Gear Review - Shimano Scimitar

The Best Rod This Side of Washington

Unless you like having a small car to take your 6 ft + rod in.

Shimano Scimitar 

All right so some background on this magnificent piece of fishing hardware. It comes in three sizes that will indeed inconvenience you if you don't have a giant boat or a truck to throw it into the back of, a 6 foot, a 6 ft 6 inch model and lastly a 7 ft model. Now to remind you that this rod is a single piece of graphite sex appeal. Now I will be reviewing the 6ft 6 inch model in a medium heavy sensitivity. 

The Rods Structure

4 out of 5 Stars

I have had this rod for about 5 years now if my memory serves true, I bought it on a clearance for $60. Let me tell you that it was not a mistake, It is as strong as nails. Now do not get me wrong, I treat this rod like a child (ask Tim), but I wouldn't take my parenting skills into account from my the condition of my fishing hardware. Although I have not been nicest to the rod, I have hiked, kayaked and fished this rod for close to 300 hours and it looks as good as new. My last rod, bless its soul, did not get to see the 30 hour mark after it decided to make a brake for it and got smashed in my door. This rod is durable, it is a tank with many hours left in its metaphorical engine. The one and only thing I wish could have been different about this particular rod is it being a two-piece.

Sensitivity

5 out of 5 stars

Alright, so this pole is very sensitive for being medium heavy, I can feel all the rocks on the bottom as I am gently working my Senko. You are able to feel all the little nibbles as well as bites. It is sturdy enough to not really rock with the boat on a windy lake but with a little nibble it will bend enough to alert you. It is the best rod i have ever owned for the sensitivity department.

Weight 

3 out of 5 stars

Okay so for 5 years ago this thing is light, but for now days standards with G-loomis and similar brands making the rods so light it is almost just air, I had to mark this down. It is an okay weight, light none the less.

The Final Tally 

4 out of 5 stars

So this rod is about as good as it gets for a lower budget rod, for the price of $40. I feel this is a good all around rod for all ages. Light, strong and sensitive. 

Gear Review - Rhino Baitcaster

I have waited long enough for people to respond to me with permission about reviewing the gear they produce. Time to get the reviews started.

Rhino RBC300 

Do you like birds? If you answered yes, then you will love making their nests with every cast.

So this particular baitcaster usually comes in a combo with a 6ft "indestructible" rod. The rod is not by any means an expensive rod, just like this is not an expensive reel. Anyways back to the reel, I have noticed that quality is comparable to price in the baitcaisting world, and this is at the lower end of each. 

Specification

4 out of 5 stars

Now be warned, these all sound like great additions to a cool looking reel, and who knows they might be. I sure had issues with making this work for me however. 

3-Bearing drive
Machine-cut solid brass gears
Right-hand retrieve
Continuous Anti-Reverse
Star-adjustable Rhino drag
Low-profile design
DynaMag cast control

Quality

1 out of 5 stars

Okay, so the quality of this is lacking, it looks like it would just feel like a quality reel, with all the contrasting colors. I was in love with it when I first saw it 6 years ago at Wal-mart. That should have been my first warning not to get in that boat. To be honest this ruined everything about wanting to have a baitcaster, Using this reel I became fluent in the language of the sailor. The tension knob fell off my second time using this reel, the instructions on how to use this reel are lacking severely. Although I was able to create many nests for surrounding birds, i think they were happier then I was. 

Final 

2 1/2 stars out of 5 

Okay, so I really didn't know what else to say about this reel, if you are on a budget and are just aching to get a new reel, you could get this one with a rod for about $40 I believe. I would however just wait, buy something that has quality to it. The rod, is a nice rod however (worth probably 30 of the 40 dollars.) All-in-all just save your money and get a baitcaster that has been proven.  It only received the score it did because it has the makings of a good reel but very very poor execution.

Side note: Next review will be better, with a more positive attitude throughout.

  

Lake Review (Fly fishing edition) - Amber Lake, Washington

So here is the second lake I am going to review, considering we just received like 8 inches of snow we will not be able to go out and start catching fish.

Amber Lake 

Spokane County, Washington

Latitude - (47.3471095)

Longitude -  (-117.713543)

So once again this lake is only about an hour from Spokane, WA and is actually 15 min. from Badger lake. The primary fish here is trout, big trout, this is not an anything goes lake either. Special rules do apply here. What does that mean you ask, well I will tell you. No scented bait, no treble hooks, no combustion engines, no barbed hooks. So this is basically a float tube and kayak lake. YOU CAN NOT LAUNCH YOUR BIG BOATS HERE, they  have barricaded the boat launch so this is literally a carry lake you can drive right to the water though. Watch out for snakes however they are aplenty. There is an ideal lake for fly fishing. If you are thinking this lake must be packed with people during the season, you would be 100% wrong. This picture although not mine but the W.D.F.W. shows about how many people will be on the lake with you. The most people I have ever witnessed there is the grand total of 2 people not including myself and my acquaintance.  Also an F.Y.I. all the land but the little parking area and launch are Private land, so no trespassing please.

How to catch them

Well the fish here run somewhat deep, now I have no idea how deep this lake is but being like badger it has a deep trench right off where the boat launch is about 30 feet. You are going to want to drop a Wooley Bugger fly down there with sinking fly line, Work the magic make it look like a leech would pulse....pulse pulsepulse..stop..sink..repeat. Now this information is coming second hand to me. (Fishing story time) When I was about 10 I was fishing there and had this crappy little rubber pink worm I got from a local sporting goods store for like a nickle. Well I dropped it to the bottom of the trench and was jigging it around not paying attention to anything in the world. Then my dads Ugly Stick bend in half I am not messing around here, from straight up to touching the water listing the boat. Sadly it did get away but I go back every year to try and remedy that situation with the same lure. Sadly my secret lure will not be shown here because A no one is reading this and B if I show you my secret lure you may catch my fish. Paddling along at a slow pace trailing a chironomid behind you will get some good hits, this is all along the one side in front of the  boat launch I have never had any luck anywhere else on this lake.

Chironomid

Wolley bugger

The Final Tally 

 The sad thing is there isn't alot to go on here, So I will do the best I can.

Trout Fishing 3 out of 5 stars

The  fishing here is hard, I know people who go out regularly and catch 4-5 pound trout out there like I have conveyed about. It is a lake you would go to in order to just relax and if a fish bites then you will have a good day

The lake itself- 5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely gorgeous lake, it is usually pretty windy, but by Poseiden beard it is a relaxing place to float tube or kayak. It is however a smaller lake, so if you are expecting a lot of variety there is but not as much as one of the neighboring lakes.   

The final Score 4 out of 5 stars

Need a relaxing day with the possibility of catching some monster fish, come here. Paddle around with a friend, enjoy the views and wildlife. If you are going for money back guarantee of fish, then, you may be disappointed. I am never upset that I waste a day here because we need to look at the smaller things and appreciate them. 

Let's Talk Powerbait

In my trout fishing escapades, nothing has brought me more joy than trying out a new flavor of Powerbait. To be more specific, Powerbait's "Trout Dough." But I'll just keep calling it Powerbait here because that's what I've always called it and typing Trout Dough over and over again would feel weird.

My Basic Lake Rig

But digressions aside, I really appreciate Powerbait for the versatility it offers. You see, Powerbait floats. So, when used in conjunction with other baits (or even on its own), one can use the Powerbait as a float for a lake rig. Doing this gives you a seemingly free-floating bit of tantalizingly smelly fish food. And the rig will catch you anything from trout to bluegill.

Over the years I have tried quite a few different flavors (or scents, whatever you prefer to say). All of them have gotten me a fish, and all of them have gotten me fish worth keeping. But, like with all things, I have developed a favorite. 

My personal favorite Powerbait is the Rainbow Turbo Dough. Just in case you didn't know, Turbo Dough is smelly, which means a little goes a long way as far as getting the scent of the bait into the water. In addition, the rainbow color performs consistently across a wide range of weather patterns. There's enough varied coloration that the fish seem to be able to see it regardless of weather conditions. 

That's not to say that I'm pulling in fish every five minutes (and not to say I haven't) but this specific Powerbait gets me a couple of bites throughout the day. Period. And my chances go up significantly if I'm running the tried and true coupling of nightcrawler and Powerbait. 

This ability to perform in various conditions is what makes me appreciate the Rainbow colored Turbo Dough so much, and has turned me into a fan. So, if you're looking for a bait, this is the one.

Jesse's Thoughts:

Well my general set up is the same, and let me tell you, that rainbow dough has shown some significant results in our fish-capades. However, this is not my special color, my special little friend is a little green guy called Extra-Strength Trout Dough. This has been my go to Powerbait since I can remember. I have caught bass, perch, bluegill and of course trout on this stuff. It is powerful and if you want to to throw a little bit of worm on there with it, you will not be disappointed. Now I really should have more to say about this but, Tim has basically said everything that needs to be said. So I have thrown my two pence in. Choose what you will but if you ask Tim, I always have at least two jars of this stuff in my tackle box.   

EXTRA-STRENGTH TROUT DOUGH 

Lake Review - Badger Lake, Washingon

I know I said I would review gear but like a nice gentleman who doesn't want to get sued I asked for permission before doing one. That was before any of this blog stuff came into being....and no response so I am going to review a local lake that I fancy a couple times a year.

Badger Lake 

Spokane County, Washington

Latitude -  (47.34283922)

Longitude - (-117.6380423)

Do not own nor claim to own this picture.

Alright so this little lake is about an hour from Spokane, Washington. The main fish here are Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Triploids, Bluegill, Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass. Now don't get me wrong this is a giant lake with tons of space for fish to hide, but the last couple of years the W.D.F.W. have been trying to poison it, so in turn they stock it less then they should, Causing the trout population to go down bass population to go and people to complain about how the bass are killing all the trout and how we should eliminate the bass and start over. Now you may be thinking, "Jesse in order for the bass to be killing all the trout there has to be MILLIONS of bass of gigantic proportions." Well that is true, but not what I meant. See people only really fish for trout here because everyone hates the bass fishermen (and women) getting close to the personal fishing docks. Enough politics though.

How to catch them

Trout

. 

Okay so here we are talking about my love, Mr. and Mrs. Trout. "But you just said that it is hard to catch trout." Well...yeah but I know some things. Right off of the public boat launch there is a rock wall, otherwise know as the other side of the lake. About 10-15 yards off that rock wall there is a trench that goes about 30-60 feet down. This is the spot for some trout fishing, they are all of good size as well. This trench follows that rock wall throughout the whole lake around the corner and opens up into the big area were all the jerks with jet skis and speed boats play. and goes down the center by the island and keeps going on the left side down around the corner (about 20 yards out ). Then cuts to the middle and gently meanders over to the other rock wall by the rock swing. You will know the place because there is usually about 10 other boats sitting there catching some fish. Oh and about 10,000 swallows. I told you the where now I will tell you the how, I have caught them trolling the trench about about 15 feet down with a wedding ring or a chartreuse and silver rooster tail. If trolling is not your thing and you would like to sit there, that is fine too, hook up some weight (not alot)  throw some night crawlers on, some Chartreuse PowerBait and some salmon eggs, let it hit the bottom then reel up 4 or 5 times and wait

Do no own nor claim to own

Bass

 Okay so this is where is will get sketchy on my strictly limited knowledge of bass fishing. All I know is that the bass do not want to bite and when they do, it is so soft you could wrap a baby in it. So if you go to the end of the lake you can see from the boat launch there is a "resort" if you go past that a little bit you will see a submerged cattle guard, this is your spot, thar be monstars in da waters. Go out about 20 feet from that if you can cast that far. Hook up a Senko worm with the weightless Texas right or the wacky rig. As seen below.

Do not own nor claim to own this picture

Now that you have done that cast to the right of the cattle guard and bonce it across the bottom making the fish fall in loooove with, you seduce the fish. Last year I got hit by something big over in that area. Basically you can get them to bite if you get a curly tail and reel it in from the shore bouncing off the bottom, they won't be big but they will be fish. The far end of the lake has a ton of lilly pads and there are some bass living under them. I however never have got them to bite. The last spot is kitty corner from the island it is about 3 feet of rock, sand and weeds. I have caught some good 2 pounders in there and even had what look like an 8 pounder come up on a bass I was reeling into the boat. ( yeah yeah fish story). 

Bluegill

  Drop a hook in the water with a worm on it...... Anywhere......

That is all I have for this lake I will grade it below.

The Final Tally

Trout- 2 out of 5 stars  

You have to work for them but when you get them, it won't be disappointing. You may however be disgruntled from the wait.

Bass - 3 out of 5 stars

Even though I have issues catching them the word on the water is they are not slowing down as of last year and they are getting big. So if you like bass they are aplenty.

Bluegill - 5 out of 5

At least if it is slow fishing for other fish you can go home not being skunked.

Lake itself- 4 out of 5

It is a beautiful lake, Osprey will come down feet from you to catch a fish, the rock faces make for a beautiful sight whilst waiting. In the heat of summer the water is like bathtub water. It is a great lake.

Overall Score

Go to it and give it a try, worse things worse you will get to have some quality outdoor time.

The Leaderboard Set-up

All right here is an example of what it will look like when we catch a fish, the size and weight will be ONLY of the largest fish we have caught of that species. When we catch that species we will then take a picture or video of that fish and post it by the name of the fish. The number of fish caught is how many of that species of any size we caught. Then the place where the largest fish was caught will be where it says (Caught at), and the lure (or bait) it was caught on. 

Here is a little preview of what the it will look like when we are done. I am using the world record weight and picture,  so no one thinks Tim or myself actually caught it.

Largemouth Bass

Size - 27.95 in.

Weight - 23.11 lbs.

Caught at - Lake Biwa, Japan

Number of caught fish - 223 fish
Caught on - 6" Yamamoto senko worm 
(I do not actually know if it was caught on one, but it sounds reasonable) 

Okay so if you have anyways that we could improve on this go ahead and comment and tell us.

WE do no own this picture nor do WE want to be sued

Winter Casting Training

You read the title right. I'm talking about training your cast during the winter. Athletes spend their off seasons working on different aspects of their game, so why shouldn't anglers? So, here's my take on how to train your (spinning reel) cast over the winter.

• Step One: You need a weight. Any weight will do, as you are simply adding it in place of a lure. I chose a 1/8 oz. bullet weight. You could even use one of those fish-shaped practice lures that come with kid's fishing sets. Tie this to your line or a swivel, depending on your preference.
• Step Two: Head outside. Nobody wants you casting in your house or apartment. At the very least, don't practice your casting inside while your wife is home.
• Step Three: Pick a relatively large spot and start casting.
• Step Four: Start casting towards smaller and smaller targets. I would suggest working towards landing your weight in a coffee cup consistently. 
• Step Five: Congratulate yourself on your casting prowess come summer.

I'd post a video but it's been snowing all day...and my wife might murder me if I accidentally put a lead weight through her flatscreen TV.

Jesse's Thoughts: 

I couldn't agree more with Tim's thoughts on this, being able to cast in precarious places has been an issue of mine, and my lures. They have the aerodynamics of a swing set. There is a bush at local lake that has close to 10 lures and flies in it. Now I haven't been doing the coffee cup although that is a wonderful idea, all I do is set up some rifle targets and try to hit them from various distances.

Although I just had an idea about how to upgrade the training of the coffee cup. So lets say you are pro at hitting the coffee cup now, okay it is impressive however, lets take it to the next level. So get some bushes or brush, and make an over hang, making the cup a nice little home for the cup, with one entrance...your entrance. Now we have an extra level of difficulty.

Well Hello There

First off, welcome to the Fisherman's Challenge! I'm very excited about this project, and hopefully all of you readers will be too. 

My name is Tim. I've been fishing for the better part of seven years now, which puts me well behind the curve for a man in his twenties. Up until this year I have strictly been a trout man. Sure, I've picked up some bluegill and perch along the way (who hasn't) but that's always been my target. In fact, here's a picture of the last couple I caught.

And that's how I discovered I hate the taste of trout.

 But things are going to be a little different this season. Jesse and I are going to push ourselves to the limits of our abilities, catching a wide variety (and hopefully quantity) of fish. I'll have to pick up new techniques and new ways of thinking. I'm moving to a mostly exclusive catch-and-release mode. All in all, there are big changes happening and it's extremely exciting.

Like Jesse said, we have been friends our whole lives. When I started fishing he was pretty much my teacher. With any luck the student will surpass the teacher this year.

Best of luck to him!

And here's a picture of my ugly mug for all of you:

A little introduction of a novice fisherman.

Let the introduction begin, my name is Jesse as the title implies I am a novice fisherman in all forms of the word. I have spent most of my 20 years of my 23 years of life fishing for trout of all shapes, sizes and species. My favorite trout however is the Cutthroat, I am assuming however that most of the people reading this know what one looks like, but for those of you who do not... Behold the majestic Cutthroat... ogle at it...admire it and respect it...

Born and raised in eastern Washington the fishing for trout has been the normal routine weekends, weekdays, whenever it was possible to go out and fish we would go out and drown some worms. When I was growing up I was only taught how to catch trout or bluegill, the bluegill was the first fish I every caught because...well it is easy to catch, I have caught many of bluegill on bare hooks. 

To rapidly shift gears, in the last few years the bass fishing has skyrocketed in the pacific northwest. At least in my eyes it has. Now don't get me wrong people have been fishing bass in these waters for a long time, I just now started to notice it. And for the one or two people who have never seen a large mouth bass... Behold the submarine of the deep.... The predator of the pond... The one...The Only....LARGE MOUTH BASS...(cheering ensues) 

The last two years I have began to fish for Large mouth bass and that is about it. So this challenge is really about us growing into better fisherman and I suppose the (as cheesey as it may sound) brotherhood that is built between friends and family with the aid of fishing.

Now I have know Tim for probably 14 years give or take a few, and we have been fishing on multiple occasions, in multiple areas. So even though it says it is a challenge it has a competition aspect between us. We have been trying to one up each others catch count for the last 6 years I think. Well I think that is all I have to say really, I just hope people come here to see how it is doing and give us advice on how to catch some of these fish. 

Now I do not know about Tim, but I am going to try and review some of the gear I have caught fish with when it is slow fishing and whatnot. If anyone wants something reviewed let us know, we will do our best to get to it when we are not drowning worms or setting our hooks. 

Now a picture of yours truly...from five years ago...