Realize that Jed co-founded Pen-Tac. I'm not sure that talking down the #1 competitor made him an idiot? Besides, in deep, fast, cold water (ie most winter steelhead water), his statement is true.

The main flaw I find with the book is that he didn't fish much of the northwest before writing it. Most of his fishing experience was in the midwest, southern Willamette Valley, and central Oregon coast. The way fish respond to various spinners in other parts of the northwest is sometimes very different than what Jed wrote. The section on reading water for steelhead based on temperature is the best how-to-read-steelhead-water section I've read in any book. Regardless of how I fish, I still read water with "Jed's eyes".

Also, Jed is a PHD psychologist. This book coined the term "threshhold of attraction", which is the best explaination I've ever heard for why fish bite some lures and not others. I've seen Herzog himself reference the term as revolutionary in the world of steelhead fishing.

The book is a must-have for any serious hardware fisherman.