KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Bernard Gram remembers a time when it was virtually impossible to get an education in fishing.

"When I first got into fishing, there was no information out there," said Gram, 80, of Kansas City. "There were a few magazine articles, but that was it.

"About the only way you could learn was out on the water, through trial and error."

But today? Well, let's just say the information highway is no longer a dead-end for fishermen.

Looking for a way to catch bass in the cold of March? Searching for a guide in Minnesota? Want to find a lure that will slay them at Table Rock Lake? No problem.

That information is available at the flip of a switch or the touch of a button.

For fishermen, this is the information age. And no one is more aware of that than Gram, the stereotypical student of the sport.

Take a look:

-For several years, he went back to school to further his education, enrolling in the Bassmaster University classes offered as a continuing education course. His professors? Some of the legends of professional fishing.

-He attends dozens of seminars, hoping to pick up a few tips from experts that will lead to fish on the line once spring arrives.

-He tapes television fishing shows for future reference and watches instructional videos.

-He reads magazines such as Bassmaster and books on the bass pros.

-In his bass boat, he gains information at the push of a button. He has the latest in electronics, including a color-screen fish finder that shows him what lies beneath his boat and a GPS unit that charts a path to brush piles he marked on previous trips.

About the only way Gram remains old-school is with computers. He doesn't have one.

But don't be surprised if that changes some day.

"If I ever did get a computer, it would be to get information on fishing," Gram said.

Spoken like a true student of the sport.

But Gram is by no means unique. In fact, he might be closer to common in this day and age.

"I can't believe how much more knowledgeable today's fisherman is compared to years ago," said Denny Brauer of Camdenton, Mo., one of the top all-time pro bass fishermen. "The volume of information out there is amazing.

"Fishermen have all kinds of seminars, videos, articles, TV shows and the Internet to provide knowledge. It's really shortened the learning curve.

"And it shows on the water. I don't think there's any question that today's fisherman is better than when I first got onto the pro circuit."

So when did fishing's information desk open? Many trace it back to the mid-1970s, when a couple of Minnesota brothers who were fishing guides - Al and Ron Lindner - came up with an idea.

"When we were guiding, there was very, very little `how-to' information out there," Al Lindner said. "We started doing seminars and we were amazed at the response.

"Fishermen were just starved for information. They'd come up to us after our talks and they'd ask, 'Is there anything in print on this?' But there really wasn't. Not even booklets.

"For Ron and I, that's when the light bulb went on. There was a void out there that needed to be filled.

"Fishermen wanted information. And we knew we could bring it to them."

Thus, the start of the In-Fisherman empire, looked upon by many as the leading force in changing the face of fishing forever.

The key to the Lindners' success was their ability to explain fishing in intimate detail.

They told fishermen that success on the lake was dependent on more than blind luck; that there were key areas that would hold fish and that finding those areas was crucial to fishing success.