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.

Don Pursch started fishing at the age of three where he spent his summers fishing all around his grandparents cabin near Longville, Minnesota.
Don is a professional fisherman, fishing guide, educator and occasional tournament pro with an aptitude for catching toothy brutes known as muskies that cruise the clear lakes near his home in Walker Minnesota. Don earned a reputation for catching big fish and he has guided muskie fisherman and women for 40+ years all over northern Minnesota and Canada. He’s so good at it that he has shared boats with TV anglers Roland Martin, Al Linder, Babe Winkleman, Steve Pennaz, Ray Gildow. Don appeared with Larry Dahlberg on ESPN “Hunt for the Big Fish” TV specials and promotional fishing videos. Don has been featured on Fishing with Roland Martin, Ontario Outdoors, In-Fisherman, Lake Commandos and Lake Land Currents television programs. He was the host for the production crew and fishing coordinator for Jeremy Wade’s muskie special for the popular television show “River Monsters”.
Don was also instrumental in the operations of “Camp Fish” located near Walker, Minnesota where he wore many hats such as facilities director, camp counselor, media producer, and senior instructor. He taught everything fishing and provided years of onthe-water instruction. Don has mentored hundreds of Camp Fish attendees, wrote numerous fishing articles for publication and hosted Camp Fish television specials for In-Fisherman TV.
Don worked for Rodcraft a custom rod manufacture. He also served as representative for numerous tackle companies and was field rep for Tuffy Boats and Sage fishing rods companies.
Don has also conducted numerous seminars around the Midwest for Muskies Inc, In Fisherman and has been a featured speaker at many sports shows such as the Chicagoland Sport Fishing, Travel and Outdoors Show, MN Muskie Expo and Northwest Sports Show. Don has also been featured and written about in Len Hartman’s “Before I Forget” and Tony Rizzo’s “All-Pro Muskie Guides” books along with and contributing and being written about in the National Hunting & Fishing Library Series. Don was also featured on the cover photos of Muskies Inc. magazine (1994) and the Minnesota Fishing Regulations (1986). He was also featured in fishing articles in Sports Illustrated, Muskie Hunter, and Field and Stream magazines.
Don also owned and operated a fly-in fishing camp (Nielsen’s Fly-In Lodge) in northwest Ontario, Canada for over 30 years guiding fisherman and women for trophy lake trout, walleye, bass and muskies.
Don and his wife Lynn are retired and living on Leech Lake near Walker. They spend time at their cabin on Lake of the Woods in the Northwest Angle where you’ll find Don fishing for walleyes, crappie and bass. He still casts for that elusive great grandmother of a trophy muskie still lurking out there.
Don has made his contribution to Minnesota Fishing through his work at Camp Fish educating many young fisherman and women about the fishing industry and the outdoors. He’s also noteworthy of his dedication to guiding fisherman and women for over 40+ years and he certainly was a strong influence when muskie fishing industry grew and interest really took off.