In May of 2023, the Lindell crew took their 41' yacht deep into the maze of islands and inlets forming the Tongass National Forest of Southeast Alaska. Drawn by legends of rare and elusive wild steelhead, they forged up small creeks both known and unknown, looking for glory and beauty among the old growth.

The Tlingit and Haida tribes of Southeast Alaska carve and bind yew wood and yellow cedar into Náxw, totems of powerful ocean creatures: sea lion, killer whale, sea monster. They're specifically designed to target large halibut. Tlingit tribal members Mike and Heather Douville show Rob Endsley and the Lindell crew how this tackle works as well today as it did 10,000 years ago.
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Rob Endsley is a husband, father, charter captain, radio host, and iconic Northwest outdoorsman. He grew up in a serious fishing family and had his captain’s license by age 23, quickly earning a reputation as a top guide in the San Juan Islands and Skagit River system. As Washington’s Chinook and steelhead populations began to collapse in the early 2000s, he looked north to greener waters.  

Craig, Alaska, offered all a Northwestern saltwater angler could want: remote location, tight-knit community, epic angling, and no cruise ships. Rob had found his second home. That bond was strengthened all the more when a twist of fate turned harm into hope. On a blustery, rainy day in August, a client’s hooks pulled from a coho salmon’s mouth and straight into Rob’s left eye. He was immediately blinded. Back on shore, the clinic said he needed a med-evac to the nearest hospital in Ketchikan. As he waited on the floatplane dock, a vision in a summer dress floated into his awareness. “I forgot all about my eye,” Rob said.  

He married her not long after. Rob and Nicole went on to grow their operation in Craig to include a lodge, multiple boats, and many repeat clients. Their two young daughters, Emma and Ava, now play a leading role in entertaining guests and the community at large.  

Many Washingtonian hunters and anglers likely recognize Rob from his voice alone. For 14 years he co-hosted The Outdoor Line on ESPN Radio, bringing outdoors information and advice over the airwaves. He’s  continued to engage in and advance outdoors media with creative camera angles (like a GoPro on a downrigger ball) and as an ambassador for brands like Grundéns and Browning.  

The Endsley Family spends the cooler months in Gig Harbor, Washington, not far from many folks on the Lindell team. So, we hatched a plan to meet him in Craig this spring and test the mettle of our watercraft together. Mark Fritzer, Frank O’Neil, and Sam Lungren ran our shop 41-foot Lindell Yacht from La Conner to Prince of Wales Island in only two and a half days. They barely had time to unpack before Rob wanted to run around the outside of Noyes Island to troll for kings.  

Over the next week they did a lot more salmon fishing, as well as jigging for bottomfish and setting pots for shrimp. In a stroke of good fortune, they were invited to join Tlingit Natives Mike and Heather Douville setting traditional hand-carved Náxw hooks for halibut. And they explored into some of more remote reaches of the Tongass National Forest in search of the Northwest angler’s (and Rob’s) Holy Grail: native spring-run steelhead.  

We hope you enjoy the first installment of our ongoing series, Lindell Stories, our film about Rob and his best attempt to test the rugged capabilities of a Lindell Yacht. We hope it inspires you to go make a Lindell story of your own.

Tony Lind could skin a beef by age 5. Growing upon a small farm outside Kent, Washington, he got to work early in the family business: custom farm slaughter, butchery, and meat processing. That was, of course, punctuated by frequent mornings in the duck blind and afternoons in the bass ponds.

When Tony was 14, his father added asphalt patching to the Lind Family enterprises. When he wasn’t hunting, fishing, schooling, or playing pitcher and quarterback, he was working. Despite clocking a 92-mph fastball in his first semester at Central Washington University, Tony found himself in the swamps and sloughs more than he did the ballfields or lecture halls. He dropped out before he could flunk out. With a brief career in taxidermy, he kept working with his father and brother before branching off into his own paving business at 31.

Tony and his crew have put down asphalt up and down Washington State and in municipalities and military bases across the country. He now employs 26 people, many of whom come fishing with him frequently. In 2016, Tony purchased a 33-foot Ocean Sport—the first iteration of Jim Lindell’s legendary long-range adventure designs. But then he saw the third iteration. He and his partner Tammy witnessed the Lindell Yachts 42 at the Seattle Boat Show and he promised her they’d own one someday—heck, it practically had his name written all over it.

And they did. Three years ran by in their 42’ model before Frank brokered a deal to sell it while the shop began construction on Tony’s brand-new 46’ custom yacht. More deck space means more friends can come along and fish.

“It’s really fun to get to be a part of the boat build,” Tony said. “It's kind of a unique opportunity. I don't think you could go to Viking and get to hangout in their shop and watch what they do. Those things don't happen.”

“There’s not enough things I can say about how great the guys are at Lindell,” he continued. “Mark is a pleasure. Brian is great, Frank is great. Everyone there. They’re not my boat builders; they’re my buddies.”

There are, of course, no great men without great women. Tammy Kahne and Tony have been together for two decades. Their shared love for wild places has led them hunting and fishing far and wide. But there’s no place they’d rather be than out on their boat.

As much as anything though, Tony is all about the hard, precise work that goes into a Lindell Yacht: “If I thought there was a better boat, I’d go buy that.”

We hope you enjoy our Lindell Anthem film featuring Tony: Fish Hard, Rest Easy.

Join the Boat Trader crew and Stomping Grounds host Ryan McVinney on a thrilling Alaskan boating adventure as they hunt for colossal halibut in raging seas aboard a rugged Lindell 46. Setting off from Seward Harbor, the crew, led by the seasoned Captain Ryan Bloom, faces challenging weather, 7 to 10 foot waves, and the sheer might of nature to chase the catch of a lifetime.
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Dive into this heart-pounding journey as we land nearly 400 pounds of halibut off the coast of Montague Island, including a giant 210-pound beast caught by Arnie Hammerman. Witness the raw beauty of Alaska's wild marine wilderness and learn  Captain Bloom's philosophy of living life to the fullest. Dive deep into more adventures with Boat Trader's Stomping Ground series and embrace the unknown.