Alot of it probebly true
I liked the crack about the Vikings offensive coordinator.
I respect Tony Dean a lot and believe he done some good for hunting and fishing. However, do you honestly think he would have written any of this if he had them as sponsors (ie Aqau View)? My guess is no.
I agree fishing has gotten very hi-tech, which IMHO, has helped us more than hindered. GPS units alone help get you back safe at night and get you on the mud flats on Mille Lacs and underwater cameras help both seasoned anglers and kids enjoy fishing and learn new things.
The fishing industry is a big business, but for the most part, I think we benefit. Also, you don’t have to buy a $40,000 boat or a $250 rod if you don’t want to . . . Substance will always catch more fish than style.
I also respect Tony a lot. I ran into him on the water quite often when I lived in Pierre. He was confident back then, I say he as matured more since those days. Like I told someone earlier, I’d rather have him for us than against us. I agree with a lot of what he has to say actually. I still like that I have options to spend $50k or $5k for a boat.
I’ve never met Tony Dean, but I enjoy his writing, his TV show, and certain aspects of his website. I have talked with some people who have met him and most all say complimentary things about him. I would like to meet him sometime not only because of the above mentioned things, but also because he has an announcing background, and I can relate to that. When I was in my 30’s I used to watch his TV show ocassionally and a few times actually enjoyed it. Now a generation later his views and mine seem more inline. No I don’t necessarily agree with everything he has to offer, but certainly am glad I have the right to disagree. I too think, better to have Tony with you than against you, in matters of conservation, and wildlife management. I know this is long, but I’ve been fishing for well over 40 years and a lot has changed in that time, but many of the points in these articles have held water for much of that time. there’s my 2 cents, or 20 cents worth.
dave
Well, I have a fiberglass boat, bunk trailer, and I run a Motorguide trolling motor. I guess I screwed up… 
I hear ya Steve!!!
glass, bunk, motorguide……..
Mine is a 20 footer with that bad 225 on the back too………..BUT, mine is 16 years old!!!
Tony has made some very valid points in his article. Fishing has gone bonkers with all the gizmos and gadgets today. Babe Winkelman is evening using some goofy fish noise maker box that sends out signals to the fish, calling them to the boat……..
Gander Mountain is crazy with all the fishing gear in there. They have even stepped up to the plate with all their muskie gear, trying to give specality shops (Thorne Bros and Pastika’s) a run for their money.
You don’t need all the gizmos and gadgets to catch good numbers of quality fish. What is on the market today is just efficiency tools and to help the novice angler get on fish faster.
But when it comes right down to it, you still have to make them bite!!!
Thanks for all of your input. I don’t think Tony is necessarily slamming anyone’s individual choices in buying a boat, I think he is just giving a harsh reality check to what alot of us (by this I mean the weekend warrior type fisherman) need in a fishing boat.
I just worry about the future of fishing. I’m not worried about technology per se, but just the way it is marketed. If someone were entirely new to the sport of walleye fishing and he picked up In-Fisherman magazine or watched the Lindner brothers or Babe Winkelman or someone, they may get the wrong impression of what it takes to catch a fish and just simply enjoy some time on the water.
Technology has helped, but fishing directed by corporations isn’t exactly a good thing. I don’t think the explosion of the Bass fishing industry over the last twenty years or so has been entirely positive.
The most important point to me in the two articles is that tournament fishing isn’t meant to be adopted as the style of fishing for those of us looking to simply enjoy our time on the water, and to not let ourselves get fooled into thinking that bigger is always better. 
I also have not met Tony but have enjoyed his shows. I do agree that this industry has gone to the riches, if you let it. Yes you don’t need a $40000.00 boat there are plenty of nice $10000.00 boats. I think as Tony ages he’s seeing that all of this doesn’t need to be. I do own a Ranger and love it, I didn’t start out with one but I will buy another one because I really like it. As I have told all my friends I will go back to a 17 foot tiller like I started out with when I’m older. No one is telling people to buy these big and expensive boats it their choice( the dealers are more than willing to finace it out for 12 years). The same goes with electronics you have choices of $99.00 to $2600.00, I agree with Tony that the cheap ones are junk but to some thats all they want and need.
I do like that in the first artical he talked about rods, basiclly saying that you don’t need expesive rodsHowever on the second artical he said he broke expensive rods trying to put in the rod holder. As far as fiberglass vs alum. I know my Ranger is MUCH dryer than all of my prior Lunds. I rode in a Fisher once and it wasn’t good at all, to compare that to other fiberglass boat was not right.
I think if you can afford it, then buy it.
I agree with some of what Tony has to say and some I don’t. I know it would be nice to have a big rig, but I don’t need it to catch fish. It’s the fisherman that catches the fish, not the boat. Just because someone has a big boat, doesn’t automatically mean that they are any good at fishing. I’ve seen plenty of guys that have those big expensive rigs that don’t even know how to load one. 
Reminds me of an article I read in Fishing Facts Magazine years ago. It stated that 50-70% of fishing equipment was for catching fishermen and not fish. I know they caught me a lot 
.
I must admit Art they’ve gotten me too, and still do. One of my hobbies is rodbuilding and some companies are charging up to $400 or $500 for a fly rod blank. I got one for Xmas one year and fished it, and I can’t say it was very much better than my $70 fly rod. Next time, I’ll save the money and book a nice trip.
I think I’ll save the $40000 on a new boat too, and hire a guide instead.
Many years ago(4 decades)Tony Dean worked for a Radio station in my hometown, and was a neighbor(2 doors down). He was very friendly and always had time to stop and chat. He was a great guy then and is still a great guy today. Even though I was just a “young buck” back then he never hesitated to share outdoor experiences. We talked about going fishing sometime, but never got around to it somehow. My fault, ’cause I’m sure if I would have asked him, he would have taken me. I kind of still regret that to this day. I’ve run into Tony at sport shows many times over the years and he always remembers me, even though I am much older and grayer than when we were neighbors.
One thing for sure is, you can never accuse Tony of not having an opinion. One of his primary objectives in his writting, is to get people to think. Agree or disagree, he sure does that!!
Gramps
I agree Gramps. His views on electronic waterfowl calls are even more poignant than his fishing ones.
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