By Joe Cermele

How many of you remember buying a pack of panfish poppers like the one in the photo? I'm a child of the 80s and even I remember buying something similar, though these poppers, submitted into the vintage tackle contest by Richard Luckett looked a bit older. Richard says they belonged to his wife's father. I was curious as to whether a vintage version of something you can still find at Costco had any value. Dr. Todd Larson of the The Whitefish Press and "Fishing For History" blog has the verdict.

Dr. Todd says:

"You have a set of fly rod poppers that represent a seismic change in the American tackle industry. Beginning in the late 1940s and really picking up steam in 1957, imported fishing tackle from Japan began to flood the market. By the time Iowa's Dura-Pak began selling imported tackle in the 1960s, it had completely changed the way Americans fished. Cheap (both in construction and price) tackle ruled the day, and the period 1960-1975 was lamentable as many staples of the American tackle industry, from Pflueger to Creek Chub, either went out of business or were bought out...

By Joe Cermele

I have never been a huge fan of pre-matched rod-and-reel combos. I guess that's because I prefer to pair those items on my own, ensuring I like the way they feel together and being confident the set-up is fit to do exactly what I want it to do. That being said, the new Pocket Water from L.L. Bean is the first combo that is making me eat my words, and I think it's because what they've done is create a quality outfit that fills a void in many flycasters' arsenals at a pretty good price. 

By Joe Cermele

Listen up fans of military history. Today's winner in our vintage tackle contest will definitely pique your interest. The popper below was entered by 15-year-old Dominic Dixon, and it was passed down through the family by his granddad. I thought Dr. Todd Larson of the The Whitefish Press and "Fishing For History" blog was just going to explain what a great bass bait it used to be. Turns out this lure has what I'd say is the coolest story of any lure in the contest so far, and it all ties back to World War II. I knew there would be some juicy info when Dr. Todd's first line of response was: I never get tired of lures and this example is one reason why. I know this is a long entry but I think the story behind it warrants it! 

By Joe Cermele

Ever have one of those days on the water when no matter what you throw, no matter how many tricks you pull, you just can't catch a single fish and get so mad you want to choke something? Yeah, me too, but thinking it and doing it are two different stories. According to this article on Dailynews.com, when Sergio Alvarez (left) couldn't hook any dinner on the Malibu Pier in California, he quickly decided fowl sounded better than fish.

About 5:50 p.m. that day, a bystander flagged down a sheriff's deputy and said a man was choking a pelican.

When the deputy showed up, the brown pelican "flapped its wings in distress until its body went limp and died," sheriff's Lt. Robert Wiard said at the time.