Zach Matthews
Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
That’s cool guys. Did any of you use a vintage fridge? I’m curious what I would need to look for to determine the condition of the cooling system. If it failed, could you install a new cooling panel somehow?
David the main issue with the Gheenoes–especially from an international standpoint–is that they are *extremely* lightweight in their build. You can press on the side of my boat and flex it; you could push a butter knife through the side with ease.
On the one hand that means they’d be lightweight to ship out to you, and they also are relatively easily repaired. But, depending on how rugged the places you plan to be are, the possibility of damage may also be a factor. I wouldn’t love to use my Gheenoe in a croc-infested mangrove swamp.
You might also look at the Towee boat, which is similar but more rugged, and at the Carolina Skiff. But, if I were looking for a one-size fits all boat that I had to get around the world well away from repair facilities, I’d look hard at Travis Wile’s Hog Island Skiff. Those things are super burly but can be repaired with chunks of plastic and a hot iron. They’re also modular in a very creative way and not unattractive.
Zach
You guys may be right. I am personally very skeptical of these shootouts for the reasons I’ve stated. However mine is just an opinion like any other, and maybe worth less than some.
Zach
Those are interesting perspectives guys, and they may have ironed out some of the issues with their tests. But historically, these reviews were really, really bad about putting rods *not* sold by the shop at the bottom end of the review scale versus those which were sold by the shop.
The main issue for me was what I guess you would call the insider knowledge that a while back some of the rods in the test were literally the same blanks (imported from Korea) painted in different colors, which were given drastically different scores. Those kinds of results seriously undermine whatever legitimacy the test may have had even as a subjective set of analyses.
To use an analogy: this is like when they test wine experts by putting the exact same wine in two different bottles and the “experts” subjectively score the wine in the nicer Grand Cru bottle a 93 and the exact same wine in a regular bottle a 78. The fact that different manufacturers were using the same blanks was never acknowledged so of course no one could step forward and say, hey, you guys just got duped by a paint job, but that is essentially what was happening.
Zach
Photoblog is now reloaded through February as well.
We’re making some progress here. I’ve published five articles in the last couple weeks, loaded the photoblog up, and I’m getting ready to open a new season of the show.
Tell your friends…
Hey Jay –
First off, I appreciate the post. I don’t want to seem like I’m trashing you personally and I know you’re just contributing to the discussion.
But, this is my standard response to these tests:
You guys remember the concept of significant digits in chemistry class? The idea was you can’t take a measurement like, say 1.025 liters of water, and multiple that by another measurement of 1.1 liters of water. The actual math there works out to be 1.1275 liters. The problem is, you measured one glass to the thousandth of a liter and the other glass only to the tenth of a liter, and yet your results appear to give you certainty to the ten-thousandth of a liter. You can’t have that kind of certainty based on measurements that are vaguer than your result. Instead you have to throw out the last two digits from your first measurement, because they are not “significant digits,” before you do the math. The only measurements you can rely on are the measurements down to the tenth place, and so this problem works out to a 1.1 liter “significant digit” result.
These tests are the same way: they are only as reliable as their least-reliable component. You can add all the numbers in the world to the end of the results but it doesn’t change the inherent subjectivity of the tests. This is what Stephen Colbert calls “science-y.” I see people try to pull crap like this in litigation a lot, for example in crash test analysis. They extrapolate from speculations or assumed data and then act like the result is hard science. In the law, we have a process called a Daubert test where the judge evaluates the underlying science to determine whether the process is duplicable, peer-reviewed, and makes accurate use of the scientific method. If not, the expert’s testimony isn’t allowed into court.
These shootouts would never pass a Daubert test. They are inherently unreliable. Their only value is to get the opinions of a group of people who presumably (but not necessarily) are expert casters. That has some value, sure, but not enough to rank and divide and name winners. And nothing about George Anderson or his staff of testers is superior to the local fly shop or local guides in whatever area you happen to be in. Most importantly, unless you are a true beginner, none of their opinions are really superior to your own in picking out a rod–you’re better off test casting a bunch and naming your own winner.
And all of that omits the question of intentional bias, since the “tester” also sells some of the rods but not others. I don’t even bother to read these any more, personally.
Zach
So is the idea that they’re trying to snatch a fish you are catching or what? I don’t get how they apparently have no boat shyness. Or are they just like cats that can’t resist one of those feather toys?
David I went back up there last summer with Tracy. A major windstorm had almost covered over the creek with downed trees. That’s actually good news — it will dissuade other anglers from fishing it too much and in the mean time the shade will cool the creek for the brookies.
But yes, it is sad. I happen to live on the very tip end of the tail of multiple thousands of square acres of brookie habitat. They will never be endangered as a species–their range extends all the way into Canada–but as a local anomaly and relic of the last Ice Age, they may be almost done.
Zach
That’s VERY cool Grant. How are you working with your dogs to keep them on point after the flush and shot?
Zach
Grant I agree generally. I actually liked Sitka’s older Mountain Mimicry pattern better, but their gear is so good (and I feel like camo patterns so much less important than just having SOME kind of camo), that I invested in their Open Country system for my hunting (which heretofore has been mostly on the ground in brownish terrain).
That said, supposedly what counts is not how the human eye perceives the patterns, but how they are seen by the target species. A lot of Wal-mart camo actually is highly visible in the UV spectrum, which deer see really well. Something about the brightness of the pattern on the shelf needing to shade into that part of the spectrum — helps the gear sell, but like a flashy fly, may not actually produce.
Zach
Very interesting Travis. This figure 8 technique is the thing I heard Brad Bohen describe in his super-informative talk he gave at Cohutta Outfitters when he came down here. I guess the idea is to convince the muskie that you’ve caught something good to eat and get him to try to steal it from you? How many of your fish end up being caught while doing that maneuver?
You should really write us a muskie tactics article man. Although you may feel that would encourage more people to try, which I certainly understand… 🙂
Zach
Travis would it be possible to target those fish with Spey rods or would their feeding pattern just make it impractical?
Zach
Mike I sent in the form you were nice enough to provide and bcc:ed you. Let me know if you need anything else.
Zach
I am sure from the retailers’ perspective they would much rather not have to buy $20k worth of line inventory just to meet our needs. Tim, you guys should invent a 3D fly line printer. That’s probably not totally out of the realm of possibility…
This problem also leads to the seemingly infinite number of SKUs (models) of lines being offered. The fishing public could probably get away with grain designations, sink rates, and a handful of performance tapers if we were all as knowledgeable as Tim and Tom. Unfortunately we aren’t, which leads to lines being marketed as “Redfish” for one application and “Carp” for another, where the only difference is a color change.
Searching for the perfect fly line is a lot like searching for the perfect boat. You can wind up with a yard full of not-quite-right examples and never find the thing you’re looking for.
Zach
Tim in real world terms which of these statements is more accurate:
(A) Fly lines are designed to hit a designated grain window and rod manufacturers design their rods to cast a designated weight of line; OR
(B) Fly line and rod manufacturers both design mainly by feel with grain window designations largely being a relic of a simpler time in terms of both rod and line design.
Thanks,
ZachSpent the evening last night talking to a guy who is a custom woodworker and hard core fly fishing addict. He has built a number of bamboo rods, strip-built canoes, and extremely high end furniture (like Louis XVIII highboys). He mentioned that he had built a custom fly tying station and invited me to check it out next time I am up in his area (this was at Big Canoe). I thought of this thread. With his skill set I have a feeling I am in for a treat.
Zach