Fishing Lures of a Certain Speed

My Dad was a great fisherman.  He not only enjoyed the act of fishing but also the research and acquisition of fishing gear. When I was small, I used to love poring over the catalogs with him trying to figure out what might land that big rainbow trout.

One day he turned a page in one of his catalogs and started to laugh.  When I asked what was so funny, he tried to change the topic.  I was not a child to be left out of a good joke so he finally gave in and said that fishing lures could have fast action or slow action.  I guess it was how fast they spin, I don’t remember that part.

What I do remember is that this particular lure was called  The Half-Fast Lure. Obviously, the lure wasn’t too slow or too fast.  I was probably seven or so and I didn’t understand why that was so funny.  Much to my mother’s chagrin, my Dad had to explain the concept of “half-assed” to me.  Anytime I hear that phrase I always think of my Dad and smile.