June 24, 2025
By In-Fisherman Staff
Thomas Allen sits down with his longtime friend and generational muskie angler and guide Steve Jonesi. The guys dig into how the sport has evolved and what the incoming generation needs to understand about muskies as the sport changes, seemingly by the day. Steve shares some stories from the past, including a world-class fish he put a client on that may have challenged the state record. The guys also talk about how fishing media impacted the early days of fishing passion and how it ultimately changed their lives. This is a fun conversation about life as a guide and how those impacts are worth all the investment—and why the muskie is the greatest freshwater fish that swims.
Truncated transcript:
00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:17.840: We're listening to In-Fisherman Storyline, North America's top voice in multi-species freshwater angling. Here is your host, Thomas Allen.
00:00:19.800 --> 00:01:03.960: Hey, folks, Thomas Allen here with In-Fisherman. And before we get started today, I wanted to pass along some exciting news as we welcome LL Bean as presenting sponsor of In-Fisherman Storyline podcast. LL Bean is an iconic brand known for its quality outdoor gear and a deeply rooted passion for everything outside. Not to mention they make a pretty mean plaid flannel shirt. Check this thing out. Awesome. This partnership will bring more great stories, expert tips, and outdoor inspiration to anglers everywhere. LL Bean, we are glad to have you a part of this. So welcome to the palatial LL Bean studios nestled atop the twin In-Fisherman towers overlooking beautiful downtown Brainerd, Minnesota. Stay right there, a new episode of In-Fisherman Storyline presented by LL Bean is coming right up. Man, that's got a nice ring to it.
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00:01:03.960 --> 00:01:28.840: Steve Jonesi, welcome to Brainerd. Welcome to In-Fisherman Storyline. I'll tell you what. Thanks for having me. Kind of like a dream come true, man. You know, it is for me too. And if you recognize Steve, that's because he appeared on a previous episode. We went to Andy Meyers Lodge together to film a segment of In-Fisherman TV. And we did a podcast up there with Herbie and with Julian. And just what a great experience. What a great place.
00:01:28.840 --> 00:01:47.800: And if you haven't listened to that podcast, I suggest you go back. There's a lot of great musky talk. Herbie's a legend. Yeah, without a doubt. I mean, you get that guy talking. It's-- I mean, you're going to learn something. Be a sponge. That's right. Take it all in. But I knew--I've known Steve for--I mean, it's been over 20 years. Oh, yeah. A long time.
00:01:47.800 --> 00:02:06.480: But we met at a--I think I started at Gander Mountain in Cedar Rapids right around the time it opened. But you were kind of a part of the initial crew that was brought in to get the store opened up. And I was hired after the store was opened. But it was early on. It was right away.
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00:02:06.480 --> 00:02:23.800: And Steve is a renowned legendary in his own mind, if not. Yeah, right. A legendary. I don't know if I go that far. But a musky guide for a long time and has a great story. And we're going to dig into that tonight. So welcome, everybody. Thanks for being a part of In-Fisherman's Storyline. And we're going to dig right in.
00:02:23.800 --> 00:03:14.120: And Steve, let's start out at Gander Mountain. I was-- man, I mean, 20 to 21 years old, I think. You were a young'un. I was a young'un, barely probably growing--Just a baby. Just a baby. But you had come off a pretty interesting, I guess, tenure as a guide, right? Or was that after Gander? Well, that was before Gander. Yeah, that was before. I moved while I was divorced in '04. Got an opportunity to work at Thorne Brothers, World Renowned Tackle Shop. Moved up to the cities, working at Thorne's. Started a guide service on Mille Lacs. And that was the heyday of Mille Lacs. It was. Was going nuts. And yeah, that's where I started.
00:03:14.120 --> 00:03:25.880: You know, I'd always been, even since I was a little kid, I was taking people fishing. I was taking the neighbors fishing and whatnot. So I guess it was a natural progression…
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