshwater fish, averaging about 180 days a year on the water, and is hailed as one of the world’s best all-around anglers.

As the host of Lindner’s Angling Edge and Fishing Edge television series, Al remains immensely popular as one of the best-recognized angling authorities in North America. Al, however, has always worn many hats, and even his most avid fans may not realize the extent of his past and present involvement with all aspects of the fishing business. Other than finding new and better ways to catch fish, that is.

Foremost among his current efforts, Al is a driving force at Lindner Media Productions, which specializes in producing educational fishing programs and DVDs, national TV commercials, product sales presentations, point-of-purchase product DVDs shown internationally in sporting goods stores and provide their trademark underwater photography to the sport fishing industry.

In 2007, Al and his brother Ron were both inducted into the Normark Hall of Fame for the indelible mark their involvement has made on the history of Normark, the angling industry and for their instrumental contributions to the growth and longevity of Normark—perhaps best known to anglers as the distributors of Rapala, Storm, Blue Fox and other fine tackle companies.

Al was also inducted into the Professional Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, and was given the Samuel C. Johnson Fishing Journalist of the year award for his contributions to the fishing industry in the fields of journalism, conservation and philanthropic leadership.

Al was inducted into the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame as a Legendary Angler, and later enshrined into the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame and the Fishing Hall of Fame of Minnesota. He has received countless awards for his contribution to sportfishing and the sportfishing industry. Ron and Al Lindner, co-founders of In-Fisherman Magazine, were honored by the Minnesota Magazines and Publications Association and received the Hedley Donovan Award for their contributions to the Minnesota magazine industry.

Al’s long and honored career as an author, host of syndicated radio and TV fishing shows, video producer, fishing guide, tackle manufacturer, lecturer and champion tournament angler has spanned 35 of the most revolutionary years in the history of sportfishing. His continuing dedication to teaching youth to fish reached a high point when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service used his In-FisherKIDS Camp Fish formula as a nationwide teaching tool. Of all his titles, however, Al prefers that of “Angling Educator,” a lifelong obsession he tirelessly pursues.

Al is a two-time Bassmaster tournament winner. Besides being one of the earliest and more famous participants in professional tournament fishing, he is one of the few fishermen who has successfully fished and won major bass tournaments in the south as well as professional walleye tournaments in the north.

Al played an important part in developing and promoting many angling concepts, procedures, products and language that today’s anglers often take for granted. With his brother Ron, he helped formulate a classification system for categorizing lake, river, and reservoir types. He is also famous for patterning fish response by calendar season.

Al, Ron, James, Daniel and Bill Lindner are the creative forces behind Lindner Media and their wide variety of award-winning productions, and have a long and storied history in the fishing business. The Lindners sold their stakes in Lindy Tackle in 1973, and in In-Fisherman in 1998. Today, they focus their efforts on Lindner Media Productions, whose client list includes some of the most respected names in the outdoor industry.

In association with Bill Lindner Photography (BLP), Lindner Media Productions markets stunning outdoor photography to magazine publishers, advertising agencies and catalog houses. BLP’s photography has graced the cover of national publications including Outdoor Life, Saltwater Sportsman, Field & Stream, North American Fisherman, Bass West, Sports Fishing, In-Fisherman, and Florida Sportsman. BLP is also the primary sport fishing image source for Windigo Images – a large stock photo supplier of outdoor photographic material.