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?.

By Joe Cermele

I'm working on a story that requires me to interview a couple muskie guides from around the country. In my experience, you can always count on these guys to peg one of three lures as their favorite; bucktail, jerkbait, or soft-plastic like the Bull Dawg. But Wisconsin guide Bruce Shumway threw me a curve ball, citing the Fuzzy Duzzit (below) as one of his go-to baits for giant muskies. The Fuzzy is nothing more than a huge blade bait that Shumway jigs over weed beds and rock piles. I was surprised to hear that this lure was one of his top producers, not because I don't believe it, but because I'm of the opinion that blade baits are largely overlooked these days. In 7 years of interviewing guides, Shumway was the first to recommend a blade.

By Joe Cermele

The lure below, entered into the ongoing vintage tackle contest by Kevin Stewart, is definitely old, is the right size to catch bigger fish, and even has that classic red-and-white color pattern. However, a lack of a brand name left Kevin asking...what is it? He wrote:

I bought this lure at an antique store in the Missouri Ozarks. It may have been hand made. I would like to learn more about it if you could help.