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Product Reviews.

Myself and the T.L.H.U. crew of folks who contribute to this site are not sponsored or paid by anyone to endorse anything. What you will get here are honest opinions on products used within our local waters by local anglers and not a bunch of false commercial propaganda served up by folks who are paid to endorse products.

If your company or business would like us to review a product contact us. If we like it, then we will post it. If we don't, we won't.

Product Review:

New movie release from AEG MEDIA:
Fish Bum 1 - Mongolia - River Wolf

The trout bums do it again! This time they travel to fish for the worlds largest known salmonoid, the elusive Taimen. On a two month expedition to Mongolia. This is the Angling Exploration Group's (AEG) 3rd feature film installment. Previous films are Trout Bum Diaries Volume I - Patagonia and Trout Bum Diaries Volume II - New Zealand. The new film is slightly different than the previous films yet still excellent. For example your not going to see a bunch of colorful trout striking dry flies but you will see some intense battles and giant Taimen. Along the way you will also see some other interesting fish such as the Lenok (a Mongolian equivalent to a trout) and grayling, that just further enhances the fishing footage.

This video is more than just a documentary fishing trip, it is also a adventure that unfolds right before your eyes. As AEG covers remote unexplored territory and never before seen river systems. Part of their ground transportation on this adventure includes horses, camels, bush vehicles, Russian military vans (did I mention the anti-pebble mine sticker on the vehicles, nice touch) and hiking boots. All used in the name of Taimen. The Taimen left alone in a the natural environment can grow in excess of five feet in length and weigh as much as 75 pounds. They eat fish, mice, prairie dogs, small water fowl and I'm assuming anything else they can fit in their jaws.

The videography in this film is amazing and more so when you consider the film was shot in a remote area and in a third world country. Along with big fish porn you will see the beauty of Mongolia's scenery, nature and it's culture, as well as learn a bit about the Taimen. A fish most anglers know so little about. You might even laugh when the anglers discover goat milk vodka.

Though I am a fan of the other two previous films by AEG Media. I found this one slightly more interesting than the other two great films due to the scarcity of Taimen films and programming. It's easy to find programming on cable television on largemouth bass, trout and other species but when was the last time you saw a Taimen fishing broadcast from Mongolia? So my curiosity for this fishery made this film even more interesting to me.

Because so little is known about these fish that the only way to figure out what the Taimen would strike was allot of pain staking trial and error. In the beginning of the film I felt bad for the guys as they struggled to hook up with the first Taimen. Weeks passed and still not one Taimen they could claim. I almost felt like I would never see them land one but then again the video would not have been released had they not, so of course you know it's coming.

After a good size Lenok had just been caught and released, immediately after the AEG boys observed a Taimen attacking and eating that same Lenok trout. It was then that the anglers new they needed even bigger flies, to get these fish interested in their offerings. They did not have the material they needed to make these flies, so they opted to stop at a local live stock farm and trim hair off of yaks themselves. I Don't want to give it all away and spoil it but the bigger flies helped and naturally the more remote they got and the less people and fishing pressure the better things got. It was fun watching the anglers finally pattern the fish and figure them out but talk about baptism by fire. Shortly after fly reels started screaming with some consistency. The fish were so big they were using a musky/pike cradle as the net.

There are other surprises and interesting events that happen throughout their journey but don't worry you will see some familiar events take place as on the other two films, such as the usual vehicles getting stuck, yet again and so fourth.

My only complaint is the horrible Mongolian singer found in the bonus features. I couldn't wait for that never ending song to be over....LOL. With all seriousness my only true and minimal complaint was Michael Palin missing from the roster of anglers (kind of like going to see a band perform and finding out one of the original members you like has been replaced with a new guy). Regardless still a great film. I can't wait for their next movie.

This one gets a Thumbs Up!

For those interested you can purchase your copy at: http://www.aegmedia.com/

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Product Review

Joe's Flies: Short Striker and Super Striker baits

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Prior to the world wide web switch, when "The Local Hook Up" was originally on the drawing board to become a hard copy magazine (sometime ago).

I had received some fishing lures to review from a company called Joe's flies. The lures I field tested were the Short Striker "Classics" and the Super Striker.

Some of my favorite lures for trout are various types of flies and in-line spinners. Joe's flies are a hybrid of a in-line spinner combined with a quality tied fly. Before I attempted to use them the concept seemed like a great idea, take two different types of proven fish catching lures and fuse them together.

It seemed like a no brainer and sure enough after field testing them they soon became one of my staple lures for chasing stocked trout. I've found they can be both casted or trolled and be very affective. As with many other lures you might have to change to a different fly/blade color and experiment with both a slow and fast retrieve until the fish tell you what they want. Other times it did not seem to matter.

The Short Strikers are a small bait and comes in two sizes (8 & 10). The blade options are gold and nickel. These baits are perfect on a ultra-light set up with 4-6 lb test. There also great on a 4-5 wt fly rod when the traditional flies are not cutting it. In addition to being great trout baits, you can also expect to catch some bonus pan fish with these lures.

The same can be said for the larger and weighted Super Striker flies. When wanting to get down a little deeper or for when you want to offer a bigger mouthful. For these baits though I suggest 6-8 lb test, for the reason that bass and pickerel also seem to like whacking them. A great multi-species bait for sure. These two baits get a thumbs up. For more information on these baits and where to purchase them, go to the "Favorite Links" page (left on navigation bar) and click on www.joesflies.com/

Product Review

A.C. Plug's: Big Fish Swimbait Lure's

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A.C. Plug's was kind enough to send us a few of their lures for field testing and review. They specialize in big fish (multi-species) swimbaits. Holder of 15 world, Lake and Line Records. Look for more information and a review of these products to come in the future.

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More Product Reviews to come.
Check back soon.