Here’s What You’re Not Reading

This evening I was reading one of the big-time outdoor magazines when I read an interesting letter to the editor.   The crux of the letter was chastising the magazine for having over 30 pages devoted to advertising space out of the total of 80 or so the magazine contained.

No doubt about it…magazines are driven by their advertisers.   A large part of the revenue stream comes in from these sources.   And certainly I don’t begrudge any publisher for selling ad space.   In fact, I only find ads in a magazine to be a minor annoyance.   Now ads on TV, on the other hand, that is quite another story.

But I don’t think most sportsman know the power these advertisers yield.   Rather, I’m quite sure the typical sportsman does not give much thought to this.

Case in point.   Yesterday I was speaking to another outdoor communicator who told me that for years he’s had a hobby of collecting yellow snow.   YELLOW SNOW??   You must be kidding, I first thought.   But no, he was dead serious.

While many sportsmen traipse into the woods during the upcoming weeks to search for shed antlers…this particular sportsman also looks for discolored snow that might indicate that a deer has recently urinated on it.

The process is quite simple…he takes a clean jar with him along with a small trowel.   When he finds some yellow snow he carefully scoops it into the jar.   Eventually, he takes all of the snow collected and distills it down to the most pure form…or so he thinks.   This particular writer claims that his deer urine concoction, when added to some glycerin and other lure additives is far better than ANY commercial attractant you can buy.   Why?   Well, because this lure comes from the real McCoy…not some synthesized substance pawned off as real.

But I digress here for a moment.   This blog is not about collecting natural deer lure.   No, quite the contrary.   It’s about the power of advertisers and why you have likely never read of this unique sportsman’s activity.   My acquaintance told me that he queried several editors who were fascinated by the concept and the idea…but they said it would not fly in their publication.   Why?

Well, maybe you can see where I’m going with this.   That’s right…a large base of most publications advertising budget comes from various lure manufacturers.   Why would any managing editor want to risk ruffling the feathers on these ad-buying clients by running an article that might encourage money out of their ad-buying customers pockets?   Many won’t…and that’s why you won’t see articles such as collecting yellow snow.   It purports a technique that opens up too many cans of worms in the publisher’s office.

But is this right?   What has happened to the ethics found in much of the outdoor media?   As a sportsman, don’t you want to read articles how one guy collects yellow snow to increase his hunting success without the concept being sanitized or rejected because it might upset some commercial interest?   I know I sure do.

I fear that as the outdoors seems to continue a move down the path of big money, print publications and television shows will become nothing more than glorified infomercials.   Thrown aside are the journalistic ethics that should hunger to showcase a good idea on its merits alone, and not based on whether or not it will irritate an advertiser who might lose a sale or two because of the ideas contained in the writing.

© 2006 Jim Braaten.  All Rights Reserved.   No Reproduction without Prior Permission.

In-Fisherman Magazine Turns 30

This week the 30th Anniversary Edition of the In-Fisherman Magazine goes on sale at newsstands around the country…but why is this milestone of any importance to sportsmen?   Quite frankly, it was the foresight of brothers Lindner who helped to revolutionize the process and the science behind the way many of us go fishing.
Infisherman
As the fishing industry grew there was also a need to satiate the growing thirst for knowledge that permeated throughout the outdoors world.   For deer hunters it was a group in Wisconsin called Stump Sitters who eventually parlayed this deep desire to learn everything about deer into a club, of sorts, to share experiences and blend knowledge.   Eventually, this effort evolved into the magazine now called Deer and Deer Hunting.   But for fishermen nothing could ring more credible than the wisdom spewed forth in In-Fisherman published by the Lindner Brothers of Bemidji, Minnesota.

You see, the Lindner Brothers were well on their way to making a name for themselves even before they published their first written article.   In Northern Minnesota the name Lindner quickly became synonymous with success even way back in the early 70s.   In fact, these brothers started dabbling in producing fishing-related TV shows dating way back to 1970.   Their uncanny ability to mix fishing fun with hardcore fishing science paved the way for these pioneers of fishing to permanently make a mark in the fishing world.

As fishing lure manufacturers (Lindy Tackle – Lindy Rig, etc.), to publishers of books, magazines, TV, radio, videos, websites…the Linder Brothers really have done it all.   And perhaps most notable of all is that after nearly four decades in the industry their reputation and energy is still going strong, where many others have often failed.

Ever since the early days the credo at In-Fisherman was to conduct the research out on the water…and that’s what they did best.   The Lindners resisted the temptation of burying their noses into books or research articles and instead opted to do the research themselves…on the water…with fishing reel in hand.   On average they would log over 200 days each year using fishing experience as their best teacher to prove or disprove their theories.

Today, as I understand it, the Lindner Brothers no longer own their multimedia enterprise known as In-Fisherman.   They sold that a few years back to Primedia, Inc. a large New York-based media giant.   Still, many of the same old influences that were present way back in the beginning continue to help make up a part of In-Fisherman yet today.

The Lindners, however, have now embarked on a new venture called Angler’s Edge which has much of the same flavor of their old venture producing quality TV Shows and videos, but now you can also see a more open reference to their Christianity faith.

To many of us the In-Fisherman will always be about a couple of brothers from Chicago who grew fed up with big city life and moved to Northern Minnesota to begin their fishing education empire.   Unfortunately, as so often happens when success blossoms, that empire grew so big that the brothers were actually spending more time catering to the business than casting for the fish.   Hence, the sale of their business to begin life anew.

As we reflect back on the past 30 years of knowledge printed in In-Fisherman…it’s more a celebration of Al, Ron and Jeff Lindner’s dream of mixing science with a sport that mysteriously was taking place underwater where we could not see the action.   What we now take for granted as fishing fact was once cutting edge knowledge some 25 to 30 years ago.   Thanks largely to the Lindners; they taught us all how fishing can not only be a fun activity, but also a never-ending learning opportunity.

© 2005 Jim Braaten.  All Rights Reserved.   No Reproduction Without Prior Permission.

Fool Me Once, Shame On You….

If you recall a blog entry from last December I spoke of an incidence in several Twin Cities restaurants where the menu listed walleye, but, in fact, the diners were actually getting a fish called European Zander.   Check out that blog entry here.

Today I want to update that report but also alert you to a similar guise going on in fish markets around the country.    This time the fish is salmon, but the misleading advertising is equally as disturbing.

First, the walleye update.   When KARE11 News busted several Twin Cities restaurants for serving the wrong fish most of the guilty establishments quickly corrected the error in their judgment.   Now, there seems to be much greater awareness and care about what is being served in our restaurants, at least by the owners who make the food buying decisions.

A follow-up report several months later by the same TV news station shows that almost all restaurants have changed their ways and when a restaurant now says it’s serving walleye it more than likely IS walleye.   The exception is for two restaurants that are taking the battle to the FDA and are seeking approval to use European Zander and Walleye as acceptable and interchangeable substitutes.   Unfortunately, even though a follow-up report indicates that most diners find the two fish species largely indistinguishable to the palate, a restaurant bent on continuing to fool its patrons deeply concerns me.

You see there is something inherently important about ordering walleye and then being served walleye.   To a sportsman, as well as a consumer, the walleye has a mystique that is somehow cheapened by an unscrupulous restauranteur that thinks they can get away with fooling diners with a fish that in no way is associated with the waters of North America.

Now we learn that similar tom foolery tactics are taking place in many of the nation’s fish markets with salmon.   This time what’s at issue is not whether the fish is salmon, but whether it’s WILD salmon as promoted.   You see, with salmon you typically have farm-raised as well as wild…and the difference is quite substantial when it comes to quality.

For instance, with farm-raised salmon the fish are often fed pigments in their feed to artificially color the filets for a nice pink appearance.   More importantly, farm-raised salmon commands about 1/3 the price as wild salmon…so if someone makes the switch and you’re not aware it means extra money from your pocket into their pockets.

The big problem with wild vs. farm-raised salmon is that you cannot distinguish between the two by appearances alone.   It takes a lab with sophisticated equipment to discern the difference.   That is…up until the fish is cooked.   Culinary experts agree that the process of cooking salmon is what separates the quality of wild with farm-raised.   The flavor of wild salmon is incomparable to that of the farm-raised version which often lacks the robust fish flavor.

But imagine paying top dollar for a nice wild salmon steak and then not getting your money’s worth.   Furthermore, if you’re seeking the health benefits of eating something natural and pure from additives then you are not getting what you’ve paid for at the market.

Fortunately the media has done a rather good job exposing these instances of food chicanery.   Still, the onus is ultimately on each of us to make sure we are getting the fish we expect to receive whether we are dining out or consumers at the market.

Recently, I was at a restaurant where the daily special was a walleye sandwich.   I asked the waitress if the fish was walleye or if it was European Zander.   She immediately looked confused by my question…so I demanded some proof from the kitchen.   Moments later the cook brought out a box proving the fish being served was indeed walleye.   Not only was I satisfied with them showing me some proof, but I believe it put them on notice that customers actually care about what they eat and sometimes will demand some confirmation of how that food is promoted on the menu.

© 2005 Jim Braaten.  All Rights Reserved.   No Reproduction without Prior Permission.