Group names top 10 innovations in fishing

The American Sportfishing Association (ASA), which is the sport fishing industry’s trade association, is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year at the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades (ICAST) in Las Vegas.

ICAST has served as a means to showcase new products, and this year is no exception.  A super-sized portion of hoopla was reserved for the ASA’s unveiling of “the country’s first top 10 list of the items that have changed the way people fish, as determined by a survey of the nation’s most avid anglers.”

I’ve always thought of myself as an “avid angler,” but nobody asked me for my opinion. I’ll wager that nobody asked what you thought either.

That’s OK, though, because it leaves us free to look at the ASA’s top 10 and agree or disagree at our individual pleasure.

The ASA wisely made no attempt to rank the items on their top 10 list. It presented them in order of origination, beginning with the oldest.  I see no reason not to follow suit.

The original floater minnow (1936) achieved instant popularity, despite being introduced during the latter days of the Great Depression.  It and its many clones continue to be mainstays for both fresh and saltwater anglers.

Rapala, the original manufacturer, still produces floating minnow lures as does just about every other hard plastic lure maker in the world.

The spring loaded bobber (1947) slowly but surely overtook natural cork as a bait-suspension device, primarily because it was easy to use.

Although balsa, foam and several other materials have ardent supporters among today’s anglers, a rare tackle box doesn’t include at least a few spring-loaded bobbers.
A long defunct company called Nibble Nabber first introduced the spring-loaded bobber, but various companies continue to produce them.
The Mitchell 300 (1949) was the first commercially successful spinning reel.  It’s still one of the most commonly used reels.  The Mitchell company introduced the 300, and it’s now manufactured by Pure Fishing.
According to the ASA, the Creme plastic worm (1949) “changed the sport forever,” because it was the first soft plastic worm that  looked and felt like a real worm.

It’s still made by the Creme Lure Company, which has to be a testimony to both the bait and the company’s staying power.

The closed-face spinning reel (1949) made learning to cast easy for people of any age or level of expertise.  These reels are less expensive than other types of reels.

The first closed-face spinning reels were made by the Zero Hour Bomb Company.  Today, the company is called Zebco, and it’s still making reels.

The Lowrance Fish Lo-K-Tor (1957), also known as “the little green box,” introduced the use of sonar technology to anglers.

It was nearly as powerful as the room-sized units on the destroyers my father served on during WWII.

The original manufacturer, Lowrance Electronics, is still in business.

The ASA press release credits monofilament line (1958) with improving “the durability, affordability and casting ability of fishing line.”

I fished with first generation mono, and I don’t remember it doing any of those things particularly well.  It did work better than other lines on the spinning and closed-face reels that were rapidly dominating the market.

DuPont Stren led the way.  Dupont’s line division sold to Pure Fishing a few years ago, but Stren line is still being sold.

The Minn Kota trolling motor (1958) was the first gear-driven electric trolling engine. This product revolutionized fishing.

Minn Kota was the original manufacturer and Minn Kota motors are still being produced by Johnson Outdoors.

The Fenwick High Modulus Graphite Rod (1972), with its super-sensitive  graphite, changed not only how fishing rods were made but how anglers fished.

Fenwick, the original manufacturer, has been absorbed by Pure Fishing, but Fenwick-labeled rods are still available.

The Shakespeare Ugly Stick (1976) is the antithesis of the graphite rods.

It’s not only affordable but it’s virtually unbreakable. No wonder they’re still popular.

Shakespeare was and still is the manufacturer.

Every item on the ASA’s top 10 list is worthy of consideration for the honor.

I would have replaced the bobber with the Ambassador 5000 series of bait-casting reels and the Ugly Stick with the original Ranger bass boat.