Who’s That With The Popeil Pocket Fisherman?
Over the summer, I drove up to Pennsylvania a couple of times to help my father move. In the process, I brought back a lot of family memorabilia, including the above photo. Yes, that’s a three-year-old me in the mid-1970s going after trophy bass with my Popeil Pocket Fisherman. I was already a Ronco man in preschool, and a pretty slick dresser, too.
I can’t remember if I caught anything that day. Maybe a cold. The commercials made it look like you were just a cast away from enjoying a bountiful fish dinner. Boy, those were good commercials. “The biggest fishing invention since the hook … and still only $19.95!” You can see a few of them below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vcmn4JgpZMU
“It’s the fishing invention of the century … Smooth-action Johnson reel … What a gift!” It’s easy to see how Ron Popeil got so rich.