Bob Riggins
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Speaking of old threads, what ever happened to Neal Osborn. I noticed some old posts from him in this thread, but haven’t seen anything new from him in a long time.
I fished the Tahoe area and Asheville NC area in Keen H2’s. I never slipped in them, but I had to be real careful. Plus if you are in gravel, it will get inside. I use them all the time on saltwater flats, but that is a different story. Before you use felt soles, make sure they are legal.
The Orvis Access Mid Arbor was one of my favorite reels for 6wt and under. Solid build, good drag. Like Zach, I also like the Lamson Reels, although if you are upgrading, I would go with the Guru.
Zach,
I read you posted comment under the article. I agree with you, the best was the first ones and it has been down hill every since. This year was OK and much better than last years abortion, but still, it is not as good as it should be. Plus, the guys that MC’d our show were just going through the motions, unlike the early years when the MC’s were really into the whole thing.
Personally, I think I would be just as happy sitting down and watching the whole season of Fly Nation.
I agree with Jon on this one. I have never been able to figure out why people are so insistent on bashing the Yellowstone Angler’s shootouts. Sure, there is a lot of subjectivity in them, but at least they have experienced anglers trying them all out at the same time and under the same conditions. Very few people have the resources to try out all 24 rods, plus those that weren’t included. If you were looking for a rod it is sure better to read through the Shootout than it is reading random reviews of all the rods online or reading marketing hype. That way you could narrow it down to the few rods that best fit your criteria and go try them out.
I don’t believe “significant digits” really applies in this case. That is a math convention applied to objectives mathmatical equations. These tests are based on a lot of subjective opinion and should be viewed that way.
It would also be interesting to see if they would pass the Daubert test. Obviously they couldn’t since the testers wouldn’t be qualified as professional experts in a court of law. Putting that aside, I think it might. I do a lot of expert testimony and use subjective opinion in my analysis. As long as the analysis is reasonable and consistent with industry standards, it passes the Daubert test. I think you could make the case that the shootout is based on reasonable criteria and methodology. Sure you could have a different set of experts come to a different opinion, but I face that in court all the time and neither party is questioned on Daubert.
I have a little different perspective on this since I build custom rods. Production rods and lines are built for the mass market, so there are necessarily compromises being made. On the consumer side, each person has a certain “feel” that is right for them, i.e., the right combination of rod and line. All but the most dedicated fly angler, do not have the time, money or experience to correctly match the two. In the past, a good fly shop could get a feel for what the customer wanted, let him try some setups and eventually match the right rod and fly line to his needs. With a few exceptions, I don’t think this works anymore. Big box retailers and the internet pretty much leave it to the consumer to figure out what he wants and the average consumer has no idea how to do it.
A little off subject, but I’ve always wondered about line weights and switch and spey rods. Line weights are standard (at least in theory) based on the weight of the first 30 feet of line. Rod weights are a subjective opinion of the designer as to what weight line a given rod should optimally cast (ignoring for the moment attempts to objectively measure rod weights such as CCS). The stated “rod weight” of spey rods seems to underestimate the line that the rod should actually be used with. So why not just rate them correctly to start with?
Brenda and I stumbled on Tallulah Gorge last summer on our way up to Asheville NC. It is a very nice place and even a little historic. We had a great hike through the woods although we didn’t hike down to the bottom of the gorge. The nature center is also very interesting. I was wondering if there were any fish down there but wasn’t going to go all the way down to find out.
I always thought hand granades would work well. You would be amazed at how much they will increase your catch rate in fishing. I would think the same would work for deer hunting. Of course claymore mines would work better. All you would have to do is listen for the explosion and go out a collect your kill.
I’ll start from the bottom and work up.
1. For soft bottoms – Simms Flats Sneakers or equivalent. Good support and protective soles.
For hard bottoms – Keen H2 sport sandals. I would wear them all day everyday if I could get away with it.
2. Quick drying fishing shorts or pants with lots of pockets. I like Columbia Snake River Shorts, but they are impossible to find. I rarely wear long pants or waders.
3. Stripping basket. I use a homemade one from a plastic hospital basin, but Orvis has one. I like the hard sided ones rather than the net type. To me this is essential for line control.
4. Waist pack with a water bottle holder. I have a nylon ripstop one that is light and just the right size. It will hold a small fly box, tippet, hemostat, fishing glove, small platic lip gripper, my fishing liscense, bottle of water and a granola bar. Actually, I started out using a back pack, but then I noticed I had a lot of stuff I never used, so a started removing anything I didn’t use the last three trips. It is amazing how fast stuff gets eliminated. I’m now down to the small waist pack.
5. Victornox Executive Swiss Army Knife. This is my most useful piece of equipment. It is small and has scissors, knife, file, tweezers and toothpick (marlinspike). I keep it attached to a small plastic pill case that keeps it afloat and holds aspririn in case I have a heart attack. I’m considering getting some nitro glycerine tablets, but I might blow myself up.
6. Quick dry fishing shirt, long sleeve and lots of pockets. This protects you from the sun, and the pockets hold extra flies and my waterproof camera.
7. Buff, so you look cool (it helps with the sun too).
8. Broad brimmed fishing hat. I have a Columbia Boony hat for spring winter and fall. In the summer I have a nylon hat with better ventalation.
9. Fishing rod/reel. 8 wt, 9 foot fast action for general use. 6 wt, 9 foot fast action when the wind is down and the fish aren’t overpowering. Large arbor reel with a good drag. I oversize my reels to get extra diameter and backing. Weight forward line most of the time. Hard mono leaders with fluorocarbon tippets.
10. Good sunglasses. I use amber or copper lenses.Jim Sammons does some crazy stuff, mostly to promote his show. I’ve had sharks chase fish I had hooked but I usually break them off so they have a fighting chance. Keeping fish on and letting sharks hit them may look cool on television, but it is a waste of good fish and it teaches sharks to hang around kayak fishermen.
Craig is exactly right in his analysis. Coosa is short (11’2″) with a higher rocker, Cuda (I assume you mean the Cuda 12) is longer (12’6″) but still has adequate freeboard. Coosa has a little more capacity 375# vs 350#. I may be prejudiced toward longer boats since I have 15 footers for saltwater flats, but the longer Cuda 12 will be faster, track better and still be manuverable enough for river fishing.
Once you break through the barrier of getting one published, you become “one of those guys”. Same as getting an article published. I bet the next one is easier.
I fish from a kayak in salt almost exclusively, and believe me, I am acutely aware of boaters and my visibiity. Most of the guys I fish with are also wary of boaters, particularly those who are drinking and not paying attention. Actually, it is recreational boaters you have to be afraid of, not fishermen in boats. Anyway, I always assume that any boat close to me is trying to run over me, so I make a point of staying out of their way, even if I have the right of way. Oddly enough, the only time I have actually been hit was by a Hobie Cat, not a power boat.
