piscicidal

Yeah...scale trumps calculator. My biggest LM last year was 25"L/17"G that weighed 8.3lbs on two scales. Calculator put it at ~10.4lbs.

That's a really nice bass for the everglades right now. Thanks for sharing!

There was a FWC officer at the snakehead roundup on Saturday (C-14 and Rock Island road), and apparently they shocked up a snakehead at Lox. A discouraging sign for those of us who believe that the snakeheads are detrimental to the bass population. To my knowledge there's no way for snakeheads to get in there....someone is bringing them in.

The basic process flow for an extruded aluminum part is: extrude -> slice -> cnc machine -> bead blast -> anneal -> anodize. (actual process flow is ~30 steps and requires multiple CNC banks, but you get the point...) As Catt mentioned before....all aluminum parts (be it casting, die-cast, forging, extrusion, etc..) require CNC machining as one of the finishing steps. In the case of a complex, 3d "extruded" parts such as this reel frame, the actual profile is quite a bit different than the final geometry and the individual parts require ALOT of machining. The extruded cell phone I designed, the initial extruded blank had ~4mm wall sections which were later machined down to 1.2mm wall sections. The extruded blank has very little resemblance to the final part....the extrusion is just one of the many processes the part goes through and essentially replaces an initial rough machining process. As mentioned before...I think that with a complex parts like this, there is little real world advantage to creating it via an extrusion process. It is much more expensive than die casting and requires thicker wall sections (i.e. more weight). IMO, I think the decision is more marketing driven than anything.

Every die cast part I have ever designed...Magnesium, Aluminum or Zinc Alloy, stress relieving has been achieved by heat treatment (annealing) and not through mechanical means. I'm not even sure you can work harden some of these die cast formulations. If your experience is different, Catt, I would love to discuss it via IM. Regarding "die casting" versus "casting"...the method I am discussing is "die casting" and this process does result in voids (we specify as "porosity defects"). The difference between this and the "casting" process is in the magnitude... For die cast parts, we have a pretty rigid methodology to ensure the integrity of the part and ensure we don't ship parts with excessive voids. Standard procedure is to check 6 sets of 5 sequential castings at intervals of 1/2 to 2 hours. Parts are checked for defects by either sectioning or xray.

I use a Dobyns 766FLIP and 805C for punching/flipping (respectively). I absolutely love the 8' length of the 805. I see no downside to the longer length, as long as it fits in your rod box. I hear people talk about fatique, but that 1.5oz weight you're flipping adds much more torque on your body than the added six inches of rod. I tend to discount the fatigue factor when discussing flipping, anyway....throwing swimbaits/frogs all day long is much more fatiguing than any kind of flipping. If Dobyns made a 8'6" flipping stick (865?) I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

You points are well taken, Catt. However, as you know, you can't completely segregate the process from the material. As you noted, there are different grades of material for the different processes used to create the part. Further, the process does have some bearing in the final physical characteristics of the part. In forging, for example, there is a work hardening which occurs which is beneficial. Die casting results in a material which has voids...there are ways to mitigate the extent of the voids, but you do have to account for it in the design. For thin wall extrusions...the base material is fairly ductile as it must be for fabricating. We post treat later with a tempering process which makes the material slightly more rigid. We actually worked with Alcoa to create a new formulation of 350MPa extrudable Aluminum when developing that extruded cell phone. In regards to the OP, the use of any extruded grade aluminum seems to be a poor choice for a fishing reel frame, where a slight misalignment would impact the performance of the reel. If there were instances of cast aluminum frames breaking, one might be able to justify the increased cost/weight of going to the extruded/machined formulations. I just don't see it in the real world, though...

Of the 14 dedicated BC setups, my two frog rods are the cheapest I own. IMO, for buzzing toads (horny toads, rage toads, etc) you want a fairly soft tip (for casting distance) with a strong backbone. I use the BPS Extreme rod. I used to use a Dobyns 735c but I get better casting distance with the extreme rod. For soft bodied (spro) frogs I prefer a much faster action. You need to move alot of line quickly when fishing these in slop and the faster action is critical. IMO, the perfect rod for these baits is long, light and ultra fast so you can move alot of line very quickly. I use the Abu Veritas as it has these three attributes. The smoke and carbonlite rods seem to be well suited for this fishing also. I am not as concerned about casting distance with this setup...you cant move enough line to properly set the hook on a 40yard cast anyway (when the line is laying over weeds, reeds, etc)

In my 17 years as a mechanical engineer, I've designed products made from die cast and extruded aluminum as well as die cast magnesium. I'm not sure what the material was on your oil filter base, retiredbosn, but a quality castable Aluminum alloy (B390, A380, AC8A, etc...) should not have voiding issues that would preclude it from being used in a fishing reel frame. As JFrancho mentioned....has any one ever seen an aluminum frame actually break under normal conditions? Personally, I would feel more confident buying a die cast aluminum frame than I would an extruded/machined aluminum frame. Extruded aluminum is necessarily ductile and would seem to be a poor material choice for a fishing reel for other than marketing purposes. it would have to have thicker wall sections (be heavier). I have quite a bit of experience with extruded aluminum...one of my 11 US patents is for an extruded aluminum cell phone.

When pitching cover, I've been using the Hack Attack grass jig in various weights...3/8, 1/2, 3/4, 1oz. Baseline weight =1/2oz, but I'll go up or down from that based on wind and thickness of cover I'm fishing. The three basic jig trailers I use are the sweet beaver, rage chunk and the havoc fatty craw. Which of those three to use depends on the fall rate I am trying to achieve, given the jig weight. Colors are mostly blue/black combinations. Black/blue jig. Trailer color = okeechobee craw or hillbilly special (sweet beaver).

Shane, that's an impressive day out there! I haven't seen a 20lb bag come from the L67 canal system in a loooong time.

Good job, Dwight. There's a double digit bass down here with your name on it. Its just a matter of time.

I agree...no reason that a guide shouldn't be able to get on the lake at 13ft. If that were the case, he'd be fishing the rim canal/dynamite holes about 6 months a year. Can't imagine you'd stay in business long like that. My guess....he wanted to save on gas, given current prices. I was running the lake last summer sub 10ft and I don't have a jackplate. And I've only been fishing the lake a couple years... Dave, glad you got in on the good bite Saturday. We were on the main lake, yesterday, when that squall came through. The gusts had to be pushing 45-50mph for a while there. It was tropical storm type stuff.

How did it go this weekend? Anybody fish McMillians on Saturday? The guys I talked to tore it up on Saturday. Yesterday was a different story at the KOTG qualifier...pretty tough fishing. Me/Jack caught a few in the morning, then that nasty squall came through. Pretty much ripped up the area we were fishing, and had to move. Caught a nice fish (7.11) punching mats at our second spot. Thought I had a chance at big fish for the series, until Feller/Belits weighed an 8. That will probably stand, as I can't imagine any 8lbers being caught at Holiday Park. A little bit bummed. I could use that Minn Kota Talon... Anyway...we finished 13th and won the "Lucky 13" award: $100BPS gift cards. Should put us in the top 10 in overall standings, for now... We need to somehow find a fish out at Holiday Park, now....uggg.

Don, you probably don't want to hear this, but the main lake was on fire Saturday. Five teams broke 30lbs in the McMillian tourney out of Belle Glade, Saturday. Pre-frontal conditions turned em on good. Today (Sunday) was not nearly as good. A nasty squall came through about 9:30 and blew out alot of the areas where they'd been catching em. I fished the KOTG qualifier out there, today, and only a few boats broke 20lbs....22lbs won. I'm surprised that a guide can't get on the lake when the level is 13ft. All the main lake cuts have 4 feet of water in them.

Yeah...you get more "glide" flipping a keel weighted craw-type plastic, than you get with normal T-rigging. I LOVE fishing a keel-weighed smoking rooster . Jig it up and it kind of "swims off" randomly in any of the 360 degrees from its origin.

The Magnum Ol Monster is different than the ol monster. It's brand new...longer and quite a bit bulkier. I saw some for the first time at BPS two days ago. I love ol monster worms. Can't wait to give the magnums a try!

Difficult to pick only three. I'll say: skinny dipper, horny toad, zoom ol monster. I could flip the toad and the worm if I had to.

To be clear...when talking about keeping the price the same, I am referring to the Curado. And in fairness, the price is not exactly the same...they did lower the retail price a little bit (from $179 to $159). What bothers me is that they essentially downgrade the entire product line. Can you imagine if GM came out with their 2013 lineup...and they took the Chevy Impala, slapped a Cadillac sticker on it, gave it a different paint job, and lowered the price a little bit from the old Cadillac price? That's a valid analogy and it just seems dishonest to me. If they felt that they need to get more margin on the products, I'd feel better about them raising the price. If I paid retail price for a Curado G, thinking I was getting the same thing as my E series with perhaps a few refinements, I would not be a happy camper. it's not even the same form factor...the new one is based off the Canaen. It is taller and not as comfortable to palm (IMO). More plastic components. less bearings. I can't blame Curado G buyers for being disappointed. I'll continue to buy Shimano reels. The "E" series reels are still a fantastic bargin. I won't be buying any Curado G reels, unless they come way down in price.

I am definately fishing KOTG3 Sunday. Going to try and get out Thursday or Friday, for some pre-fishing.

Florida bass love skinny dippers!

I understand what you guys are saying about "price recalibration". From an accounting standpoint, it might make sense for Shimano to do this recalibration. However, to the majority of the fishing public it comes down to this...the entire product line downgraded while keeping the price the same. That doesn't sit well with some people. I love Shimano baitcasters...I just bought two more at the BPS trade in. At the current pricing, my purchases will be confined to the "E" series though...IMO that is where the biggest value for my dollar lies.

Rapala makes some good baits, no doubt about it. Just about every one I know has an old blue/silver rapala floating minnow stashed away somewhere in their tackle box. When the fishing gets tough, break out one of those on a medium action spinning rod and you WILL get bit. That old floating minnow and a senko are about as close to "money" as you can get, when the bite gets tough However, more often than not, the castability of the Rapala balsa baits has pushed them to the backburner for me. If I'm fishing vast, open water the casting distance on those baits is prohibitive for me.

Really depends on the cover I'm fishing, the type of action, and the fall rate I'm looking for. For the most part, I use the following jig trailers with a 1/2oz jig setup: Sweet Beaver (fast fall rate, minimal action), Havoc Fatty Craw (slow fall rate, medium action), Rage Chunk (medium fall rate, maximum action). Those three jig trailers comprise ~95% of the jig fishing I do. If I need to change up the fall rate or if I am fishing heavier/sparcer cover, I will do so by changing the weight of the jig....i.e. 3/4oz jig with rage chunk trailer for fast fall rate, max action, etc....

Let's do it! I got some new stuff this wedk also. Lets go break em in on some hawgs.