Jackson: Two lures from the 1950s still going strong today

When I asked my friend Paul if he wanted to explore a couple of ponds west of where we live, he wasn't overly excited at the prospect, especially if we would do our exploring Monday morning.

I suggested he stay home and lick his wounds following Sunday's beat down of the Cubs.

So I went to my boat and retrieved two rods (one medium-action Grandt spinning and one medium-light casting) to handle whatever presented itself.

And for me the pièce de résistance wound up being my choice of crankbaits that had been waiting to shine again.

I thought about the state of affairs when it comes to plugs or crankbaits, as they are more commonly called these days.

For me, there doesn't seem to be any pizzazz when it comes to naming a lure. The art of adding a touch of adventure and romance to lure naming happens has disappeared.

The magazine ads of yore depicted a male angler in a boat, giving a bass or muskie the business end of a lure with its hooks in one fell swoop as the fish took to the air.

Before I go too far in my narrative, I should tell you that I picked two crankbaits sitting in a small tackle box. They were partially hidden by a pack of 35-year-old leader material.

I cleaned the lure bodies and then went to work on the treble hooks with a small hand sharpener. One lure was an ancient Heddon River Runt, and the other gem was a Tiny Torpedo, both of which were heavy-duty favorites back in the 1950s.

Have any of you ever paid attention to lure names today? There doesn't seem to be any great imagination to the names or the way these lures are portrayed in ads and commercials. Too much thinking for a Monday morning.

Back to my narrative, and then I was off to a pond in western Hoffman Estates. Air temps hovered near 55 degrees while the water temperature at one pond was in the low 50s.

Depending on the line weight and diameter, the River Runt could be a deep diver if faced with some current and a fast retrieve. I worked the edge of shoreline cattails without any success. I finally switched to the top water Torpedo and made one cast that caused the lure to land inches from one tail.

The water exploded. A small largemouth catapulted out of the water. Weighing in at 1 ½ pounds on the digital scale, it was enough to suggest there could be others waiting there for an easy meal.

And I guessed right.

Three more small bass succumbed to the Torpedo, all about the same size and weight as the first fish.

I moved around the shoreline constantly observing the weed lines and cattails. I saw cattail movement in another area and a quick cast to that spot, which produced a 2-pounder. I was on a tear and becoming a contented camper.

On the way home, I promised myself I would now keep both lures in my "everyday" tackle bag for use on Lake Geneva and Bangs Lake.

The best thing about these oldies and many others I have stashed is I do not have to apply for social security cards for them because these favorites never retired.

Now all I have to do is to remember where I left them.

• Contact Mike Jackson at angler88@comcast.net, catch his radio show 7-9 a.m. Sundays on WGCO 1590-AM (live-streamed at www.1590WCGO.com) and get more content at www.mikejacksonoutdoors.com.