By Joe Cermele

Here's something new in our vintage tackle contest. No, they're not old muskie lures, but rather pike spearing decoys. For those of you not familiar with the practice, these dekes are jigged and spiraled in the ice hole to lure a pike into spearing range. They belong to Tyler Leichty, who says he "found them at his girlfriend's cabin." Hey, good on you for scoring a girlfriend with a cabin. Now as far as your decoys are concerned, according to Dr. Todd Larson of The Whitefish Press and "Fishing For History" blog, you could start an engagement ring fund by selling them if you're lucky. You may consider this if said cabin is on a great lake, river, or hunting property.

Dr. Todd says:

"You don't have fishing lures but what you do have are spearing decoys. Spearing decoys, of course, do not have hooks (if they do they are called "cheaters" as they are illegal). The red and white plastic one on the right is a manufactured decoy made by Bear Creek ca. 1950 and worth around $20-$30 due to condition. The other three, however, are really interesting. They are seemingly from the same maker, and since I am not an expert in unmarked ice decoys, I called a friend who is. Gary L. Miller is one of the nation's preeminent experts on all things ice spearing, and wrote me the following: 'The other three decoys, as far as I can determine, have not been identified as to maker. They do appear to all be by the same hand and they have a decidedly Cadillac, Michigan influence. I would guess they are 1920s-30s.' As for value, it depends on if you can attach provenance to them. A known Cadillac style maker could bring hundreds of dollars per decoy; even an unknown quality decoy like these could bring $100-$200 each. I suggest you do your research and take a lot of photos of all sides of these decoys so that people like Gary L. Miller can better identify them. They are an amazing find, no matter how you look at it."

Killer find, Tyler. Now start doing the Doc's suggested homework. Thanks for sending, and keep an eye on your mailbox, because there's a set of Berkley Aluminum Pliers 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 pair of Berkley Aluminum Pliers (above) worth $50.

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By Joe Cermele

Here's the short version from the UK Daily Mail: Two guys set out in a 17-foot "dinghy" hoping to hook a thresher shark. Well, they did, and the 14-foot, 550-pounder took two hours to best, and dragged Wayne Combens little boat 4 miles across the English Channel. Per the story, it's one of the largest sharks ever caught in the UK. It's a great catch, and kudos on the release, but what I find most commical is the farily calm, English-gent attitudes of these guys. Every time I've been on a boat in the states when a shark is hooked up, cuss words are flying, people are screaming...it's kinda funny that these guys sound like they're having a bit of sport on a chalk stream. And I think the guy behind the camera is Michael Caine. Seriously, click here if you don't believe me.

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By Joe Cermele

What do you get when you put a Yankee and two West Virginia local boys—one of which just goes by "Redneck"—in a raft and send them down the New River? A good mix of Southern-style life lessons, some fart jokes, a few hairy moments in churning whitewater, and loads of gorgeous smallmouth bass. As a moving water bronzeback addict, the New has been on my bucket list for a while, and it didn't fail to impress with numbers of bass. In my opinion, a float like this is summer fishing at it's finest. Throw in company that keeps you constantly laughing or shaking your head, and you've got a "Hook Shots" episode. If any of you are ever headed to the New, do yourself a favor a book Larry "Redneck" Nibert to float you. No matter what happens, it'll be a trip you'll never forget. Enjoy the show.

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By Kirk Deeter

About a month ago I was fishing with a bunch of friends and the weather conditions were particularly nasty. As we regrouped in the lodge one evening, I asked one buddy how he'd done that day, and he said: "Some anglers are casters, and others are predators. Today, I was a caster." Which was a gracious and eloquent way of saying he'd been skunked (he wasn't the only one).    

As fate would have it, a few days later a new book by one of my favorite instructors and writers, Gary Borger, showed up in my mailbox. The title? The Angler as Predator. The book is now one of my favorite how-to books on fishing. It cuts to the core of something that's extremely important, something we rarely discuss. The mental game.  

There is a definite science to this sport. You have to know how to load your rod with the right force. Time your casting stroke just so in order to punch out long casts. You must be in tune with the insects trout eat to know which fly to tie on. And you have to drift the fly precisely, reading currents to reduce drag until it floats like a natural insect. Those are all very important things to master.  But sometimes we pour so much time and effort into understanding the physics, entomology, and hydrodynamics of good fly fishing that we forget about the psychology of the sport. 

This is the great angler's trump card and Borger covers it better than anyone else I've read.  He talks about being like a leopard as you fish, approaching the fish with stealth. Watching. Blending in. Minimizing sound. Recognizing opportunities and knowing how to subdue your prey quickly and efficiently. 

The bottom line is that good fishing is about exploiting the weaknesses of your quarry. Since most fish we chase with flies have brains about the size of almonds, this might not seem difficult.  But brainpower shrinks fast when unfocused, loaded down with thoughts like wading headlong into a run, or punching out that 60-foot hero cast.  When I guide, I'd rather take a predator with a 30-foot limit on her cast than an angler who can show me his backing knot at will, any day.

This book is volume four in Borger's ambitious Fly Fishing, The Book Series, which will ultimately cover everything from casting to reading water, to picking flies.  I am sure this one will stand out.  You should get the whole series as these books become available, because Gary Borger is really one of the masters of the craft (as is his son Jason, who provides illustrations and commentary as well), and he's spilling the beans with uncommon candor and insight. The Angler as Predator costs $24.95.   

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By Dave Wolak

Does anyone ever use pistol-grip casting rods anymore? Once in a while at the lake I'll see an old-timer flicking a spinnerbait around with a 5'9" pistol-grip—you know Hank Parker style. I remember when these rods were the craze among bass fishermen. Call me nutty, but I think pistol grips will always have a time and a place, namely in tight quarters when short casting around boat docks or scattered shallow wood. But those times and places are becoming fewer and fewer with the advent of lighter, longer rods with split-grip handles integrated into the blanks.

The short handles of pistol-grips might make casting easier and more accurate, but if you used to use them, you might recall that fighting a fish on one was tough on the wrist, and big bass could easily overpower the rod. The new breed of rods with the blanks running through the handles assist with leverage both behind the hand and in front of the hand. The configurations are essentially matching up the technology and biomechanics necessary to make fishing effectively a lot easier in terms of catching, and a lot easier on the angler physically. Although I still grab a pistol grip now and again, it’s hard to get away from the new stuff, and that’s because in my opinion, two hands are better than one when it comes to presentation and fish fighting. A long-handled split-grip rod allows me to use my left hand on the butt to aid in pendulum swinging a bait, and it also allows me to choke up higher on the rod above the reel for a more solid hook set.

Aside from new technology overtaking the old, there is another reason why I think pistol grips that were once the best things since sliced bread went away. Today, average bass anglers are simply better, spend more time on the water seriously fishing, and ultimately have higher expectations than they did 25 years ago. I think it’s fair to apply this even to the casual angler that gets out once every two weeks. With higher expectations on the water, we all expect more from our equipment. That’s not to suggest, however, that you should toss those old pistol grips, because technology also has a way of making the old new again. All it may take to revive the pistol-grip is someone respected in the fishing world putting up some big bass, or swearing lure X works better with a pistol. Suddenly they could be the best things you need that you already had.

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By Ben Romans

Last week, the Idaho Fish and Game Department (IDFG) announced anglers fishing Meadow Reservoir near Lewiston can catch and keep as many fish as they can between September 1 and October 31, 2013, by any means possible, with one caveat—no electricity, firearms or explosives.

A press release from the IDFG says that illegal fish introductions have caused the fishery to decline to the point it’s now dominated by bullhead, yellow perch and crappie. While anglers still need a valid fishing license to wet a line on Meadow Reservoir, the IDFG’s salvage order eliminated bag limits and allows anglers to cull fish nearly any way they can, so long as it didn’t pose other risks—hence the reminder not to use methods involving chemicals, poisons, explosives or electricity.

What fish aren’t caught will eventually be killed. The agency plans to begin rehabilitating the reservoir in early November when water levels will be low, reducing the amount of the chemical rotenone needed to kill remaining fish.

“We heard angler's concerns about the declining fishery, and it is time to do something about it,” said Robert Hand, regional fisheries biologist. “By using rotenone, we can completely start over and develop a good fishery that will bring anglers back to Soldiers Meadow Reservoir.”

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By Joe Cermele

I have never won a major award. Bryan Bickell, wingman for the Chicago Blackhawks, has won a major award. Bickell, it seems, is also a pretty devout angler, and to celebrate that major award, he took it fishing...complete with its own life jacket. Now, that's cool and all, but it would have been even cooler if he used the Cup to hold live minnows or worms in dirt or something. Have a great weekend.

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By Bob Marshall

In an era when conservation-minded sportsmen spend most of their time trying to prevent damage from being done to their natural world, here comes a story with a refreshingly new angle: Damage being un-done.

Last week, as this video shows, the Lassiter Mill Dam on North Carolina’s Uwharrie River was removed, restoring 15 miles of free-flowing river and 174 miles of perennial stream habitat vital to fisheries that had been blocked for more than 200 years. The action will help revive sagging populations of many species, including American shad and striped bass that migrate upstream from the Atlantic Ocean.

The project was the result of a push by a wide coalition of interests from state and federal wildlife agencies to power companies. It is part of an encouraging movement across the northeast that has seen more than 240 dams removed in the last five years.

The dam was built for a grist mill in 1805 when America was busily trying to bend the natural environment to its economic purposes. Eventually more than 14,000 dams blocked rivers, bringing a boost to businesses but punching holes in ecosystems with impacts that spread from tiny mountain creeks to the wide Atlantic.

One of the most evident impacts was seen in the collapse of fish such as shad, striped bass, salmon and sea-run trout that spawn in the rivers but migrate to the ocean.

The push to reverse that damage began decades ago. Initial remedies such as fish ladders have proven ineffective in many cases, and conservationists began making the case for removal. That argument gained traction as an economic argument for restoring habitat was shown to have a better bottom-line – an argument pushed along by the consequences of the Endangered Species Act.

Groups such as American Rivers have now made dam removal a top priority, having success across the northeast as well as in other regions.

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By Kirk Deeter

Every few years the issue of fly rod warranties generates some heated debate among manufacturers, fly shop owners, and consumers, then disappears. This year might be different. David Leinweber, owner of Angler's Covey in Colorado Springs, wrote an open letter to the industry demanding that rod warranties be rethought, and in the last few weeks, I've heard more buzz on the topic from more sources than I can remember.

You know the deal. Most high-end rods come with a no-fault warranty. You slam it in the screen door, or your dog eats it, or maybe you even break it while fighting a fish, no problem. Just mail it back, pay a processing fee (they vary by manufacturer) and you get a new rod. Thing is, you're already paying for the replacement when you buy the $750 rod in the first place. I'll use basic math and round numbers: Rod makers know that one in three rods get broken eventually, so they tack a third of the price of a new rod onto the original purchase price.  

Some anglers love that. Some would love to see the cost of the rods reduced. Some shop owners love the warranty. Some think they sell far fewer rods than they would if people weren't getting so many "free" replacements. And that volume of rod replacements is more than you might think. One major rod company admitted that they get as many as 500 returns per week during the busy fishing months of summer.

And some of the repair requests are silly. Look at this rod tube being held by Jim West of The Orvis Company, who heads their repairs department. He's seen it all in over 40 years at Orvis, but this takes the cake. I don't know if it got flattened by a tank; Jim didn't ask. But true to their promise, Orvis replaced it.  

It kind of bothers me that the price of rods is influenced in part by the cost of fixing things like this.

I was talking to another industry insider last week (few folks want to go on the record regarding this taboo), and he thinks we might see at least one manufacturer launch a new series of rods next year that expressly doesn't include a warranty. What would now be an $800 rod might be priced at $500 or $600.

Another idea being kicked around is allowing the consumer to buy a purchase protection plan, kind of like when you buy a television or a refrigerator and you have the option to pay extra up front if you want free repairs in the future. Would you opt for that? Would you at least like the option of not buying that?

Some say we'll see the industry really clamp down on secondhand warranty claims (most rods warranties are only valid for the original owner, but enforcement of that policy has been lax, and a good percentage of returns are rods that changed hands through eBay and so forth).

Maybe rod makers will shorten the term of the warranty from "lifetime" or 25 years to five years.  Most of the rods I've broken have busted within the first year I used them, and if I break a favorite old model, odds are the rod company isn't going to fix the original or send me the same model; I'll get a modern equivalent.

Maybe we'll see rods come with two tips as an option again.  

I don't know for sure what will happen. But I know something is going to happen. And I'm interested in what you think.

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By Joe Cermele

This week in the vintage tackle contest have a couple old-school spoons submitted by Jim Gray, who picked up the pair at a yard sale for a crisp dollar. I was originally thinking we had some classic Buck Perry Spoonplugs here, but Dr. Todd Larson of The Whitefish Press and "Fishing For History" blog says that's not quite the case. Hey Buck Perry collectors...watch out for knock-offs!

Dr. Todd says:

"At first glance, it would appear you have an iconic lure known as the Spoonplug, invented by the late Buck Perry in the immediate aftermath of World War II. Perry, a pioneer in structure fishing, was granted a patent for his lure on April 15, 1947 and it became a very big seller, as it did (and does) catch fish. When the patent ran out in 1964, however, a number of companies began manufacturing knock-off versions of the Spoonplug. You have a pair of such lures dating from ca. 1970 sold by one of the kings of the knock-off tackle world, George Leonard Herter of Waseca, Minnesota. There was a time when two generations of sportsmen would eagerly await the annual Herter's catalog, filled with every outdoor and tackle item under the sun, all complete with his breathless prose (every lure was the greatest fish catcher ever invented). I'd value these lures at $5-$10 each, which is a nice return on your $1 investment. And I'm sure if you took them out, they would catch fish! To learn more about the eccentric G.L. Herter, click here."

Good find, Jim. Though I've never trolled Spoonplug, I know a few people who swear by them and catch everything from bass to catfish on the metals. Thanks for sharing, and keep an eye on your mailbox, because there's a set of Berkley Aluminum Pliers 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 pair of Berkley Aluminum Pliers (above) worth $50.

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