The Internet Still Has A Lot Of Flaws

[Phil Lilley]

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— I don't know about you but, I did not take the opportunity to fish on opening day. I think I did what just about everybody else did New Year's Day. I stayed home and shoveled snow and after my "New Hampshire Work Out" I watched football games on the tube. I did a little reading too. I have been reading a book about the Italian campaigns in World War II. My father took part in those battles and I wish he was still around. I would like to have his thoughts on the book. Unfortunately, like most veterans of his day, he never talked much about his experiences and I would guess for good reason.

I read on an internet bulletin board the other day that books were a thing of the past. I don't know about you, but I would rather carry a book with me then lugging my lap top everywhere. I guess this guy has a good point though. There is no question that it is a lot easier to look something up on the world wide web then it is to have to trudge to the library.

I have been collecting books on fly fishing and fly tying for about twenty years and I have amassed a pretty good collection. Over the years my personal library has served me well and on more than one occasion it has been a valuable reference tool. It used to be that if you wanted to know a particular fly pattern you had to find it in a book. That is not the case anymore, just about every fly pattern ever tied can be found on the internet. Just about all you have to do is Goggle the patterns name and most likely you will find a picture and sometimes the directions on how to tie it. As slick as this may be I am not ready to get rid of my books.

As good and as much fun as the internet is it still has a lot of flaws. There is a new book out called "The Cult of the Amateur (How Today's Internet is Killing Our Culture)" by Andrew Keen. Now I have not read this book yet, but I do intend to. However, I have long thought that a great deal of what appears on the Internet as fact is more likely crap. In today's world anyone with a computer and a link to the Internet can be an instant expert on anything he or she chooses.

Like a lot of fishermen I enjoy the various bulletin board sites that exist on the web. These are a lot of fun and they provide a sense of community among anglers and a public forum to exchange information. However these sites also have their flaws.

The web provides the opportunity for those who post the ability to remain anonymous. It is now possible to slander someone or something without fear of reprisal. Asking a question about a certain piece of gear and you are certain to get a dozen replies almost immediately. Some of the replies may be legit, however anyone with an ax to grind will surely do so. I find it particularly obnoxious on those sites run by shops when the sites owner replies to a question on a piece of equipment that he doesn't stock in his shop. He will almost certainly start off by saying that so and so company makes a great product and the owner is a great guy, but you can do better by buying what I carry.

I always get a kick out of questions about rods. They start off with: "I am considering buying a new rod from company X. How does this rod compare to company Y's?" You might as well go to a NASCAR race and ask the fans as to which is better a Ford or a Chevy? The only way to make this kind of decision is to go out and cast the rod for yourself.

Today when someone has a bad experience with a product or a provider the first thing they do is vent their rage on the Internet. The company of course has no way of defending themselves and the reader has no idea of what sparked the problem and what steps the company took to remedy the situation.

There are no secrets anymore thanks to the Internet. There may never have been to begin with, but today if someone finds a great place to fish you can bet that he will post it on the web as soon as he can get online. True it may be great to inquire as to how the fishing is on the Androscoggin and you will get an instant answer (right or wrong) by checking the Internet.

Over time the best of sites seem to become dominated by one or two individual members. These guys are always the experts on everything. It is doubtful that anyone could have possibly enjoyed as much time on the water as these fellows claim. They can tell you what rod and reel to buy, where to fish, what scotch to drink and what cigar to smoke with impunity.

I guess if I have a real pet peeve with these sites its posts that end with JMHO (just my humble opinion) and smiley faces. Lets face it, the writer's opinion was anything but humble.

In all honesty there are a lot of good things about these sites. These are public forums and everyone has a right to be heard. Just don't be bullied by the so called "experts." In some cases some very controversial and timely issues are brought to light that might not be given any attention in the press. They provide a place to announce various events of interest to members and have been know to promote worthy causes.

Someone even pointed out that the Internet has even served to make books even better. Unless a book is self published it is most likely subject to a certain amount of editing. Readers are at least reasonably assured that somewhere along the line someone other than the author has checked the facts before publishing.

The Internet is a lot like voting in the New Hampshire presidential primary. There is a lot of bull being spread around and it's up to us to filter out the truth and find the right candidate. When it comes to the Internet, Caveat Emptor, but that is JMHO.

See you on the river.

Bill and Janet Thompson own North Country Angler in North Conway.

[Al Agnew]

There is a lot of truth in that. I'm sure I'm guilty sometimes of coming across as an expert on things that others may know more about, and I continually wrestle with the ethics of giving away what "secrets" I do have on the internet. The internet, without a doubt, makes the learning curve a lot easier for the people who know how to use it, and I'm not sure that's always a good thing. Our fisheries are getting more and more pressure from anglers who are better and better thanks in part to the internet. However, I think that the majority who post on this and the other boards I frequent are careful about giving away specific locations. Some have learned this lesson the hard way, by seeing a message about their favorite stretch and then seeing a bunch of people descend upon it.

I have to laugh when I see somebody ask about what brand of rod, reel, line, etc. to use, and see others posting their recommendations as if it was the last word. Take fishing line, for instance. Somebody will say, "I've used brand XYZ for 10 years and just love it." That tells you almost nothing. What you need is comparisons. If they have used brand XYZ almost exclusively during that time, how do they know it is better, or even as good, as a line they HAVEN'T tried. I use McCoys Mean Green. In the past, I've used Maxima, Trilene, P-Line, and Stren. So I can say that I like the McCoys better than I DID those other lines. But maybe they've been improved since I used them. Unless I've tried about every line out there--THIS YEAR--I can't say McCoys is the best, and saying I like it is only, at most, a starting point.

I value this site and the others I frequent because they give me a chance to talk about something I love with like-minded people (like-minded when it comes to fishing, not necessarily some other subjects!). I've gotten ideas from it, and that's maybe the best way to use it. Get the ideas from it, and try them out yourself to see what validity they have.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Boy, that sounded just like YOU were writing about this forum. Thanks for posting that Phil. I thought I may have been the only person that thought that same thing.

[Danoinark]

A tremendous amount of validity in that post. I think one of the distinct advantages of using the Internet for research and or communication is in the speed in which one can get answers. I find it difficult to believe that I would ever go to a library to LOOK UP something I was interested in when I have it available on the WWW. Now if I wanted to read a novel or a new book that I was interested in I prefer the book.

JMHO...

[jdmidwest]

Good article. I personally have been using the internet for years to enhance my outdoor experience. I habitually check the weather and radar and watch river gauges to make upcoming decisions on where/when to hunt, fish, camp, or kayak. It is a huge data collection device, just Google it and it will appear.

The internet gives you real time forcasts for a part of the state 3 hours away that the local forcast will miss. I can check river gauges instead of calling an outfitter or a friend to see what the river is like. I can see forcasted river stages to time flooded timber hunts along the Mississippi River. I can reserve campsites or motels before I leave and know I will have a place to stay instead of searching around after I get there. I can research a area with Google Earth to hunt or fish without having to purchase alot of topo maps. I can search for fly patterns and methods for an area that will help better the fishing quality. I can read reviews from other people on products that I am planning on purchasing without having to just take a salespersons word on the equipments performance. I have purchased equipment on Ebay of better value than I could afford at a local shop on my limited budget.

That said, I still take alot of info on the net with a grain of salt. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and most are expressed freely on here. I still have the capability of making my own decisions, unbiased, based on all information gleaned from all sources. By the way, it takes me longer to figure out what stuff like JMHO stands for than it would have for the person writing it to have typed it out. Its like the trying to figure out what people are trying to say on personalized license plates.....

[Tightline]

Very good article,and so true.Sometimes I find it hard to reply to a post without looking like I'm trying to be a know it all.But other times I find it real easy to make myself look ignorant.There are alot of us on here who have years of experience but at the same time are not experts (or Pros).

I think that egos and testosterone drive alot of what is written,ands its alot easier to show that big ego on a forum than it is in person.I have tried to learn constraint in the last year and not just jump in and say some off hand remarks that I'll regret later.I think if you got every one of us together,you'd find out we are mostly just regular ole Joe's who like to fish.

I'm glad we have the internet even with its flaws.I like reading the reports and the opinions on various subjects,even if I don't always agree.