by John Merwin

Tackle bags and boxes are on my mind this morning. I started sorting out my bass-fishing bag over the weekend, with an eye to replacing or adding whatever I think I’ll need next season. Given our oddly snowless winter here in the Vermont mountains, spring doesn’t seem all that far away.

Over many years, I’ve tried boxes and bags of every description. But I’ve been most happy with a Cabela’s Tackle Bag that holds six Plano 3600 boxes on end. As you can see in the photo, I label the end of each box with a fat Sharpie as to contents, which makes for an easy grab when I’m fishing.

There’s a “top” box for various topwaters, a “jerk” box for jerkbaits, and so on. Most important is the “rigging” box that holds various hooks, sinkers, swivels, bobbers, and sundry tools and devices that I use to construct on the water, whatever rig suits what I’m doing at the time (we’ll get into that rigging box sometime in another blog post).

by Joe Cermele

You may recall a few months ago I ran a post about how much I just adore articulated streamers. They're pretty much all I use for trout these days. Well, after the Somerset Fly Show, I now also adore Fish Skull's Articulated Shanks. Check out the video. Fly tyers...this one's for you.

by John Merwin

I’m looking for some opinions on this question: Do sportsmen buy and read ebooks? That is, titles dealing with hunting, fishing, or firearms that you would download and read electronically on your iPad, desktop computer, or even a smartphone.

The photo shows a fly-fishing ebook that I bought, downloaded, and read over the weekend on my iPad. Pat Dorsey, the author, is a well-known guide in Colorado. I wanted to see what his best fly patterns were and how to tie them. The tying-sequence photos in this book are large, bright, and easy to follow. I’d have no trouble setting up my iPad next to my tying vise and following the directions.

The only thing getting in the way here is tradition. Being an old guy, I rather revere regular books. I have hundreds of them, including many, many fishing titles. The whole ebook concept and its amazingly rapid growth is turning the book-publishing industry upside down. And as the author or editor of numerous traditional books, I find this very disconcerting.

by Joe Cermele

And now for something a little bit racy in our ongoing vintage tackle contest. Avert your eyes, kids. This entry from Eric Leebens isn't exactly G rated. All I can say is, if you bought a few of those novelty Budweiser can lures to go with this topless beauty, it would be like a bachelor party in your tackle box. Eric wrote:

I received this unusual mermaid lure this holiday season from my mother-in-law, who acquired it from an elderly friend. The elderly friend said it belonged to her husband, who likely purchased it in the 1950's or 1960's. Any idea when/where this lure was made, a name it might have, and whether it could attract any lunkers?.