Monday, January 9, 2012

Steelhead Season: Gear Review, No. 7

Like much of the country, we've had an incredibly mild winter so far, so whereas in a normal year the steelhead fishing right now might be nonexistent, this year is different. As such, this is a goodtime for another unbiased product review geared toward the steelhead fisherman. I am qualified to perform this review.

Today, we review the G.Loomis 9 foot, 9 inch 8 weight GL3 fly rod case.

My small children jump on and off of the couch, despite that it angers me. Yesterday, I flipped the couch over. Of the fourteen springs under my couch, only five still remain attached. As a result, when one sits on the couch, that sinking sensation is real: you will be hard-pressed to get up without assistance, no matter how physically fit you are. It seemed that reattaching the springs would not be simple, and with my limited tool kit, essentially impossible.

And so, I cleverly used two nylon tie-down straps to secure the G.Loomis 9 foot, 9 inch 8 weight GL3 fly rod case into place, essentially holding the broken springs against the underside of the couch, where they belong. The fly rod that is normally housed in that G.Loomis 9 foot, 9 inch 8 weight GL3 fly rod case is a two-piece fly rod; hence, this particular rod case is the only one I own that is long enough to accomplish this task.



Despite my optimism upon completing this task, we cannot give the G.Loomis 9 foot, 9 inch 8 weight GL3 fly rod case a perfect review because, despite a clearly noticeable improvement, the couch does not feel "like new".

Also, my five-year-old jumped off of the somewhat springier couch and landed on my G.Loomis 9 foot, 9 inch 8 weight GL3 fly rod, which was no longer in its case, thus snapping the rod cleanly.

13 comments:

  1. Thanks for the great review. I was thinking about trading my TFO 4wt, 4 pc rod case ( currently supporting the cushion in the front hallway chair) for the G Loomis but now I'm having second thoughts. Perhaps if I had used some waste leader/Tippet material to lash it down it would work better but sadly I lack such quality materials as they fell out of my pocket.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sorry to hear that Steve.

    In any case, we're currently producing a mini-series on how to use the G. Loomis 9 foot, 9 inch 8 weight GL3 fly rod case for home repairs. It's not done yet, but when completed, it will run 13 episodes, three hours each, through May of 2012, when there are no steelhead to catch anyway. Be sure to catch it on the Slurp channel.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That is a very different kind of review, to say the least! I am anxiously waiting for Idaho steelie time in March... : )

    ReplyDelete
  4. That's a reasonable application of the 9 foot, 9 inch 8 weight GL3 fly rod case, but I think you're failing to understand the ideal use. I use my 9 foot 8 weight GL3 fly rod case to beat and threaten my kids, thus preventing them breaking the furniture in the first place. I believe it may also help prevent smearing jelly on the furniture, drawing with pencil on the computer screen, and inserting forks into the DVD player. See? Much more effective for broad application. Because your 9 foot, 9 inch 8 weight GL3 fly rod case is a bit longer, you'll have to adjust your stance to beat the kids.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Old chap, if I might venture, this was clearly an inferior piece of furniture to begin with. I suggest a rod tube with some pedigree to address the imbalance - a Hardy Bros. CC De France 7' No.4 in 2 piece, or similar. Alternatively, use the cash to buy several new/better "couches", as you call them.

    On buying your couch, I'm worried you were duped by the advertising. Some suggested reading: http://www.alphaila.com/articles/failure/fast-food-false-advertising-vs-reality/

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh, I don't know. I think it was the advertising for the rod (case) that duped me. I'm fairly certain the salesman at the fly shop told me it was the only rod (case) that I would ever need.

    But thanks for the link to the burger product review. If that's not culvert, I don't know what is.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yes, that's what he said: it is Purest Culvert.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm pretty sure that Loomis has a good warranty program, though I doubt it covers the couch. Maybe they will send you one of those "how to train your kids" books, but that may not be their specialty either

    ReplyDelete
  9. I asked about the warranty, and they said "Never call us again." Not sure what that's all about.

    I usually look to Sage for parenting advice, and Temple Fork Outfitters or even Winston for sex advice. They have responded similarly.

    Why can I buy a kayak, socks, and a gallon of milk all in the same trip from Wal-mart, but these rod companies still have not figured out that "one stop shopping" is what we crave??

    ReplyDelete
  10. How do you get that case in your pack? Thanks for the read and the chuckle. BTW, when you find a way to get the kids to stop jumping on the couch let the rest of us know please.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Practical, sound advice, fishing, and furniture repair are why I visit the Culvert. I have an old reel from the House of Hardy. It looks to be about the same diameter as the pulley on the alternator of my New Holland tractor. It would save me a lot of trouble if you could expand your fly fishing product reviews to include diesel motor repair. Thanks in advance.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Quill,

    You're in luck. I know nothing about diesel motor repair, but you said it yourself: the reel is "about" the same diameter as the pulley. If you'd said it was "nowhere near the same size" as the pulley, I'd tell you to try a different reel. But it's hard for me to imagine how a Hardy that is about the same size as the alternator pulley would fail to work. A pulley, as you know, is one of the "simple machines", along with the inclined plane, lever, screw and whip-finish tool.

    What could possibly go wrong?

    (Please take photos.)

    TJ

    ReplyDelete