By Joe Cermele

Here's an interesting entry into the vintage tackle contest from Joe Rudolph, who wrote: I dug up this spinner in the basement of my uncle's house at the Gatineau Fish & Game Club in Point Comfort, Quebec, underneath a workbench in a pile of sawdust. The house was built in 1924 and the club was founded in 1894 by my great-great grandfather, Franchot Jerome Tone. Per Dr. Todd Larson of The Whitefish Press and "Fishing For History" blog, this spinner is an example of a British design taking hold in the U.S., which ironically is happening again today as European-style carp fishing gets more and more popular on American soil.

Dr. Todd says:

"This is a great piece of British fishing tackle manufactured by Samuel Allcock & Co. of Redditch, England. The firm was founded around 1800 by Polycarp Allcock, and taken over around 1858 by his son Samuel. In the 1860s and 1870s it became one of the largest tackle makers in the world. What you have is an "Arrow" spinner, as it was called in America, or an "Otter" as it was sometimes called in Britain. 

By Joe Cermele

You know how the number one rule in conventional fishing is know what's behind you before making a cast? In electro-shock fishing, the number rule is never grab the hot end of the shoddy lightning rod you built out of a ski pole, a hair dryer, and the power cord from your brother's Sega Genesis. It seems the gentleman in this video was so pumped to shock some more eels, or whatever is swimming in that mud, he forgot ever-so-crucial rule numero uno, though it appears he'll live to zap another day. But if he had been able to afford the new Dave Wolak Electro-Mangler 3000 like the pros use, he would have been deep fried.

By Joe Cermele

About a month ago I posted a short video of some kids catching perch with bread in a minnow trap in the storm drain right outside their house. You can click here to watch it. In that post I had mentioned that if I lived there, I'd hang a live bluegill in that hole overnight and try to catch me a big catfish. Kyle Naegli, who shot the original video, reached out to me and said: Thank you for posting my sewer video! That was real and I have caught big catfish in there. If I make a video of catching catfish in there will you put it on Field & Stream? I agreed, and it seems young Kyle has put his money where his mouth is. Good job, dude! Now, if you catch a 50-pound alligator gar in that hole, please call me and I'll be right over with a camera crew. 

By Joe Cermele

It's one thing to keep a rod, reel, and tackle bag stashed in the back of the truck for impromptu stops at the pond. It's another to have a kayak tucked away for impromptu paddling into those lily pads on the far side of that pond. Check out this video that explains the concept behind portable Oru Kayaks. Though I'm not sure I'd take one out in gnarly whitewater, it seems like a useful tool for the largemouth lake or smallmouth stream. You can pre-order one here for $850.