“Hey, You Scratched My Anchor”

People say fish is good for a diet. But fish should never be cooked in butter. Fish should be cooked in its natural oils - Texaco, Mobil, Exxon. (Rodney Dangerfield)

Last time I saw a mouth like that, it had a hook in it. (Al Czervik)

If you’ve read my writings for any period of time, you likely know that “on steroids” is one of my least favorite phrases. As in: “Redfish are just bass on steroids” or “This swimbait is like a Keitech on steroids.”

No. Just no.

A deeper dive into the fishing canon reveals another contender for the crown of fishing clichés: “The Rodney Dangerfield of….”

As in, “The yellow perch is the Rodney Dangerfield of the panfish world” or “The hair jig is the Rodney Dangerfield of smallmouth lures” or “Monofilament is the Rodney Dangerfield of fishing lines.” It may seem clever when you first write it, but do a quick Google search of old Rodney and any fishing term and you’ll have to wade through mounds of prior examples.

So despite my decision to henceforth swear off Rodney as a point of comparison, I’m not ready to throw him away altogether – because, you see, Rodney is actually an icon of both the boating and comedy worlds. Think back to Caddyshack, a movie full of memorable scenes, one of the best of which was Rodney’s turn as a wayward yachtsman aboard a 60-foot Striker, complete with dual 650-horsepower engines. In fact, if you’d always wanted to yell out “Move over, Swanson, I’m driving,” you could have had it for the relatively low price of $129,000 just a few years ago. It may have needed work (the CEO of Striker called it “a total piece of junk”) and it’s not bass tournament-legal, but it would still be a fine ride for a Cinderella story like yourself.

If boats aren’t your thing, there’s always the option of angling from Bushwood Pier in southern Maryland.

Of course, in addition to certain lures being “the Rodney Dangerfield of” some particular category, location, or species, there are actually a few lures named after Rodney or his efforts. One writer in Maine named his favorite salmon fly after Mr. Dangerfield.

There’s also a popular salmon spoon with a color named after Caddyshack. It’s sold many places, but the one that intrigued me is Fat Nancy’s Tackle in Pulaski, New York.

There’s also a soft plastic creature bait called the Varmint.

For many years one of the most popular mushroom head jigs was made by Gopher Tackle, although Carl Spackler seems to have incinerated that company.

If you don’t want to fish like Rodney, but you nevertheless want to pay tribute to him, you can wear this shirt from Ole Florida Fly Shop with a logo by Paul Puckett, featuring a Jack Crevalle.

There’s also a matching decal.

Slackertide, another company whose products I love, has a shirt with the famous musical golf bag turned into a rod caddy.

And if you’re really dedicated go to Loudmouth golf products and get some of Czervik’s pants. They’ll really make you stand out on the water.