Jeremy Smith fell in love with fishing at a teenage age, which is why he decided to pursue a career in this industry. In his youth, he followed the television exploits of Al and Ron Lindner and, thanks to his persistence, began working for Lindner Media Productions.
Outdoor News: Tell us about your childhood and how it influenced your desire to pursue a career in the seafood industry.
Blacksmith: I grew up in the miniature town of Madelia in southern Minnesota. There isn’t much water there. When I was very little, I don’t know how ancient I was, but behind my grandmother’s farm she took me fishing and I caught a carp. It just blew me away. From that point on, I was just naturally curious.
I started going to the Park Rapids area with my mom, grandma, and aunt. I was in that 5-, 6- and 7-year-old bracket. We stayed at a miniature resort on Little Sand Lake. They went to the store for antiques and I could fish on the docks.
Being near this clear water, where you could see sunflowers and perch, I just fell in love with it. I liked it very much. I just fell in love with fishing very early.
ON: And where did those days at the port lead?
Blacksmith: Our family bought a cottage near Longville, so I spent summers there as a teenager.
When I graduated from high school and started college, I spent all my summers at home. I showed around the Mule Lake store and waited for tables to make ends meet.
In high school, like many people, I grew up watching the Lindners and always thought I wanted to work for In-Fisherman one day, so on the way to the cabin I would stop by their offices and call them for a job.
When I was still a student, I started knocking on doors there. Nothing happened, so after graduating from college with a degree in biology and business administration, I went to the University of Bemidji to earn a few more credits and gain student teaching experience. At this point the plan was to teach and then guide in the summer until I found a eternal position in the industry.
ON: Where did you start your career in the seafood industry?
Blacksmith: I started working for Reed’s (Sporting Goods) in Walker my freshman year of college and that’s where I met Chip Leer and Tommy Skarlis. They owned a company called Fishing the Wildside, ran the Leech Lake Guide Coalition, and produced a publication called Dock Talk. I started working for them part-time, for example during performances, while getting my teaching license.
Right after I finished student teaching, a full-time job became available at Chip and Tommy’s, so I started working for them, selling advertising, writing, photography, and editing. I still wanted to do something on TV.
ON: Did you come to Lindner Media Productions from Fishing the Wildside?
Blacksmith: There was a step in between. Working with Chip and Tommy, the Lindners founded Lindner Media Productions. In behind schedule 2005, I got a call from Ale Lindner, and although they didn’t have a full-time job at the company, they had plenty of freelance work.
So, my buddy Jason Lund and I started Topwater Media Productions on January 1, 2006. We shot and edited FLW sea bass and zander tournaments for Lindner Media and other video productions for fishing companies. This went on for several years, and in 2008, Dan Sura was preparing to retire and I was asked if I wanted his position. I took it and here I am.
ON: You find yourself in the middle of the transformation of outdoor media from print dominance to social media platforms. What is your opinion on this evolution?
Blacksmith: I came back when printing was really popular. I started doing TV when I was on Fishing the Wildside and that’s when it really took off. I learned how to shoot and edit, produce, write and host. From the beginning, I always knew that content was the most essential thing.
ON: How do you define great content?
Blacksmith: Something you can watch, something you can read and something you can learn from to be more successful on the water. It can’t be lifeless, so it’s worth taking care of great graphic design of the message.
When you explain something, you need to let the viewer see what you are explaining and make it uncomplicated to absorb and understand so that they want to see more.
ON: What direction is fishing heading as a sport? Any predictions?
Blacksmith: Oh, I wish I could predict the future. Learning fishing and becoming good at fishing has never been easier. It wasn’t that long ago that we would go out and dig out nightcrawlers for bait and catch frogs and minnows to cast to them. The best learning in those days, although you could read about it, was time on the water and experience. Now you can watch incredibly detailed videos on any topic.
Take forward-facing sonar. Someone may buy this and have no context about seasonal movements and why the fish is in a particular location. Now all you have to do is turn on the device, drive around and find the fish. It may seem like you don’t need to know much, but technology will allow the angler to learn about the environment and soon understand what’s going on in that fish’s world. Most people who fall in love with fishing become fishing students. It’s a lifelong passion.
ON: Are you concerned about novel technology?
Blacksmith: What I’m really excited about with a lot of the teenage people I talk to is that they’re as concerned as many of us who have been in this industry for a while, that it’s a lot easier to catch fish, there’s a lot more smart pressure on resources. Indeed, there appears to be a much stronger will to introduce more regulations or smaller harvests in some fisheries to ensure excellent fishing in the future.
