Talk about things coming together nicely.

On a memorable morning in the late 1960s, fishing legends Al and Ron Lindner, Ron’s young sons Bill and Jim, several other of the famous Nisswa Guides, Marv Koep, owner of Nisswa Bait & Tackle, and some guide clients hit the water around the Brainerd Lakes Area.

The catch they made was historic: more than 100 big walleyes fell victim to a newfangled fishing gadget called the Lindy Rig. Baited with nightcrawlers and minnows and presented with the now-famous backtrolling method, 17 limits of fish were brought in. Those days were different. Everybody kept their fish, so don’t judge. Ron Lindner knew the moment for what it was, having one of the sharpest marketing minds in fishing history. He cajoled everybody into sticking around rather than running immediately for the fish-cleaning table. They hung up the fish and summoned Judy Koep, Marv’s wife and co-owner of Nisswa Bait shop, and she took the photo.

Looking back on it, Marv Koep calls it the photo that helped seal the fortune of the Lindy Rig. The image was published in the “Ol’ Guides Secrets” pamphlet that was packaged with Lindy Rigs for many years.

During recording for what will be the cover story in the August, 2015 issue of MidWest Outdoors magazine, and a new episode of the MidWest Outdoors Podcast, Koep shares the story of this historic day, the people who were there, and shows off the iconic photo.

It’s a part of fishing history, and we hope you enjoy the story behind it.