July 01, 2025
By In-Fisherman Staff
Longtime Grand-Rapids based guide Tom Neustrom sits down with Thomas Allen, host of In-Fisherman Storyline, to talk about the early days of Minnesota fishing discovery, and how guides found and promoted the amazing fisheries that the state is known for. Neustrom worked very closely with the Lindners to contribute to the magazine features and the early days of the TV show. This was a long conversation that you won't want to miss, so we broke it up into two pieces for easier listenting. Part 2 will be published on July 1, 2025.
Truncated transcript:
00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:17.880: We're listening to In-Fisherman Storyline, North America's top voice in multi-species freshwater angling. Here is your host, Thomas Allen.
00:00:17.880 --> 00:00:33.720: I want the Tom Neustrom experience. You've been a part of the In-Fisherman effort from the early days, and you know that I think once they got established here, the industry skyrocketed. It changed.
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00:00:33.720 --> 00:00:52.720: And you look at Ray Scott and Jerry McInnis, and there's a handful of other contributors to the fishing space that are no longer with us. And my goal with this podcast is to get those stories, because this may not surprise you, but there's a lot of kids out there that don't know the name Ray Scott. And they bass fish. That's their jam.
00:00:52.720 --> 00:01:12.200: And I think that's a shame. Legacy is important here. I think a lot of the youth has really got more into individuality. They care more about themselves than they do about what got them there or about the legacies that were established to grow the fishing industry.
00:01:12.200 --> 00:01:34.560: I think that's the thing. And back in the day, did I ever think about where I am today, two Hall of Fames and all this stuff? Did I ever think this was accomplished? I never even thought about it. It would never even render it in my mind. But the thing is, it started in Chicago. That's where it all started. There seems to be an epicenter of fishing prowess that comes out of Chicago.
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00:01:34.560 --> 00:02:07.280: Because we didn't have the fish to catch. And we got really good at what we did. And I think I've talked to Al about that many, many times, that we were just so astute with trying to get things done. And we just didn't have the--we didn't have the tools, but we didn't have the fish. And so if you're fishing for five fish in a bathtub, and there's only those five fish, well, you're going to try and catch them. But if there was 50 fish in a bathtub, it wouldn't be that hard.
00:02:07.280 --> 00:02:26.160: But there's a difference when you have to fish for a smaller amount. You have to be very good. And not just good, but you have to pay attention. Yeah, and you need to have a resource that allows you to hone your skills. If you're not contacting fish, how are you learning? So there's an element that's fascinated me.
00:02:26.160 --> 00:03:26.000: And by the way, Tom Neustrom, thanks for being here. We kind of kicked this thing off in just a random way, which is fun. So Tom is a renowned Brainerd Lakes area fishing guide in Grand Rapids and has spent a lot of time in the world of education and getting people to catch more fish. And I feel like we had Al in here a couple of times. And he told his story about Chicago. And to kick this series off, we had Mark Zona do this with me. And guess where he's from? Chicago. So there's something in the water in Chicago that must have kicked out some of the-- maybe it's the fish guts that float down the river from wherever. And you guys consumed it, and you became fish heads. I don't know. Whatever it is, there is something interesting about the Upper Midwest, something interesting intriguing about the fishing here. And I think that as we dig into the history of fishermen, as we dig into the value of legacy, we're going to find some of that with you…
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