Your choice of any Phenix M1 blank. The next generation of your fishing arsenal! An uncompromised engineering concept, the M1 blank series is the newest and most advanced fishing rod for bass and light saltwater anglers alike.

Constructed with unidirectional carbon fiber and featuring the cutting edge innovation of Nanotube technology, the M1 maximizes strength and ultra-sensitivity like no other fishing rod blank in its class.

Fuji SK2™ Split Reel Seats are as good looking as they are functional with casting and spinning models up to 54% lighter than conventional reel seats.

Choice of grips TOURSTAR grips, foam or cork. You can chose split or full grip.

Fuji or ALPS guides standard or micro.

You will also be able to chose color scheme and your name on the rods.

To enter you must send your picture with your catch and any one of our baits in the picture to biteitbaits@aol.com. Please include your contact information. Your pictures will be displayed on the website. On June 30th the winner of the rod will be drawn at random. Good Luck!

Scientists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) have uncovered a new species of black bass in the southeastern United States. Scientists have proposed naming the new species the Choctaw bass and recommended the scientific name ofMicropterus haiaka. They revealed their discovery at a meeting of the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society earlier this year.

FWC scientists first noted a DNA profile that did not belong to any recognized species while testing a bass specimen from the Chipola River in 2007,as part of a broader genetic study of bass.

“We didn’t set out to find a new species,” said Mike Tringali,who heads the genetics laboratory at the FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. “It found us.”

After confirming the initial discovery,scientists searched for the DNA profile in bass caught in nearby rivers to determine the species’ range. They found that the Choctaw bass inhabits coastal river systems in Alabama and along the western Florida panhandle,including the Choctawhatchee River.

“We chose the name ‘Choctaw bass’ because the species’ range overlaps the historic range of the Choctaw Indians,” said Tringali. “As for our recommended scientific name,Micropterus haiaka,‘haiaka’ is a Choctaw word that means ‘revealed.’”

The American Fisheries Society must approve the suggested scientific name for it to take effect.

The Choctaw bass is very similar in appearance to its relative,the spotted bass. The physical differences between the two species are not easily seen with the naked eye, one reason they had never before been distinguished despite decades of bass studies in the region.

Source: Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission

FLIPPIN, ARK. (April 25, 2013) Paul Clark and Brett Preuett, collegiate anglers from the University of Louisiana–Monroe, became the first team to qualify for the 2013 Ranger Cup University Team of the Year finals by winning the FLW College Fishing National Championship on Arkansas’ Beaver Lake. As the highest-finishing Ranger Cup University-qualified team with a total weight of 40 pounds, 3 ounces during the three-day event, the duo received $2,000 cash as well as an expense-paid trip to Texas’ famed Lake Fork where they will compete for the Team of the Year title later this year.

At Lake Fork, Clark and Preuett will be matched against the Ranger Cup-qualified team with the highest place of finish in the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship. Both teams will receive a grand-prize package, which includes travel, lodging and meals, as well as the opportunity to compete from fully rigged Ranger boats. The made-for-TV event will be televised nationally on “Americana Outdoors” seen on the NBC Sports Network.

“I might have a heart attack and you might have to call an ambulance,” Preuett said after he and Clark won the FLW event by nine ounces over the second-place finishers from the University of North Carolina–Charlotte. “I really didn’t think we had that much weight.”

For winning the FLW College Fishing National Championship, Clark and Preuett took home a $30,000 first-place prize package as well as automatic berths into the 2013 Forrest Wood Cup, to be contested on the Red River near Shreveport, Louisiana. Clark will fish in the Cup as a boater where he will have a chance to compete for the $500,000 first-place prize while Preuett will fish the contest as a co-angler.

“I only live an hour and a half away so I’m going to be spending every weekend for the next three months on the Red River,” said Clark. “It’s going to be an opportunity of a lifetime.”

Modeled after the most lucrative contingency rewards in the industry, Ranger Cup, Ranger Cup University is the first program of its kind exclusively for collegiate anglers and is open to those fishing in either FLW- or BoatUS-affiliated competitions. Signup is free, regardless of which brand of boat they own. To remain qualified in the program, anglers need only adhere to clothing and logo requirements. And as part of the Ranger Cup University program, participants will be able to receive specially discounted tournament gear through Gemini Custom Apparel, with no artwork or set-up fees. With the discounts, Ranger Cup University anglers can purchase fully customized tournament jerseys for as low as $48.

For more information on Ranger Cup University, to register and read all about the program guidelines and payout opportunities, go online to RangerBoats.com.

Source: www.rangerboats.com

SOURCE: Ranger Boats

By the time Berk graduated from high school in 1939, he was employing several area girls who made flies, silkworm gut, and cable wire leaders in their homes. The business soon outgrew Berk’s parent’s basement and living room. He expanded to the second floor of the local grocery store, using a tub filled with ice and a fan for air conditioning.

After attending the state university and serving in the Army Air Corps, Berk returned to Spirit Lake in 1945 to start Berkley and Company. The business focus was on its cable wire leaders. One evening, while reading Popular Science, Berk learned about a Connecticut company that was producing nylon-covered cable for sailboat rigging. After visiting their plant, he began to work on nylon-coated wire for use in fishing leaders. Soon, the Steelon leader was introduced and production began in Spirit Lake. Shortly after this, the distinctive Berkley heart logo was designed with the slogan “nylon leader with a heart of stainless steel.”

Berk next became interested in extruding nylon monofilament fishing line. At that time, all nylon came from DuPont. After receiving a license from DuPont, Berk returned to Spirit Lake to begin work developing equipment to produce nylon. The initial extrusion equipment consisted of reclaimed washing machine wringers, bicycle wheels, and other homespun materials. Soon Berkley was marketing private brand mono as well as Dew Flex monofilament. Ongoing experimentation would soon yield the company’s breakthrough innovation – Trilene.

In 1959, Berkley introduced Trilene at about the same time DuPont introduced Stren. To help introduce the new line, Berk sent out thousands of sample spools of line and asked store owners to have their best fisherman try it on a spinning reel. Fishermen loved the line and it began the successful launch of Berkley Trilene.

The next four decades were a time of great growth for the company. In the 1960′s Berkley entered into the rod business, which lead to international expansion in the 1970′s. Soft plastic baits made an appearance in the 1980′s. The 1990′s through today have seen significant technology improvements in all of the Berkley products. From the beginning, Berkley has committed significant resources to research and development – a continuing strategy that has resulted in countless product innovations, including Berkley Trilene, the Lightning Rod, PowerBait, FireLine, and more recently Gulp! and Gulp! Alive.

Source: www.berkley-fishing.com

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