Category: Tackle History

“Old 2000” – Darter or Wiggle King

Posted by David Smith | Sep 4, 2026 | Tackle History |

A while back I wrote a Bass Fishing Archives article titled “It’s a Big Bass, Mrs....

1968 Burke Flex-O Catalog

Posted by Terry Battisti | Aug 11, 2026 | Bass Tackle Catalogs, Burke, Tackle History |

But read the description and there’s no mention of Texas or rig. Instead, the rig is called the “self weedless worm with special Slide Sinker.” The Texas rig would not receive its name until just after the start of the 70s. Below that they were even selling the EK102 “Professional Series New ‘Slide Sinker’ Method Erthword Kit.”

1970s Tuner Gear Kits

Posted by Terry Battisti | Aug 10, 2026 | Tackle History |

This week I’m going to discuss what today would be called 1970s Tuner Gear Kits. These high-speed conversion gear kits allowed an angler to change out the old 3.75:1 gears in the ABU 5000 and 6000 reels and improve the ratio to near 5.0:1.

Minnow Lure Battles

Posted by Terry Battisti | Jul 30, 2026 | Retro Ads, Tackle History |

Even though the Floating Minnow was available in the States, stock was still low, keeping the price well above average. As with any open market, this opened the door for copycats. This is a short look into those early copycats and the baits they developed based on the Original Floating Rapala.

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written by Terry Battisti