Sybil Smith

Inducted 2021
 

“Fishing  sure  beats  housework…and  most  anything  else  you  can  think  of,”  says  Sybil Smith,  who  has  been  publishing  fishing  guides  and  writing  about  fishing  on  Minnesota lakes  since  1982.  Her  first  edition  of  The  Twin  Cities  Fishing  Guide  sold  over  80,000 copies  and  was  followed  by  The  Brainerd  Whitefish  Fishing  Guide.  For  every  fishing guide,  Sybil  conducts  extensive  research  on  every  body  of  water;  interviews  numerous experts  who  have  fished  that  water  for  a  lifetime;  contacts  the  many  government agencies  responsible  for  the  planning  and  management  of  public  boat  accesses,  shore fishing,  parks,  and  lake  stocking  and  management;  and  personally  visits  with  each  of  the lakes  to  verify  the  data.  Sybil  has  been  featured  in  numerous  newspapers  and magazines  and  for  many  years  wrote  weekly  articles  on  what’s  new  in  Twin  Cities  fishing for  the  St. Paul  Pioneer  Press  and  the  Minneapolis  Star  Tribune.

Sybil  also  conducts  seminars  for  community  fishing  organizations  and  clubs.  Her  love  of fishing  led  to  the  creation  of  her  first  publishing  company,  FINS  Publications  focusing  on area  fishing  guides  and  maps in  1980.  And  in  1994  she  started  Smith  House  Press,  books for  fibromyalgia and  chronic illness.  In  2007  she  went  on  to  help  publishers  and  authors publish  their  own  books  through  Smith  House  Press  Publishing  Consultants.  An  eBook consulting  firm, she  assists  authors  in  publishing,  promoting,  and  selling  their  own eBooks.

Sybil  Smith  was  the  first  president  of  Women  Anglers  of  Minnesota,  incorporated  in 1977  as  a  way  for  women  to  fish  together.  It  remains  the  oldest  active  fishing organization  for  women  in  the  country! And  is  a  member  of  the  Minnesota  Fishing Roundtable-­‐-­‐a  DNR  think  tank  that discusses  critical  angling  issues,  identifies  problems, and  proposes  solutions  to  preserve  good  fishing  in  Minnesota.

Along  with  this  she  is  a  three-­‐term  president  of  the  Midwest  Independent  Publishers Association  (www.mipa.org),  Sybil  was  also  recognized  in  1997  with  its  Publisher  of  the Year  award.  In  2010  she  also  received  the  first-­‐ever  Pat  Bell  Award  for  her  mentoring, encouragement  of  new  authors,  and sense  of  humor.  She  keeps  up  with  the  everchanging  world  of  publishing  through  her  memberships  in  MN  Publishers  Roundtable, the Independent  Book  Publishers  Association  (IPBA)  and  Small  Publishers  Association  of North  America  (SPAN).

Her  authored  books also  include:

• Twin  Cities  Fishing  Guide:  Where  the  Experts  Fish  and  How!

• Twin  Cities  Shore  Fishing  Guide  West:  Best  Spots  And  How  To  Fish  Them

• Twin  Cities  Shore  Fishing  Guide  East

• Brainerd  Mille  Lacs  Area  Fishing  Guide:  Where  the  Experts  Fish  and  How