rw

You wrote:

"How many times do you have to be reminded? there is nothing a graphite
can do better than a cane rod except they are easier to make, adapt
better to a 3 or greater piece configuration, and have a faster action
for those folks who cannot learn or do not want to learn how to cast a
fly properly."

In oter words, you wrote (paraphrasing) "IF you cannot learn or want to
learn how to cast a fly properly THEN you prefer a faster action rod."

That does not imply "IF you prefer a faster action rod THEN you cannot
learn or want to learn how to cast a fly properly." That would be a
backward modes ponens, and obviously unsound.

So, you're right. I apologize. Now let's debate the meaning of "is." :-)

That's all true, Wayne. It's not just propaganda. That's the main reason
I prefer faster action rods. In calm conditions casting light-weight
and/or windcutting terminal rigs, a slow action rod is a pleasure.
Fortunately, I often find myself casting big stonefly and hopper
patterns and heavily weighted nymphs in windy conditions. Since I only
carry one rod, and I often don't know what the conditions will be, I
carry the rod that is the most versatile.


So why isn't everyone fishing with greenhart rods today? Might it have
something to do with the fact that they weigh several pounds?


You are dead-on right. I'm in one tail of the bell curve, and the people
who are sentimental about fiberglass rods are in the other. :-)

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

cv01

I was hesitant to join in this thread, but rw's words struck a
nerve, and now that you've raised the issue of woodworking tools, I
have to jump in. I woodwork almost exclusively with handtools, a lot
of them old. If tools are just tools, then I shouldn't even bother
using these things, as there are plenty of electric tools that "do the
job" just fine.

But, I woodwork for a hobby, and as such, I choose the
methods/tools/whatever that bring me the most pleasure. So why would
we question if someone gets more pleasure out of throwing a silk line
on a bamboo rod rather than the latest "wonderline" on a high-tech
graphite rod?

If fishing is all about using the tool that is most effective, then
why aren't we all discussing bassboats and baitcasting, or even
better, dynamite?


Chuck Vance (yeah, I know that's extreme, but it's all a matter
of degree, no?)

wayne knight

Steve mentions this pov almost everytime a cane or glass conversation
develops. He was smart and or lucky enough to retire relatively young and
fishes almost as many days as some of us spend in an office making a
paycheck. He has a style but I don't think he usually means anything hostile
towards, he's just straightforward in his viewpoint.


Some of us feel the same way, others don't. Then again we're probably both a
little hypocritical in that we might admire and enjoy the "old fashioned"
way, that doesn't mean on a coast to coast flight we wouldn't rather fly in
a 767 vis a vis an old DC3.

We're all a little different, which makes this place interesting.

Wayne
hoping to finally get his shop unpacked and back into use soon.

slenon

767 vis a vis an old DC3.

After my last overbooked commercial flight, I'd take the DC3. As long as it
didn't fly through a rainstorm.

----
Stev Lenon 91B20 '68-'69
Drowning flies to Darkstar
Save a cow, eat a PETA
slenon@tampabay.rr.com
http://web.tampabay.rr.com/stevglo/index.html/slhomepage92kword.htm

rw

Once again, Wayne, you've nailed it. I have my opinions and others have
theirs. Ain't diversity great? One of the strange and often amusing
things about Usenet in general, and ROFF in particular, are the
blowhards who have die-hard opinions on things as trivial as the merits
of fiberglass rods, and act like anyone with a different opinion must
have his head up his ass. :-)

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

cv01

I've got no problem with that. Heck, that's what Usenet's all
about, no? :-) I just have to react when someone makes blanket
statements about someone else's motivations for pursuing their hobbies.


Yes, and I use electric lights in my shop, too. And then there's
the fact that we're "talking" to each other via the Internet. :-)

As I stated in my previous post, it's a matter of degree. I choose
to woodwork with handtools, not because I've got an aversion to
electricity, but because I get enjoyment from planing and sawing and
chopping mortises by hand, etc. Some of the tools I use also have a
history to them, and I like the idea that I am using them (hopefully)
as they were intended to be used before they got stuck away in
someone's garage for years.

I could get power tools to do the same thing, but it wouldn't give
me the same level of relaxation and pleasure I get from creating with
non-'lectrical tools. I don't pretend that my way is the right
way for anyone else, and I certainly don't do it hoping to feel some sense of superiority.

Absolutely. That's what threw me off when Steve was assigning some
other motives to folks who choose to choose to use bamboo or
fiberglass. Especially since I think of flyfishermen as being kindred
spirits to folks who woodwork with their hands. I.e., there are other
ways to do it that might be more efficient, but we choose our methods
because we enjoy the "journey" as well as the "destination".

Go for it. It's still my favorite way to unwind after work.


Chuck Vance

cv01

I'm assuming the same holds true for those who thinks that graphite
is the only way to go? :-)


Chuck Vance (who hasn't even fished a fiberglass fly rod,
although my ca. 1980-vintage Fenwick HMG might come close :-)

wayne harrison

wow. apparently you've never tried consuming two or three
"see-throughs".

yfitons
wayno (after all, that's the source of the famous phrase, "hailfar, i just
come unwound...")

tim j.

It's not the first one or two that do the unwinding.
--
TL,
Tim
who always thought it was the third olive that did the trick, though I rarely
make it that far these days.
------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

rb608

I'll chime in here to add more on that point. In the
bamboo/fiberglass/graphite debates, there is much said against the weight of
the first two materials as though that were automatically a negative. I'll
admit up front that I'm a graphite guy; but I also disagree with that
"weight is bad" generalization.

Especially in the recent decade, much progress(?) has been made in replacing
metal parts with plastics or composites, sometimes to reduce cost, sometimes
to add functionality. In many instances, however, I simply prefer the
weight and feel of a heavier tool, regardless of its equal or lesser
functionailty. My old Canon FTb camera is an example. You could pound
nails with the SOB, but I find I prefer the weight, despite it being far
less sophiticated than its modern counterparts.

Joe F.