He's called "Tackle" Terry Tuma, and the guy seemingly is everywhere, patiently explaining how you can catch more and bigger fish. The affable Tuma, 65, is one of Minnesota's most recognizable purveyors of fishing advice -- pitching piscatorial pointers at numerous sports shows and outdoor stores, through his outdoors newspaper stories and on several radio and TV stations.
Over the past four decades, he has built a lifestyle -- and a livelihood -- around his favorite pastime -- fishing. He might not be as well-known as a Ron Schara or Al Lindner, but knock on the door of most any of the thousands of ice fishing shacks dotting Minnesota's frozen lakes these days, and chances are the occupants know of Terry Tuma.
"He's very well-known," said Dave Perkins of Eden Prairie, former owner of the Northwest Sportshow in Minneapolis. "Tackle Terry is the best. He's a great educator. And he's such a gentleman."
Among his latest efforts: Tuma has recorded "podcasts" -- audio broadcasts people can listen to or download on their computers -- for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
"He's got this aw-shucks, common-man, Minnesota-angler way about him, but as far as fishing goes, he's brilliant," said Tim Smalley, DNR boat and water safety specialist who appears with Tuma on the podcasts.
"There's not a question that can stump him," Smalley said. "And he's a great, great guy, and doesn't have an ounce of ego."
Said Tuma: "People say, 'Man you're lucky, you get to fish for a living.' But you have to be on top of things. You have to be current, to know what's going on out there.
"I fish a lot. Two to three times a week. It's not a hobby for me. One hundred-plus days a year. Fishing is really a job. I enjoy it tremendously. It's all about trying to figure out how to catch fish and relaying it to the general public."
He offers advice from nearly seven decades of fishing experience on KFAN-AM radio in the Twin Cities, as well as separate shows on stations in Faribault, Hutchinson and Dubuque, Iowa. He also does a cable TV program and occasionally is on KSTP-TV. He sells advertising, writes occasional fishing stories and does other promotion for Outdoor News, a weekly outdoors newspaper based in Plymouth.
And he presents about 40 fishing seminars a year at sports shows such as the St. Paul Ice Fishing Show, Game Fair, the Minneapolis/St. Paul RV Vacation & Camping Show and the Northwest Sportshow.
"We also do shows in Chicago, Omaha and Des Moines," he said earlier this week while jigging for sunfish with a friend in a heated ice-fishing house on Prior Lake.
In truth, there is no "we" -- just Tuma.
"I'm not an 'I' guy," he said. "It's just me. It's a one-man show."
And though he's 65, he has no plans to retire or slow down. He's having too much fun.
Following his passion
Tuma grew up in the Northfield, Minn., area, and started fishing as a youngster. "Both my mother and father were very avid outdoors people," he said.
"Introduce a kid to fishing and they'll never forget about it -- I'm a prime example of that."
He used to hunt waterfowl, upland game and deer, but that got in the way of his true passion.
"It was the time factor -- I couldn't do everything, and the fall fishing is so good," Tuma explained.
He was a service manager for a car dealership when he slowly started making the transition to professional angler. He used to fish tournaments, directed some and eventually got asked by sportsman's clubs to do some fishing seminars.
"Then I was approached to do some pro staff work [for outdoor products] and from there it just grew," he said. "One of the first seminars I did was with Ron Lindner. It just kept growing."
Twenty years ago, he landed a job with Outdoor News, combining his main interests and abilities. Today, he's also on the "pro staff" of Yamaha, Vexilar and Alumacraft. He does his four weekly radio gigs -- and much of his other work -- from his office in his rural home near Montgomery, Minn., where he lives with his wife, Karen. They have two grown sons.
Oh, and that name? He got the "Tackle" Terry Tuma moniker from former KSTP-TV sportscaster Joe Schmit. "For some reason, he just started calling me that," Tuma said.
And, no, he never tires of fishing -- or talking about it.
"I could fish every day of the week, without a problem. I don't think it ever gets old."
He loves chatting with anglers -- and giving them advice on how to catch fish.
"It's fun," Tuma said. "It's rewarding. It lets me share some of the knowledge I've gained over the years."