So last weekend, I went over to help clean out my grandpa’s garage — something that’s been long overdue. The place is basically a living museum of forgotten tools, fishing gear, and random gadgets from every decade you can think of. The shelves are full of jars with mismatched screws, tangled extension cords, and old oil cans that look like they belong in a black-and-white movie.
While moving some boxes around, I spotted this strange object wedged between an old car battery and a milk crate full of spark plugs. It was about the size of a flashlight but bulkier, with a handle that folded out, a little reel built into the side, and a clip near the end. I had no clue what it was. It didn’t look like any tool I’d ever seen — and I’ve seen a fair amount of weird stuff just from hanging out with my grandpa over the years.
I picked it up, turned it over in my hands, and went back inside to ask him.
“Hey, Grandpa… any idea what this is?” I asked, half expecting him to launch into a full history lesson like he always does.
He squinted at it, scratched his head, and without missing a beat said:
“Oh yeah, that’s for putting air in tires.”
I stared at him for a second. “Really?” I said, already turning it over in my hand again. “Are you sure?”
He nodded with total confidence. “Yup. That’s how we used to do it before those electric air pumps. You’d hook it to something and pump the air in. Old-school stuff.”
At this point, I’m thinking, Okay… maybe he’s right? But something about it didn’t add up. There were no hoses, no gauges, nothing that looked like it would connect to a tire. It just didn’t make sense. So I poked around online for a minute, typing in every weird description I could think of — “folding handle with reel,” “vintage tool with fishing line?” — and finally, it hit me.
It was a Pocket Fisherman.
I laughed and showed him a picture on my phone.
He leaned in, squinted again, and then burst out laughing. “Oh hell, that’s what that is! A Pocket Fisherman! I haven’t seen that thing in 40 years!”
Apparently, he completely forgot what it was at first glance. Once he remembered, though, the stories came pouring out.
Back in the day, these little gadgets were the thing. He said they were sold through those loud, over-the-top TV commercials — “The fishing rod that fits in your glovebox!” — the kind that promised you could catch dinner on your lunch break. He kept it in his truck for years, just in case he passed by a pond or a stream that looked promising.
He told me he caught everything from bass to bluegill with that thing. “Didn’t matter if it was fancy,” he said. “It worked. And it was fun.”
We both had a good laugh about the “air in tires” comment, and now it’s kind of a running joke between us.
I ended up cleaning it off, and to my surprise, the reel still turns. The line was a bit old and frayed, but with a little care, I think I could get it working again. I’m honestly thinking of taking it out on a weekend trip just to see if I can catch something with it — for nostalgia’s sake.
So yeah, it went from being a mystery tool… to an air pump (according to Grandpa)… to a legendary pocket-sized fishing rod with a whole lot of history behind it.
Anyone else ever seen one of these? Did your dad or grandpa have one too? I’m kind of obsessed with it now — and tempted to start collecting old “As Seen on TV” gadgets. 😂🎣
Let me know if you’ve got stories like this — or mystery items you found in your family’s garage. You never know what kind of forgotten treasures are hiding in plain sight.
