Fishing Lessons For The Opener, And Marketing As Well

I ‘ve learned a lot about fishing during openers with my pals, but never as much as I learned on a family vacation on Gull Lake. And I was reminded of a very important facet of branding as well.

It was 5 o’clock in the morning. Just as I was leaving the dock in the 14-foot, rental, Lund fishing boat equipped with a 9HP motor, I heard the whine of 150HP Mercury outboard and squinted into the misty distance. There he was. The king of the Lindy Rig , none other than Al Linder streaking across the bay throwing a huge rooster tale of water. He was heading for the very same weed line I spotted earlier.

I pushed the little resort boat as fast as I could hoping that by the time I arrived at the same spot as Al, he would be reeling in a walleye. As I approached his spot from afar, he jumped out of his seat, dropped in the electric trolling motor, quietly moved toward the most likely spot and began fan casting. He made about a dozen casts in less than two minutes, caught nada, and just as fast as he got into the area, he was roaring off to another spot.

I never caught up with Al, but I did follow him with my binoculars in my left hand and the other on the tiller. He repeatedly went from one “likely” spot to another, presented the right bait for the area he was in, but never wasted much time until he scored fish.

Then he caught a lot of fish.

We can get great results as brand marketers, just like an expert fisherman if we take a few cues from Al.

Once you establish your brand, the most important part of which is to specifically define your target audience; next, make sure you have the right strategy and resources to find your target audience. Deliver the most luring presentation with optimum reach and frequency for maximum results. And don’t waste a lot of time pitching your brand to someone who isn’t interested or just not biting. Even though you have spent a lot of time defining your target audience, be ready to make adjustments along the way.

Editor’s note: The above article was previously written after a family trip to Gull Lake. Since that time, Al Linder’s brother, Ron passed away on November 30, 2020. Al, together with his brother Ron, created one of the most successful fishing brands in the modern era. With Minnesota’s fishing opener scheduled for Saturday, May 15, it seemed appropriate to recall the family trip and provide a remembrance of the Linder brothers.