- Jan 27, 2025
Destination-Fish Television Host Jon Thelen to be Inducted to the Minnesota Fishing Hall of Fame


On January 22 the Minnesota Fishing Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2025, which will include longtime professional angler and Destination-Fish Television Host, Jon Thelen.
Thelen’s career began as a walleye tournament fisherman, fishing various regional and national tournament circuits including the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail. His tournament career culminated with numerous top ten finishes as well as qualifying for multiple Professional Walleye Trail Championships, along with several top ten PWT Western Division and Angler of the Year finishes.
Thelen also served as a fishing guide on the famed Mille Lacs Lake throughout his tournament fishing career while also working with both national and regional magazines to create more than 150 educational articles to help anglers of all levels enjoy more success on the water and ice alike. Thelen has appeared on 25 magazine covers including publications of the likes of the In-Fisherman Walleye Guide and the Walleye Insider, as well as Game & Fish Publications, Fishing Facts, Midwest Outdoors and Great Lakes Angler.
Upon retiring from professional tournament angling in 2008, Thelen assumed various responsibilities with PRADCO-Fishing including marketing, brand and sales management along with launching Fish Ed Television in which Thelen acted as Producer and Host over its nine-year run. In 2020, Thelen launched Jon Thelen’s Destination-Fish Television, which currently airs nationally on the Sportsman Channel, Sportsman Channel Canada, World Fishing Network and regionally on FanDuel Sports Network. Destination-Fish also streams on YouTube and MOTV.
“Jon has made a career of teaching people how to have more success fishing, whether as a guide, professional angler or in his current role as Host of Destination-Fish Television. His ability to not only know fishing, but how to convey that knowledge is what makes him special. He is a credit to the fishing lifestyle that is important to so many in Minnesota and across the country” said Bruce Stanton, General Manager of PRADCO-Fishing and Vice President of PRADCO Outdoor Brands.
Thelen joins an induction class of 2025 that includes longtime anglers and fishing industry promoters Jimmy Bell and Don Pursch, with the formal induction scheduled for September 26, 2025, at the Rice Creek Hunting Rec and Event Center in Little Falls, Minn. For event ticket information, contact Brenda Perlowski, 320-616-2011 or contact via email at brendamnfishingmuseum@gmail.com.
For general media inquiries regarding Thelen’s induction to the Minnesota Fishing Hall of Fame, contact Jon Thelen at jonpthelen@gmail.com or 612-720-3837

