It’s the mid 1940s and a wash of post-war prosperity is energizing America. Innovation is in the air; and though it will still be a decade before Elvis Presley begins a cultural transformation of the country’s music, America is changing quickly. Military technologies developed for World War II are modernizing everyday American all the way from household appliances to the farm pond down the road.
And that’s where today’s story comes in—the farm pond.
Out in the grassy fields and small, tree-lined lakes of America, war technology was in the hands of the fisherman. Monofilament line first developed for parachutes is replacing silk and string lines. A new type of snag-free reel made from old bomb-casings—the Zebco—is teaching everyone how to fish. And at the top of the pyramid, for the most advanced anglers, was the strangest piece of tech of all— a fishing rod made from part of a battle tank, the Hurd Supercaster.
At $45, the Supercaster was not for everyone. It was a work of art; an all-in-one combination of a machined, aluminum reel, a sturdy walnut grip (in early models), and a rod crafted from surplus World War II tank antennas.
It was a serious piece of fishing equipment for the serious gamefish angler, because—seriously—that rod could have been a few inches away from riding atop a rolling, armored cannon in the Battle of the Bulge.
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