Four Minnesota angling dignitaries have joined the MN-FISH Board of Directors

A Bigger Fishing Braintrust

Four Minnesota angling dignitaries have joined the MN-FISH Board of Directors

Walker, Minn. (Sept. 16, 2021) — It takes some brainpower to build a better fishery. With that in mind, the MN-FISH Sportfishing Foundation has added four bright minds to its board of directors, each a veteran in the fishing industry. Joining the board are Danny Suggs, Rob Drieslein, Jimmy Bell, and Dave Hanson.

MN-FISH is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded by a volunteer group of leaders in the Minnesota sport fishing and boating community to bring a strong, unified voice to state government and represent the interests of all anglers, clubs, organizations, fishing-related businesses, and other stakeholders. The organization’s mission is to restore, protect, and enhance Minnesota sportfishing for present and future generations of anglers.

Danny Suggs of Minneapolis has a lifelong passion for fishing and sustaining the resource. He is the former host/producer of “Fishin’ Time with Danny Suggs” and host/executive producer of the P.O.C.O. (People of Colors Outdoors) Pro/Am Bass Trail, which aired nationally on The Outdoor Channel and Comcast Network SE. Both shows promoted diversity in the outdoors.

Suggs has also been the director of several tournaments, including the Minnesota Pro/Am Bass Tour, Minnesota Wild 10,000 Rinks Foundation event, Minnesota Twins Leukemia & Lymphoma Foundation, Randy Moss Smile Network, and many other national fishing tournament fundraising organizations.

Originally from Champaign, Ill., Suggs moved to Minnesota to attend Mankato State University (now Minnesota State University) on a hockey and football scholarship. He graduated with a degree in mass communications public relations and broadcast journalism. Suggs is an accomplished tournament angler, award-winning photographer, outdoors writer, and served on the board of directors of the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers. He has appeared in several outdoor books, newspapers, magazines, and television shows, and he conducts fishing seminars across the country.

Rob Drieslein has been a Minnesota-based professional newspaper and magazine outdoors scribe since 1992. He grew up fishing Mississippi River walleyes and catfish between Winona, Minn., and La Crosse, Wis. In addition to his editorial and general manager duties at Outdoor News Publications, Drieslein hosts the syndicated Outdoor News Radio, writes a conservation blog at outdoornews.com/Minnesota, and has written for several national and regional magazines. Living in the Twin Cities, Drieslein and his wife of 25 years, Annette, raise three sons and a daughter, all of whom enjoy multi-species fishing the backwaters around Winona and canoe camping trips in the Boundary Waters. Drieslein has a degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas.

Jimmy Bell is a professional angler with more than 30 years of experience who prides himself in helping solve problems by analyzing the facts. Bell has exhibited his passion not only as a professional angler, but also working with youth anglers, parents, and volunteers to help grow the sport of fishing. He started the Student Angler Organization and is one of the cofounders of the Student Angler Tournament Trail. These organizations were created to fill a void for competitive student angling that focused on conservation practices. Bell is also the youth coordinator for Lund Boats and President of the Lund Virtual Fishing League.

Dave Hanson has been the CFO of Clam Outdoors since 2008, and part of the MN-FISH team since its inception. He has assisted with financials for the organization. In 2020, Hanson and Dave Osborne (CEO of Clam Outdoors and current board member of MN-FISH) won the Partners Fishing Tournament, an annual private fishing tournament for charities on Lake Minnetonka. Their winning bag raised over $75,000 for MN-FISH – money used for expanding the organization’s mission. In his free time, Hanson spends time outdoors hunting and fishing. He serves as a mentor for youth pheasant hunts in South Dakota that promote gun safety and hunting as a lifelong activity.

MN-FISH welcomes the quartet of esteemed fishing advocates to its board.

About MN-FISH: The MN-FISH Sportfishing Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization of anglers and fishing industry stakeholders formed to bring a strong, unified voice to St. Paul on behalf of Minnesota anglers and stakeholders. The organization is dedicated to restoring, protecting and enhancing Minnesota Sportfishing for present and future generations of anglers to enjoy.