Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire What is this contraption?

RAS....it used for deep water trolling......fIgured after growing up on the East Side you would know what that is......Was your grandfather a fisherman, fished on the Detroit or St. Clair River don't know of any other places that they were used....
It was made from a old crank up Victrola record player....lock the paw on the spool crank to tighten the spring.... release the spool fill it with about 1/16" copper braided wire(now stainless steel is used)....on the end of the copper wire you put a tear drop shaped 2 pound lead weight off that a 2' piece of 30 lb line with a lure 18'" up a 15' leader with a lure 18" from that a 30' leader with a lure...its tricky not to get lines tangled coil the leaders put weight in water slowly drop weight while trolling you want to bounce the weight in a slow pumping motion with your arm never letting go or the line will go out when a walleye bites then bring in line the spring will reel the line in....
At night pencil plugs are a popular lure during the morning and late day Flatfish F4 or F5 mid-day very thin narrow 3" spoons....

This is the modern version ...........https://lakesidefishingshop.com/product/a-s-trolling-reel/

Definitely a boat anchor, now.

I have one like it of Charles Helin inventor of the Flatfish made in the 1930's....my Great-Uncle was a very good friend of his and he helped develop the Flatfish...I was taught how to fish by them in the 60's....I still use the reel it has caught 100 of tons of walleye's.....