Joe Cermele

Vintage Tackle Contest: Soap-A-Lure

Joe_Cermele — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:14:54 -0400

by Joe Cermele

Here's a direct quote from resident vintage tackle expert Dr. Todd Larson of the The Whitefish Press and "Fishing For History" blog regarding this Soap-A-Lure scent remover entered into the vintage tackle contest by Steve Crismon: "This was the toughest nut to crack to date. But I did crack it eventually." Strong words coming from the man that knows all things old school fishing gear, but I must admit this was one of the oddest entries I ever recieved. Steve found it at a yard sale 10 years ago.

Here's what was in that nut once once Doc Larson cracked it:

"For at least a hundred years, anglers have tried to remove or mask the smell of human scent and man-made chemicals, but it wasn't until the late 1960s and early 1970s that inventors began to take the subject seriously. In the span of six years, no less than three separate "Fisherman's Soaps" were granted patents, as far as I know the only such patents granted in American history. So…which of these three belongs to your "Soap-A-Lure?" After checking the patents, only John Paul Noordam Jr.'s patent not only removes the fish smell, but also applies an attractant to the hands. Noordam was granted Patent #3,666,669 on May 13, 1972, and as your bar is marked "Patent Pending" I would surmise it was probably sold in 1970 or 1971, while the patent was being reviewed. Since so few have survived intact, I would say your soap is worth $10-$20. To view some other angler's soaps from the back pages of Field & Stream, click here."

Far as I know, that's the most valuable bar of soap ever! Nice find, Steve. Thanks for sending, and enjoy the Berkley Digital Tournament Scale that's headed your way

If you've already sent me photos of your vintage tackle, keep checking every Thursday to see if I chose it for an appraisal by Dr. Todd. If you haven't and want to enter the contest, email photos of your old tackle to fstackle@gmail.com, along with your name, mailing address, and story of how you acquired the gear. If I use it in a Thursday post, you get a Berkley Digital Tournament Scale (left, $40).

Peeing Swimmers Kill 500 Fish in Germany

Joe_Cermele — Wed, 23 May 2012 10:28:30 -0400

by Joe Cermele

Here's one from the "I Couldn't Make This Up If I Tried" file. According to Europe's Practicalfishkeeping.com, German swimmers are being blamed for the death of 500 fish in a lake near Hamburg. Apparently they just couldn't ditch the swimmy fins and pool noodles long enough to find a bathroom. From the story:

A spokesman for the local Angling Association said: "Swimmers who urinate in the lake are introducing a lot of phosphate. We're calculating half a litre/0.15 gal. of urine per swimmer per day." Applying anti-phosphate products to the water has been expensive and hasn't worked, fuelling a long-standing feud between fishermen and bathers in the lake.

The story also notes that the city's Urban Development and Environmental Authority says there could be another explanation...ice skating.

"The ice-skaters make a noise that wakes the fish out of hibernation", a BSU spokesperson said. "Then they can’t breathe and freeze. That’s a very common phenomenon."

So listen, I'm just going to leave you folks to it. Pee deaths? Ice skating deaths? You think you ever scared a lake trout so badly doing a hockey stop it went belly up?

40-Pound Kamikaze Barracuda Launches Assault on Anglers

Joe_Cermele — Tue, 22 May 2012 09:29:10 -0400

by Joe Cermele

You think flying Asian carp are bad? They might break a jawbone, give you a nice sock in the gut, or leave you with a black eye. But they will not remove toes, fingers, or part of your face with razor-sharp teeth. Check out the video below. Baracuda rank high on my list of species I do not want flying at my head. You never see a nice, meaty, 10-pound flounder jump into the boat.

Killer Snakeheads: The Real and the Hollywood Varieties

Joe_Cermele — Thu, 17 May 2012 11:28:06 -0400

by Joe Cermele

First, check out this video from ABC 7 News in Virginia. It seems angler Juan Duran may have set a new world record for snakehead right here on American soil. This week, Duran wrenched an 18-pound monster out of the Potomac River near Washington D.C. The current world-record snakehead weighed just over 17 pounds and was caught in Japan...right where these fish belong in the first place. If you think a snakehead that size in our rivers is mildly freightening, check out video number two.

This, folks, could be where we're headed.

Vintage Tackle Contest: Whirlaway Rod & Reel Combo

Joe_Cermele — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:56:41 -0400

by Joe Cermele

This week in our ongoing vintage tackle contest we have the odd-looking rod and reel combo below. The photo was sent in by Henry Kenworthy, who wrote: This unique fishing rod was given to me as a child (approx 35 years ago) in Marianna, Arkansas, by a man named Cody as payment for helping him clean out his boathouse. I was 10-12 years old at the time. I remember Mr. Cody telling me that "in it's day, this was the Cadillac of fishing rods."

So is this all-in-one stick truly the Cadillac of rods or was it the Nova? Dr. Todd Larson of the The Whitefish Press and "Fishing For History" blog says:

"For at least 125 years, anglers have been trying to create the perfect all-in-one rod and reel combination. You have one of the many examples of this style from the post-World War II era. It is a "Whirlaway" manufactured by Great Lakes Products of Detroit, Michigan. First sold around 1950, the first model (which you have) was in fact a bit of a failure, and replaced by the all-new Whirlaway 75 in 1954. Noted tackle historian Bill Sonnett recently wrote an article about the Whirlaway, and noted that the problem was the original twisted the line so that after an hour of casting it became unusable. Your combo is quite popular with collectors, and should bring about $50-$100 depending on condition. To read Bill Sonnett's article on the Whirlaway, click here."

I hope you didn't do more than $50 to $100 worth of work cleaning up that boathouse, Henry. Still in all, a terrific find. Thanks for sending, and enjoy the Berkley Digital Tournament Scale that's headed your way

What Were Some of Your Milestone Rods?

Joe_Cermele — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:00:00 -0400

by Joe Cermele

A few weeks ago I was cleaning some old junk out of the basement at my mom's place, and amid the clutter was a pile of rods wedged in the corner. Most them were beaten to death, missing guides, and not worth saving. But in the cluster were four I just had to keep, because they all represent milestones in my fishing history. There was my first spinning rod (1), an Olympic 2000 that, if memory serves correctly, my dad cut down for 7-year-old me. It only has three guides. Then there's my first fly rod (2), an Eagle Claw Feather Light. I got the rod in 6th grade, and used it until my sophomore year of high school. That Christmas Santa brought me a G. Loomis 5-weight.

Number 3 is the first (and last) rod I ever built. Note the chunks of deer horn expertly worked into the handle. You can't see it in the photo, but I non-expertly didn't realize you had to buy a tip guide separately. Being too lazy and impatient to order one, I just spun a regular guide onto the tip. I caught one bass on the rod and retired it. The blank is so cheap it would probably snap if you looked at it wrong.

Finally, there is my old Shakespeare Alpha (4). Dubbed "Great White," it was the first surf rod I ever owned. The 10-footer did a fine job of lobbing bait into the waves, but when I got serious about chasing stripers in the surf, it didn't take long to switch to a rod that was a little less of a telephone pole and could actually cast a light plug more than 15 feet. What were some of your milestone rods? Do you still have any of them?

Smallmouth Jerkbait Tips from Bass Pro Bill Lowen

Joe_Cermele — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:00:37 -0400

by Joe Cermele

Last week I spent some time chasing smallmouths up in Buffalo, New York. If you're a smallmouth freak like I am, at some point you have to fish Lake Erie. Even the small fish are footballs and the shear number of bass is insane. One day I shared a boat with Elite Bass Pro Bill Lowen, who proceeded to crush me in the numbers of bass category. It seems every time I fish with a bass pro, I'm like Baby Huey. Case in point, at the end of this video featuring some great jerkbait tips from Lowen, you get to watch Billy yank a treble hook that's buried to the bend out of my hand. It was bound to happen sooner or later while I was rolling a camera. Enjoy.

Vintage Tackle Contest: Heddon Crazy Crawler

Joe_Cermele — Thu, 10 May 2012 08:43:38 -0400

by Joe Cermele

This weeks entry into our ongoing vintage tackle contest comes front Brent Glowa. Brent sent in a ton of photos of old lures passed down from his dad who sadly passed away. Brent says that he has fond memories of playing with these lures whenever his dad opened his tackle box, and fishing these classic made a lasting impression.

I left it up to resident appraiser Dr. Todd Larson of the The Whitefish Press and "Fishing For History" blog to choose which of Brent's lures he'd give a history lesson on. It seems this Heddon Crazy Crawler was the coolest. Dr. Todd says:

"You have a classic Heddon Crazy Crawler in a 1950s plastic slide top box. The Crazy Crawler is one of my favorite fishing lures, with its rollicking topwater action leading to explosive strikes. Based on a 1920s design by New Jersey luremaker Jim Donaly (early Crazy Crawlers came with what is called the "Donaly" clip holding the wings on the side of the lure), it was introduced in 1940 as Heddon's alternative to the Arbogast Jitterbug. A best selling lure for many years in both wood and plastic, there are a dozen standard colors and three sizes. Yours is a wooden "bass" sized model and looks like it has been fished fairly hard. It is worth $20-$30. The Crazy Crawler Spook is still being produced today, and still has a loyal following in America and Japan."

Fantastic find, Brent. I'd take this lure and all the others, get a custom case made and hang them up. Keep passing them down through the family and keep your dad's angling legacy alive! Thanks for sending, and enjoy the Berkley Digital Tournament Scale that's headed your way

Grab The Mustard, It's Time for Asian Carp Hot Dogs

Joe_Cermele — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:14:52 -0400

by Joe Cermele

I don't know about you, but I've had the grill out and fired up a bunch already this spring. It's barbecue season and I couldn't be happier! Now, if you're looking for a little change from normal burgers and brats this year, may I suggest Asian carp dogs. That's right, Schafer's Fisheries in Fulton, IL, is turning the fish we all love to hate into the foods we all love to eat.

I know what you're thinking: What about when we have to pack a lunch and can't grill? Fear not. Schafer's is making carp bologna and salami, too. Check out this most excellent video from The Daily. Host Erik German is noticeably skeptical of the dogs at first, but says they taste like the real deal. If that's true, are carp dogs any more gross than pork dogs? We love those, and they're all just lips and...well, you know.

Cameron Diaz Nearly Eaten By Grouper. Yeah, We're Serious

Joe_Cermele — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:18:32 -0400

by Joe Cermele

So here's a fun thing to do while scuba diving. Swim up to a massive grouper on the reef and pet him right on the lips. What's that? It doesn't sound safe? No, no, it's cool. He's friendly. After actually executing this Tom Foolery, 3 News reported that actress Cameron Diaz told Jay Leno the following (I went ahead and counted the "likes" for you. There's 5):

"I'm rubbing its lip and I'm like, 'Oh my God, this is amazing!' I'm looking into its eyes, we're having this whole moment and all of a sudden it (inhaled) and I go (flying inside)... The only thing that stopped me was literally my neck. "I'm like inside this fish, and I'm looking at him, he's looking at me and I'm like, 'What's gonna happen here?' And he... (spit me out) and I go flying backwards. And I have, like, a (oxygen) tank on and everything and I'm, like, rolling backwards in the water. So that was really good times."

Wow, Cameron, that does sound like really good times. The story doesn't say what kind of silly grouper it was that mistook Ms. Diaz's affection-filled fingers for food, but she is quoted as saying "it was probably the size of a Volkswagen." That likely means it was a Goliath grouper, and I'd sooner scratch a hammerhead's belly than stick my hand anywhere near the maw of a Goliath. They might look fat and slow and oafy down there, but check out the video below. I've hooked them twice and neither fight lasted more than 30 seconds.