In-Fisherman Storyline

Mille Lacs-area baitshop owner Jason Bahr is joined by his son Tyler as they sit down and talk with host Thomas Allen about baitshop ownership—more specifically Tutt's Bait and Tackle in Garrison, Minnesota, alongside legendary Mille Lacs. The biggest problem lately is how the state of Minnesota unreasonably restricts livebait importing, which has impacted the sales of golden shiners. The golden shiner is considered the best livebait option for walleyes, especially during the ice season. The state needs to make changes, and this discussion sheds light on a situation that is killing baitshop owners across the state we also talk about good solutions going forward. This one gets a little spirited, you don't want to miss it.

This is part 7 of The Greatest Fishing Story Ever Told. Lifetime fishing fanatic, Mark Fisher, talks about how fishing has changed over the years, and talks in detail about his career working at Rapala. The long line of Rapala lures all started with the Original Floater and Fisher offers some insight about the evolution of the brand and how it impacted the entire fishing community. He insists on remaining relevant as an angler by fishing as often as possible, and he talks about how the incoming generations can be active contributing members of the fishing industry. Mark is one of the best dudes in the business and a fine storyteller. Fascinating guy for sure.

Host Thomas Allen has his son Tommy and good friend and veteran walleye pro Mark Courts sit down to talk about the current state of the industry, with a bunch of shenanigans along the way. The heart of the discussion is largely about the explosion of youth involvement in competitive fishing, and how it's almost created a sense of entitlement at times. Courts offers advice to Tommy, and we all agree the future is bright but not without its risks. This is a fun conversation including a couple of generations and various levels of competitive fishing experience.

As we continue to tell the story of the In-Fisherman inception, it would be incomplete without at least one thorough discussion about legendary fish artist Larry Tople. Chuck Beasley spent 16 years as Art Director of In-Fisherman magazine, and now Jim Nagy holds the title after a couple of years. Both men have a lengthy history working with Tople over the years and share their insight into what made him so good, incomparable actually. This is the first discussion about Tople and afterwards, we all decide one episode isn't sufficient. We'll be doing this again.

Thomas Allen sits down with Barry Prall, owner/operator of Trails End Outfitters located on the shore of legendary Tobin Lake in central Saskatchewan. The In-Fisherman crew was visiting Tobin Lake on a content drive to capture images for upcoming In-Fisherman Ice Guide images, and for future digital content efforts, and it turned into an amazing wintertime adventure. In-Fisherman's Todd Ceisner and Thomas Allen's daughter Taylor were in attendance, but the main personalities on this episode include Barry and Eskimo prostaff member Anthony Kleinwachter. There are some exciting stories in this episode, including Barry reminiscing about some of his more interesting bush pilot adventures.

In-Fisherman Editor in Chief Doug Stange sits down with host Thomas Allen for his second interview reminiscing about the early days of In-Fisherman magazine. Doug talks about the evolution of the content, cover art development, writer acquisition, and much more. Doug shares a lot of exciting and entertaining stories about the days of old and brings us into the modern age of In-Fisherman magazine. You'll not want to miss this edition of In-Fisherman Storyline.

The editors at In-Fisherman including Doug Stange, Rob Neumann, Jim Nagy and Thomas Allen sit down and go through what many have concluded as the best issue of In-Fisherman magazine. The March/April 2025 edition is the official 50th Anniversary issue and all the contributing writes and editorial staff worked collectively for months to look back at 50 years of the fishing industry. The team is proud of this issue, and we think you will be too.

Al Lindner sits down for a second interview with In-Fisherman Storyline host Thomas Allen to discuss the early days of In-Fisherman magazine and how both Ron and Al got the organization off the ground. Al looks back at those days with pride, shares some stories that brought the brand to the forefront of the fishing industry and talks about his decision to eventually sell the title to an investment group. It's an intriguing discussion from the get-go.

In-Fisherman Editor-in-Chief Doug Stange sits down with Thomas Allen to relive the early days of his youth in Iowa. He talks about how his fishing passion was born, why catfish are so important to American anglers and the duo discusses the legend of Otis "Toad" Smith and his impact on Doug's storytelling. Mr. Stange has contributed so much to the In-Fisherman platform over the years, and hearing him tell stories of the old day is an absolute privilege.

Longtime In-Fisherman contributor and renowned Lake Erie walleye guide Ross Robertson connected with Thomas Allen to talk about how he kicked his career off and, of course, they got off on a few rabbit trails along the way. This is a fun discussion about what it takes to be a professional in the industry, what to avoid and what you definitely need to do if this career path is of interest. Strap in and listen, this is a long one but entertaining from the word go!