Hi everyone, my first post, just wanted to give an insight to and on
how I ended up with a Savage Gear Bushwhacker spinning rod, and perhaps
hear from others who may have the same rod and how its faring up.
So, after a lot of looking for a spinning rod for trout
I ordered the Bushwhacker XLNT2 7'6" 3-18 Gram rod.
The rod is Two piece with a spigot joint.
It arrived two days later, not counting the weekend
as there is no postal service for those two days.
I also ordered the Shimano Exage 2500 rear drag reel to use with the rod,
and more on that later.
The rod arrived in perfect condition as did the reel.
The first thing is the physical weight, it is very light
at only 115 Grams, the Exage reel is (280 Grams), and when
mounted on the rod, the rod tip points down,
the handle of the Bushwhacker is so light it does practically nothing to
lift the rod tip or balance it in your hand as you hold the rod with
fingers either side of the leg of the reel,
holding the front grip of the rod in your hand allows the rod to
balance in your hand though, either way, these two positions alone work
well for my varying needs.
As this is only my second season fishing for any species,
this rod is an upgrade to the three I started off with ?
The reason I ended up with three rods for my first season was
I opted for cheapish rods as I did not know what to expect,
the rods I bought were Abu Garcia Devils, two 7', one 8',
the lightest 7' has a casting weight of 5-15 Grams, the other 10-30 Grams,
and the 8' also 10-30 Grams.
I think these Abu's are great and not just for beginners, I caught equal
numbers of trout with the 7's, I used the lightest for stealthy
approaches with 4.lb main line, I even cast fly's with it for tiny trout, (not with a fly line),
I used the other 7' with 6.lb line for higher water and more distance as I could add a little more weight, (worming), worth mentioning is that without the soft and the medium action of these two rods I would have lost so many trout and lures that I would have quit.
I caught nothing with the 8', it was just slightly too long for the terrain I was in, a little heavy, and was over kill for the trout I was after,
it would however have been good for sea trout or stocked trout and many other situations on larger rivers or lakes etc if the length suited the situation.
So after experimenting for a season with those three rods, I had
a much better understanding of what I needed to make my time on
the river bank less tiring, more fun and more productive.
I did not need 30 Grams casting weight, even in high water for worming,
I did not need an 8' rod as the 7' rods I possessed were almost long enough,
when I say long enough I mean the banks where I fish are dotted with trees
and as such I have to stand right on the edge of the bank to cast, the banks
are also 3-4 ft above the water and lined with scrubbery, so a 7'6"rod
allows me to cast between the trees, and at the same time is the ideal
length to reach out over the scrubbery on the side of the bank so I can
reel in my line or fish without getting tangled up, it is great for mending line too.
I am really pleased with the Bushwhacker, it is very light, has a good action,
I would say it is definitely fast, which is what my other rods lacked,
though I will obviously know more when I try it out, it is also very well finished but having said that it is the roughest finish I ever seen on a rod, texture like a rasp.
There were not a lot of reviews on the net regarding this exact rod, and no where did I see it was made in China, until I had it in my hand and noted the made in China sticker, that said, the rod finish is flawless, as regards the eyes, they looked bigger in the media images I looked at, though they are probably sized in accordance with the rods ability and purpose, and I will report back regarding this, you won't cast a fly line through them like you could on my Abu's, "I carried a cheap fly reel for when all else failed", but didn't need to use it, just pinged the fly out using the spring of the mono
and the springy action of my lightest rod.
The Bushwhackers blank has a rough finish by design, the only thing I dislike about this is, it will retain dirt etc,
but as I take good care of things that wont matter so much.
There seems to be a coat of lacquer on this rod, very light though, and it seems to get heavier towards the handle end
where it is also painted.
The reel seat is worth a mention, It is really not big, but in any event, I bought a Shimano Exage 2500 rear drag reel to go with this rod, it exactly fits and no more, the back of the reel foot slots bearly a 1/4 of an inch into the reel seat, the front hood which screws down to keep the reel in place is larger than the actual seat which holds the back of the reel foot,
and as such fits very well.
If I had to do it again I would have got a slightly smaller reel, but am very happy the reel I bought fits, I had alternate reasons for buying the Exage 2500 in that I already have a Shimano Catana 2500 reel and can now swap the spools around to have different lines available.
If I did not already have the Catana reel and know what I know now I would be buying the next size reel down as there are lots of 150yd spools available instead of having to buy 200/330 yard ones, I catch trout of around 1.lb, but the line and rod are capable of 4 to five pound, and maybe more.
Either way, I have my new rod to test before the season ends, I foresee no problems, and will comment on my experience with this rod, and do so as it seems not many mention it regarding trout and those who do don't say much.
And just to clarify in closing, I use 2-1/2" to 3" artificial worms, small spinners of sizes 0, 1, and 2, and will be trying size 5 and 7 rapala lures and soft lures for bigger trout,
these are the needs I hope will be met by this 7'6" Bushwhacker XLNT2, 3-18 Gram rod.
I hope this helps others who may have been considering this rod, and I will write again in regard to how it works out for me when I get some hours on it.
UPDATE:
I have been using this rod for about two weeks now, in a small river and on the lake.
After getting used to its fast action, I landed Ten trout and unfortunately One eel, all fish were small around 3/4 of a pound,
and were returned except for the Two that were a pound each.
Eight of these were caught on the worm with a small 1.6 gram weight to hold it down, the rod can cast these light weights
very well, I missed quite a few until I got used to the faster action, which was great for throwing out a rapala countdown,
I have the rapala's without their paperwork and all I can tell is they are balsa and only two and a half inches long, one is
a sinker the other an original floater, I caught the Two fish with the sinker on a lake where they were not showing at all,
the first was early on, then the flies started and the fish were boiling up, and as I had no files I thought the game was up,
until that second fish took the rapala, I was really surprised as so many blanked it, this rod is amazing in that it could easily
sling these small rapala 70 / 80 foot with a cross wind blowing, and as for strength, I pulled in buckets of weed on the rapala,
this rod is very strong yet I can fish worms, hook and land small fish, throw weight and get distance, I am very happy with the rod.
Regarding what I said earlier about having a smaller reel, I was so pleased with the Exage 2500 rear drag that I ordered
another One which just came today, I set the drag between 8 and 11 O clock with the fine adjustment knob set to Zero, and
it is really smooth, and has so much stopping power available that I can't see me ever needing it.
I also tried a Daiwa Shinobi 30/50 reel on this rod, it is a lot bigger and a little heavier, but it balances very well, keeping the rod tip
up without any intervention of effort.
And I have decided to put electrical tape on the Exage spool so I can use the smaller 150 yd spools which are plenty long for the
trout I catch.
One final note, all the fish I caught came to the net a lot quicker than with my older softer actioned rods, once I learned to time
my strikes, none of the fish pulled or threw a hook, nor did they break the leader, this was my main concern regarding this rod
as it is quite powerful and at 7'6" can apply lot of leverage, I can't wait until my fishing mate gets a feel of it, as he uses such
heavy rods, I want him to see the steel in this baby for all the weight of it.
Kind regards, John
how I ended up with a Savage Gear Bushwhacker spinning rod, and perhaps
hear from others who may have the same rod and how its faring up.
So, after a lot of looking for a spinning rod for trout
I ordered the Bushwhacker XLNT2 7'6" 3-18 Gram rod.
The rod is Two piece with a spigot joint.
It arrived two days later, not counting the weekend
as there is no postal service for those two days.
I also ordered the Shimano Exage 2500 rear drag reel to use with the rod,
and more on that later.
The rod arrived in perfect condition as did the reel.
The first thing is the physical weight, it is very light
at only 115 Grams, the Exage reel is (280 Grams), and when
mounted on the rod, the rod tip points down,
the handle of the Bushwhacker is so light it does practically nothing to
lift the rod tip or balance it in your hand as you hold the rod with
fingers either side of the leg of the reel,
holding the front grip of the rod in your hand allows the rod to
balance in your hand though, either way, these two positions alone work
well for my varying needs.
As this is only my second season fishing for any species,
this rod is an upgrade to the three I started off with ?
The reason I ended up with three rods for my first season was
I opted for cheapish rods as I did not know what to expect,
the rods I bought were Abu Garcia Devils, two 7', one 8',
the lightest 7' has a casting weight of 5-15 Grams, the other 10-30 Grams,
and the 8' also 10-30 Grams.
I think these Abu's are great and not just for beginners, I caught equal
numbers of trout with the 7's, I used the lightest for stealthy
approaches with 4.lb main line, I even cast fly's with it for tiny trout, (not with a fly line),
I used the other 7' with 6.lb line for higher water and more distance as I could add a little more weight, (worming), worth mentioning is that without the soft and the medium action of these two rods I would have lost so many trout and lures that I would have quit.
I caught nothing with the 8', it was just slightly too long for the terrain I was in, a little heavy, and was over kill for the trout I was after,
it would however have been good for sea trout or stocked trout and many other situations on larger rivers or lakes etc if the length suited the situation.
So after experimenting for a season with those three rods, I had
a much better understanding of what I needed to make my time on
the river bank less tiring, more fun and more productive.
I did not need 30 Grams casting weight, even in high water for worming,
I did not need an 8' rod as the 7' rods I possessed were almost long enough,
when I say long enough I mean the banks where I fish are dotted with trees
and as such I have to stand right on the edge of the bank to cast, the banks
are also 3-4 ft above the water and lined with scrubbery, so a 7'6"rod
allows me to cast between the trees, and at the same time is the ideal
length to reach out over the scrubbery on the side of the bank so I can
reel in my line or fish without getting tangled up, it is great for mending line too.
I am really pleased with the Bushwhacker, it is very light, has a good action,
I would say it is definitely fast, which is what my other rods lacked,
though I will obviously know more when I try it out, it is also very well finished but having said that it is the roughest finish I ever seen on a rod, texture like a rasp.
There were not a lot of reviews on the net regarding this exact rod, and no where did I see it was made in China, until I had it in my hand and noted the made in China sticker, that said, the rod finish is flawless, as regards the eyes, they looked bigger in the media images I looked at, though they are probably sized in accordance with the rods ability and purpose, and I will report back regarding this, you won't cast a fly line through them like you could on my Abu's, "I carried a cheap fly reel for when all else failed", but didn't need to use it, just pinged the fly out using the spring of the mono
and the springy action of my lightest rod.
The Bushwhackers blank has a rough finish by design, the only thing I dislike about this is, it will retain dirt etc,
but as I take good care of things that wont matter so much.
There seems to be a coat of lacquer on this rod, very light though, and it seems to get heavier towards the handle end
where it is also painted.
The reel seat is worth a mention, It is really not big, but in any event, I bought a Shimano Exage 2500 rear drag reel to go with this rod, it exactly fits and no more, the back of the reel foot slots bearly a 1/4 of an inch into the reel seat, the front hood which screws down to keep the reel in place is larger than the actual seat which holds the back of the reel foot,
and as such fits very well.
If I had to do it again I would have got a slightly smaller reel, but am very happy the reel I bought fits, I had alternate reasons for buying the Exage 2500 in that I already have a Shimano Catana 2500 reel and can now swap the spools around to have different lines available.
If I did not already have the Catana reel and know what I know now I would be buying the next size reel down as there are lots of 150yd spools available instead of having to buy 200/330 yard ones, I catch trout of around 1.lb, but the line and rod are capable of 4 to five pound, and maybe more.
Either way, I have my new rod to test before the season ends, I foresee no problems, and will comment on my experience with this rod, and do so as it seems not many mention it regarding trout and those who do don't say much.
And just to clarify in closing, I use 2-1/2" to 3" artificial worms, small spinners of sizes 0, 1, and 2, and will be trying size 5 and 7 rapala lures and soft lures for bigger trout,
these are the needs I hope will be met by this 7'6" Bushwhacker XLNT2, 3-18 Gram rod.
I hope this helps others who may have been considering this rod, and I will write again in regard to how it works out for me when I get some hours on it.
UPDATE:
I have been using this rod for about two weeks now, in a small river and on the lake.
After getting used to its fast action, I landed Ten trout and unfortunately One eel, all fish were small around 3/4 of a pound,
and were returned except for the Two that were a pound each.
Eight of these were caught on the worm with a small 1.6 gram weight to hold it down, the rod can cast these light weights
very well, I missed quite a few until I got used to the faster action, which was great for throwing out a rapala countdown,
I have the rapala's without their paperwork and all I can tell is they are balsa and only two and a half inches long, one is
a sinker the other an original floater, I caught the Two fish with the sinker on a lake where they were not showing at all,
the first was early on, then the flies started and the fish were boiling up, and as I had no files I thought the game was up,
until that second fish took the rapala, I was really surprised as so many blanked it, this rod is amazing in that it could easily
sling these small rapala 70 / 80 foot with a cross wind blowing, and as for strength, I pulled in buckets of weed on the rapala,
this rod is very strong yet I can fish worms, hook and land small fish, throw weight and get distance, I am very happy with the rod.
Regarding what I said earlier about having a smaller reel, I was so pleased with the Exage 2500 rear drag that I ordered
another One which just came today, I set the drag between 8 and 11 O clock with the fine adjustment knob set to Zero, and
it is really smooth, and has so much stopping power available that I can't see me ever needing it.
I also tried a Daiwa Shinobi 30/50 reel on this rod, it is a lot bigger and a little heavier, but it balances very well, keeping the rod tip
up without any intervention of effort.
And I have decided to put electrical tape on the Exage spool so I can use the smaller 150 yd spools which are plenty long for the
trout I catch.
One final note, all the fish I caught came to the net a lot quicker than with my older softer actioned rods, once I learned to time
my strikes, none of the fish pulled or threw a hook, nor did they break the leader, this was my main concern regarding this rod
as it is quite powerful and at 7'6" can apply lot of leverage, I can't wait until my fishing mate gets a feel of it, as he uses such
heavy rods, I want him to see the steel in this baby for all the weight of it.
Kind regards, John
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