Thursday, May 19, 2011

"I" is for inventor


My father is the kind of person that always thinks about how to fix what's broken.  This is often done by taking the object apart and putting it together again.  I think he actually enjoys the challenge and rarely gives up on problems of that sort.  He, being born and raised in Minnesota, is also a fisherman. And so one day, of course, the problem solver part of him decided to get together with the fisher part.  He was going to make his fishing life easier.

  Back when he was fed up with his tackle box I was in high school so I saw first hand what was annoying him.  He'd go fishing with us kids and have to replace one of our hooks because a Northern Pike bit the line or it was stuck on a log or motor. There was only one tackle box and he was in charge of it. The trouble came from the leaders stored in his box; they had line.  The fishing line would go every which way until it resembled a miniature plastic tumbleweed.  When a guy is trying to catch a "Big Jack", it can be frustrating working on a knot like that, but bait had to be put on the rod.  "Can't catch fish in the boat."

Fishing was important.  This problem had to be solved.  One day when he was eating Pringles Potato Chips , he got an idea.  He spent quite a bit of time down in his workshop with the Pringles Potato Chip can.  Then, one day, he showed us his proto-type. This was how he was going to solve the tangled tackle box.  Each leader would be stored separate from the others.  His device would be compact and float too.  And that's just what it did too.  These Leader Eaters as he called them are great for camping and backpacking.  A hiker can just throw them in the backpack without worry.  He has a patent on them, but they were only sold locally and now not at all.

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