Interesting to wonder if they would still catch fish in the modern era... I assumed they would be just as effective now as in years past. Maybe even better since the fish haven't seen them before...
Sure technology changes, and things always improve, but a fishing lure is a fishing lure. Plenty of old pictures of full stringers back then... If you take away the electronics and innovations in rods and reels, these lures would get it done now as they did then. That got me to thinking- Would waterfowl decoys of years gone by work as well now as they did then? I doubt that. I swear ducks get smarter and learn from year to year. When I was young 10-12 we shot lots of ducks over 2 liter bottles that were painted and old tires cut in half to look like dark geese in fields. I don't think that would be overly effective now, even up in Canada where the ducks "appear" stupid in late September and October. Of course, old decoys combined with the right location and some gray skys would fool a few no matter what happens. They just wouldn't bring them in like modern decoys would. Just my thoughts.