Rob-while I don"t own a WM, I sometimes fish in one of my friends WM and to me, it is the easiest craft to fish rivers with while moving. It is flat out stable and easy to maneuver with fins. I've fished the Bitterroot, Missouri, Big Hole, and Methow out of it and there is almost no water on those rivers where I couldn't fish all the way down, and in the shallows, just stand up and fish some more. This is such an effective way to pound the bank! I'm sure the Assault would be as good as the WM at this type of fishing. Rick
You should be able to fish out of the Assault the same way as you do with the Able or WM. In rivers jumping out and 'wearing' it, so to speak. What I was talking about is being able to sit in the seat and have your rod tip in the water in front of you. You'd have the same problem in the Able or WM.
I guess I missed your point; when the rod is straight back it's about a foot out of the water...which makes sense with 13" tubes in the front! On rivers I row until I'm in 2 feet of water [or less ] and stand up... the raft will swap ends on it's own.
Just a few comments from a long-time watermaster owner . . . . I have fished out of my WM's in stillwater for around 8 years. The tip in the water situation is easily corrected by angling the rod slightly off center. Dead center front is the only direction it's tough to get the tip down. And with fins on it becomes second nature to correct the boat position. This works equally well when stripping streamers while floating rivers. I'm not much of a troller but when I do, I pick my feet up on the foot strap, point the rod straight out the front and hook the reel on the stripping apron and use my oars to move. When the reel screams, pick up the rod and bring the fish in. As for others concerns about landing fish being a challenge . . . nope. Bring your fish along whichever side you have the net and scoop it up. There are some great videos on the Big Sky Inflatables website showing the boats in action on hike-in lakes somewhere in BC.
I've found it just as easy to fish and land fish from my Wilderness Access in stillwater as with my Super Fat Cat. I don't see how this will be any different.
Everything is adaptable. I find it easier with reel in lap, tip straight in front in the water...not off to the side, but I could adapt if I had to. I don't even like the cross bar on my Renegade while I am casting and stripping. The difference for me is I can do it either way...LOL
Shoot...this is making my research tougher. I need a one man craft to float mainly the Blackfoot, Bitteroot and Clarkfork. I want to be able to just put it in the back of the truck and hit the river after work. I was set on a WM based on everyones great reviews but this Scadden is interesting. I also just looked at an NRS GigBob this morning and that looks totally awesome. Now I'm just torn. Help?
Seriously, that is tough anyway you look at it. It is probably going to come down to ONE little thing that sets one apart from the others. I am interested in the choice you end up with.
Builder, Good luck. Hard job. How's the Blackfoot to float? I've floated the Clark Fork and will hit the Bitterroot this summer.
