(upbeat harmonica music)

- [Narrator] In the world of fishing,

Ron and Al Lindner have beenhousehold names for decades.

The two brothers builtAmerica's largest multi-media

sports fishing network on a simple idea.

- Teaching America how to catch fish

is our business.- It's our business.

- This was our motto.

That was a motto we use and it was true.

- It's true still.

That's our strength.- It actually is, yeah.

- That's our strength.

- [Narrator] They're alsoteaching America a lot more

than just how to catch a fish.

- This is the story thatGod is sharing with you.

He's telling you how much Heloves you, cares about you,

wants to spend eternity with you.

That's why He sent His Son, Jesus,

to die for the sins of mankind.

- [Narrator] But in the early days,

sharing the love of Jesus wasthe last thing on their minds.

Born 10 years apart, the two grew up

in a Catholic blue-collar home in Chicago.

Nothing could compete withtheir passion for fishing.

- I knew that I knew that Iknew, when I was 12-years-old

that I was gonna make a living fishing,

and I would tell everybody that.

- [Narrator] To fundtheir days on the water,

they started making andselling fishing lures

out of their parent's basement.

- We would go aroundChicago to the bait shops,

the various sportsstores, and we sold 'em.

We had a regular little business goin'.

- We made little jigs and theywere called the pinkie jig,

and it was a great jig to catch crappies,

and blue gills, andwhite bass in that area.

- It's still good.

- [Narrator] Then in 1968,Al, a 17-year-old high school

junior, and Ron, a 27-year-oldhusband and father,

established the LindnerManufacturing Company.

It was then they came up withtheir world-famous Lindy Rig,

a design that wouldrevolutionize walleye fishing.

But the brothers wouldhave to put their business

and dreams on hold when Al wasdrafted and sent to Vietnam.

- He's in Vietnam, I'm praying constantly.

Now I gotta explain something to ya.

Neither of us are born-again.

He, not at all.

I am, at the time, I'm a Christian,

quote, unquote, but not born-again.

I believed in God.

I believed that Jesus was

somehow the Son of God,

I didn't know how, and the Holy Spirit,

I didn't know nothin',nothin' at all about that.

(bomb exploding)

- [Narrator] Sitting in a foxhole

with bombs explodingeverywhere, Al was also praying.

- I knew enough where I cried out to God.

I says, "Look, God," in mywords at the time, I says,

"I don't want to be here.

"Please God, get me out of this thing."

- [Narrator] Al, ofcourse, made it out alive,

but his foxhole prayer quickly faded.

Soon he married, started a family,

and moved to Minnesota with Ron,

on their way to making fishing history.

But as their lures startedlanding in tackle boxes across

the country, and theirfishing shows becoming wildly

popular, Ron started feeling the pressure.

The once casual drinker

now needed alcohol to get through the day.

- These things happened out of nowhere,

and lot of times,literally to cope with it,

I'd take another one, 'nother one.

- [Narrator] He was drivinghome one day after a weekend

of drinking when a preacher onthe radio got his attention.

- I can't argue.

I coulda argued with some,alright, I didn't murder nobody,

I didn't rob anybody, I can'targue that I'm not a drunkard.

I am one.

And I'm not gonna inheritthe Kingdom of God.

That's it.

- [Narrator] So Ron didn'tresist when his wife, Dolores,

invited him to a church revival service.

- And he says, "Do youaccept Jesus as your savior?"

I yes, yes, yes, yes.

Boom.

44-years-old.

(soft music)

That night, a little townin, a little backwoods town

in Minnesota, Jesus Christcome and visited me.

- [Narrator] And deliveredhim from alcohol.

With a new perspective, Ron and others,

started talking to hisbrother about Jesus.

But Al quickly cast those ideas aside,

even to the point of making excuses

for not praying with his kids at bedtime.

- "Dad prays to God when he'salone with Him later tonight."

That was my answer becauseI didn't know how to pray.

- [Narrator] One night, Godwould use a loving child's

simple request to capture a man's heart.

It happened as Al was putting

his four year-old son, Troy, to bed.

- Puts like a kiss onmy cheek and he says,

"Dad, it's just you and I.

"Can I hear how you pray to Godwhen you're alone with Him?"

It tore me.

It tore my...

I got up.

I did not know what to say.

- [Narrator] Finally, Al opened up

his heart to Jesus Christ.

- I got up, I walked into the bathroom,

and I cried like a baby.

And it was at that moment intime, that I knew, that I...

I mean, all the barriers were gone.

- [Narrator] The brothers wouldgo on to sell their business

in 1998 and launch a newshow called Angling Edge.

They're still teaching people how to fish,

but more importantly,how to know Jesus Christ.

- The Lord laid that on my heart

to do this television showafter we sold In-Fisherman.

"Do it and close.

"Give me glory and honorwith the truth of My Word

"in the Bible and close something

"that I have done in your life."

(upbeat music)

- [Narrator] Today, Ron andAl take a little more time

for themselves and their wives.

Taking up the slack are theirchildren and grandchildren,

carrying on the traditionof sharing their passion

for fishing and faith in Jesus Christ.

- And it's been an amazing blessing,

and the glory goes toGod in all categories.

And He's still blessingthe socks off of it.

- Yeah.