Continue reading »]]> Registration Opens March 1

Ponca City, Okla. – Feb. 17, 2012  High School anglers near and far will unite in Russellville, Arkansas and Lake Dardanelle State Park, July 15-21, 2012 for the pinnacle event of high school bass fishing, the 2012 High School Fishing World Finals. Registration opens online at highschoolfishing.org on March 1.

Last year, over 600 attendees made up of high school anglers, family members and sponsors enjoyed the opening ceremonies to kick off a week-long family vacation with tens of thousands of dollars in scholarship prizes on the line.

“Russellville is extremely excited to host this tournament for the third year, and looking forward to another group of young people that love to fish,” Russellville Tourism Director, Christie Graham, stated.  “Russellville hosts many tournaments each year, but enjoys getting to invest in young people’s lives that have a passion for the outdoor world of fishing. We are excited to see what growth this year will bring.”

High school teams are made up of any two high school anglers who have graduated the 8^th grade but have not yet started college and who have a 2.0 GPA.  All anglers must be Student Angler Federation members or join at the time of registration for only $25 a year. SAF membership comes with a full list of benefits, including no entry fees to any SAF event all year.  Any high school team meeting these requirements may register and attend, even if they are home schooled. Teams bring their own boats and their own coaches/boat captains.  Teams are required to have an adult coach/boat captain in their boat with them at all times. The coach who provides the boat must be a resident of the team’s home state/province or country, an immediate family member, or in very limited situations, a volunteer boat captain/coach may be provided by TBF*. (when/where available and only with advance arrangement) Anglers are not allowed to “hire” or “choose” a local coach and the tournament waters are off-limits, when designated, to all anglers and coaches so everyone starts fishing at the same time no matter where they live.

Events are scheduled all week starting with the first official practice day Sunday, July 15.  Tuesday evening is the coaches/boat captain’s appreciation jackpot on a neighboring body of water for the coaches to get their fishing “fix” as well!  Wednesday, July 18 is the official registration and opening ceremonies. Thursday, July 19 will bring the first official tournament day, with weigh-ins at Lake Dardanelle State Park, as teams from across North America will start their journey to become champions.  All weigh-ins will be taped for television and be streamed live on the internet.  All high school anglers will compete for the first two days.  Then, the field will be cut on Saturday. The final day of competition not only will see the top teams go head to head with complete run of the lake, but also the rest of the field will be invited to fish a one of a kind consolation round event. There is no entry fee and the complete payout structure is in the form of prizes and scholarships! The 2012 High School Fishing World Championship team will each walk away with the grand prize of a four year, $5,000 per year, renewable scholarship to Bethel University in McKenzie Tenn., in addition to other prizes and some serious hardware!

“The High School Fishing World Finals is the largest tournament of its kind; it’s a low cost, family fun vacation with a full week of activities,” TBF National Youth Director, Mark Gintert, said.  “We’re excited to return to Russellville and Lake Dardanelle State Park, which provide a perfect setting for this event.  It’s centrally located right off I-40, a great fishery, and the cooperation we receive from our local partners is tremendous,” Gintert added.

“This event is more than just a tournament, it’s a great way to promote education through fishing,” TBF President, Robert Cartlidge, stated. “Our Student Anglers are required to have a 2.0 GPA and take a free test on angler ethics, boater safety and invasive species to participate.  This highlights the importance of education and being good stewards of our waterways, habits TBF want to instill in the future of our sport,” Cartlidge continued. “Our Student Angler Federation is growing in record numbers with teams forming all across the country, and this event offers everyone a chance to fish in a world class event in a fun, family atmosphere.”

The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is the oldest and largest grassroots fishing organization in America. TBF is owned by those it serves and is dedicated to the sport of fishing. TBF annually conducts over 20,000 fishing, youth, and conservation events and has provided the foundation for the bass fishing industry for over 40 years.

For more information about The Bass Federation, visit bassfederation.com or call 580-765-9031.

For full details and more information about the Student Angler Federation and this year’s High School World Finals, visit highschoolfishing.org or call 580-765-9031.

Continue reading »]]> Arizona Bass Federation would like to welcome on board a new Junior Youth Club in the Mohave County Area!

The club contact and adult supervisor is  Frank Mueller. ”Our goal is to attract kids from Mohave County area, who are interested in competitive bass fishing.  We are targeting youths in the Kingman, Lake Havasu City, Bullhead City, Laughlin-NV and Needles-CA areas,” stated Mueller.

If you have a youth angler in their area, ages 8-18, please contact Frank at 928-715-6676 or YouthMoh@AZBassFederation.com.

Continue reading »]]>

The Bureau of Reclamation, Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department, Central Arizona Water Conservation District (Central Arizona Project) and Arizona Bass Federation are please to cooperate in presenting Arizona’s 13th Annual “CATCH A SPECIAL THRILL FOR KIDS” FISHING DAY.

Hosted by Reclamation under a contract with the CAST for Kids Foundation, the event will be held on April 7, 2012 at Lake Pleasant Regional Park.

VIEW THE FLYER

Continue reading »]]>

BOATER

Continue reading »]]> By Trey Kistler | Wed, 1 Feb 2012

At Kistler we say ‘Fishing Never Felt So Good’ and now we have another ‘solid’ reason to say so!

Unlike other popular brands, our rods won’t snap like fresh vegetables or magically explode on hookset. For the last two years our rods have had a breakage rate of less then 1%!  That’s five times less then the industry average and the best in its class!

No other high modulus graphite rod on the market today can offer the featherweight reliability, sensitivity and industry leading innovations like a Kistler rod!

From the proprietary graphite blanks in our Magnesium and Helium rod lines to the truly one of a kind innovations of paper carbon scrim blanks in our signature Z-Bone collection, Kistler Rod Company is dedicated to providing the very best fishing experience possible.

Fishing today is a full contact sport. Full contact for the fish that is! And if you’re using the wrong tools you’ll end up on the loosing end of the game! Fishing rods today need to be more then pretty colors and sport high dollar names.  They need to be built for the punchin’, buzzin’ jiggin’ and froggin’ of today’s angler.

From design, to manufacturing, to delivery, Kistler Rods are made right!  Over the last two years, we have seen a less then 1% breakage rate!  No one can make a claim like that because no one else builds rods like we do!  No matter what type, style or budget needs you have, Kistler rods will be there when you need them the most.

So if you want a carrot, go to the garden. If you want magic, visit the circus.  But if you want the most dependable, best-built rod available today pick up a Kistler!

As always, on that rare occasion that one of our rods may break, you know we have your back with our ‘Smart Warranty’.

Cause at Kistler…..’Fishing Never Felt So Good’!

Trey Kistler
President Kistler Rods

Continue reading »]]> December 21, 2011

Hello Everyone,

Here it is Christmas just a few days away and your thinking it is time for some new gear, maybe replace a rod that had a Bill Dance moment with a ceiling fan, tailgate, or trolling motor.  Here is the skinny on IM6, IM7, and IM8 for the rest of us that don’t know it all except for a need of a “good reel seat”.  I thought this was great information about what to look for while out and about in your favorite tackle haunts on-line, or brick and mortar.

CREDO,

Greg Krueger

AZTBF, President

Gary Loomis talks about rod breakage

Shared By Trey Kistler @ http://www.kistlerrods.com/fishing-rod/Gary-Loomis-talks-about-rod-breakage/subpage230.html  Thu, 8 Sep 2011

Rod Breakage

Ever since the introduction of the first graphite rod by Fenwick in 1974, myths about this mysterious material have been growing and circulating the globe like wildfire. How many times have you been told that the difference between IM6, IM7 and IM8 is the difference in quality standard, or that the higher the modulus, the more graphite was used to produce the rod?

With there being so many misconceptions surrounding this material, Gary Loomis – one of the world’s foremost authorities on graphite rod design and founder of the G.Loomis Corp. – agreed to lend his expertise to eliminate these myths.

Loomis began by explaining that the identifiers IM6, IM7 and IM8 are the trade numbers used by the Hexcel Corp. to identify their product and is not an industry quality or material standard, although the Hercules Fibers produced by the Hexcel Corp. are the benchmark that most companies use to compare their materials. The confusion is compounded because a number of rod manufacturers use materials produced by companies other than Hexcel and yet identify their rods as being IM6, IM7 and IM8, which by itself means nothing.

What an angler needs to understand is how the word “modulus” pertains to graphite rods. Modulus is not a thread count, as many would have you believe. Modulus basically equates to stiffness. The higher the modulus, the stiffer the material is by weight, meaning less material is needed to achieve the same stiffness of lower-modulus materials. This results in a lighter product.

“You have to remember, weight is the deterrence to performance,” Loomis said.
Stiffness also equates to responsiveness – that is, the rod’s ability to store and release energy. The higher the modulus, the faster and more consistent a rod is able to store and release its energy, which enables an angler to cast farther and more accurately.
But you cannot talk about modulus without including strain rate, or the measured strength of the material. While modulus is reported in millions, strain rate is reported in thousands. An acceptable strain rate for a fishing rod is 680,000 or higher. A graphite rod made from IM6 Hercules Fibers will have a modulus of 36 million and a strain rate of 750,000.

With the original materials used for graphite rods, as the modulus rate increased, the strain rate would decrease, resulting in the rods being more acceptable to failures because of brittleness. However, through the advancements of materials, technology and engineering design, companies are able to produce high-modulus, high-strain-rate rods. These new high-tech fishing rods are super-light, responsive, and extremely sensitive and strong.

But the misconception of brittleness still plagues them, and the reason for this is because as the modulus gets higher, the less material is needed and therefore used. This means that the wall thickness in the blank, which is basically a hollow tube, is thinner. “Remember what I said before – weight is the deterrence to performance,” Loomis said, and went on to tell a story:

“I had a gentleman come in with a fly rod that broke near the handle, and he was asking for a new rod. I examined his broken rod and knew from the break – it was splintered – that his rod broke from abuse. So I asked him how it broke, and the man, being sincere, told me it broke while fighting a fish. I explained that it would be nearly impossible for the rod to break this way. But to be fair, (I told him) if he could break another rod the same way, I would give him three brand-new rods of his choice, but if he couldn’t, that he would pay for the repairs, and the man agreed.

“So I took him out in the back by the shipping docks and handed him an identical rod. With the rod in his hands, I grabbed the blank and asked him to apply the same pressure he was using when it broke. The man was applying a great deal of stress on the rod, and it wasn’t breaking. So I asked if he wanted to apply even more pressure, and the man responded that he didn’t think he could, but he insisted that is how his rod broke.

“So then I told him, ‘We are going to break this rod, so that it breaks just like yours did.’ I then laid the blank on a rubber mat and I kneeled on it by the handle, and we tried it again but it didn’t break. Then I laid it on the concrete and kneeled on it. Examining the rod, you couldn’t see it was damaged, but this time the rod broke just like his did, and the man simply asked where he needed to pay to get his rod repaired.”

The point of this story is that these high-modulus, high-strain-rate, thin-walled rods are extremely strong and are highly unlikely ever to break under normal use. Almost all rods are damaged by other means – an angler accidentally stepping on them, hitting them against a hard surface while casting, or storing them where a toolbox or some other heavy object can slide into them. Then, with the damage done, the rod collapses while under the stress of fighting a fish. So while high-modulus, high-strain-rate rods are not brittle, they do require more care in storage and transport.

There is a graphite rod made for every angler and their lifestyle. Composite blends (a mix of graphite and fiberglass) can take a lot of abuse. Intermediate modulus rods (33 million to 42 million) with high strain rates (700,000 or higher) still offer a lot of sensitivity and responsiveness and are quite durable. The high-modulus, high-strain-rate, extremely light rods are usually a rod manufacturer’s high-end product. These rods are the ultimate in responsiveness and sensitivity, and they cost a lot more than the average fishing rod. As with anything that costs this type of money, you would want to take a lot better care of it, including using protective cases to store and transport them around.

Hopefully, you now have a much better understanding of graphite as it pertains to fishing rods, and as a result, understand the care you need to employ with their use, storage and transport. Finally, armed with your newfound knowledge, you will be able to make a much more informed decision the next time you purchase your next graphite rod.

Continue reading »]]> I would personally like to say thanks to Trey Kistler for setting this up.  They are ready and willing to extend a promotional discount to all members with a standing 25% discount on anything they make and offer on the web site.  Thereafter, if they see a significant support from the members, they will then offer an even better discount as well as donations to help you raise money.  The promotion code will be e-mailed out to active members.

http://www.kistlerrods.com

Continue reading »]]> ALL AZTBF MEMBERS:

The following are changes to be made to the Bylaws based on the committee formed at the October meeting, noted in the November minutes as, “BUSINESS” item 8.  The committee meeting was posted on the website calendar with a reminder posted in the week prior to the meeting and again referred to in the meeting minutes from Monday, December 5^th, 2011.  There were five in attendance representing four clubs; Tim Price (Phx), Allan Wacker (Sag), John Farrel (Gla), Jeff Erickson (Sag), and Greg Krueger (Cny).

The committee was formed to update and clarify our current bylaws to the current format which has now been in place for the 2^nd season.  Existing verbiage is in gray highlight and the clarification/change is in yellow highlight.  These changes will be voted into action at our January meeting at Denny’s and take effect January 10, 2012

Please review these updated bylaws prior to the meeting.

Greg Krueger

VIEW NEW BYLAWS

VIEW NEW RULES

Continue reading »]]> ~ FUNDRAISER ~

We have a fundraiser that started on December 6^th and is going on right now into the first week of January.  25% of sales come back to AZTBF to help fund our projects.  So for every $100 we get $25 as a group.

What is it?  Scentsy is a wickless candle so there is no wick cutting, open flame danger, and soot.  There is an absolute plethora of good smelling stuff, but I haven’t found one that will help me catch more fish.  Please follow the link as this is a great gift for Christmas or a thoughtful gift as a house warming item.  Just use the link and all orders are direct ship to your door.

Here is the link for the fundraiser, https://spoiledrottenchicks.scentsy.us/Buy?partyId=64652837 25% of the proceeds go to AZTBF.

Continue reading »]]> Conservation news update Brief

Don McDowell

Conservation Director

December Conservation Update 13-dEC-11

THIS CONTROVERSY IS PUT TO REST BY CHIEF YOUNG, AZGFD. 

Is the “Alabama Rig” legal in Arizona?

Arizona guidance is found in statute and the definition for Angling: Arizona Revised Statutes 17-101 A1—“Angling” means the taking of fish by one line and not to exceed two hooks, by one line and one artificial lure, which may have attached more than one hook, or by one line and not to exceed two artificial flies or lures.  

The Alabama rig appears to be up to five (or more) lures joined via stiff wires, similar to umbrella rigs used for trolling. These “rigs” with more than 2 lures, would not be legal for angling in AZ.  Such a “rig” would be legal if it had no more than two lures.

Lures are not defined in statute.  However, a lure is designed and intended to catch one fish.  As such, a spoon, soft bait, piece of yarn etc., with no hook incorporated would not be considered a lure.  Thus, a test would be if a “rig” (Alabama or otherwise) were to be de-constructed, each piece that can catch a fish separately would be considered a lure.  If more than two lures (that can catch a fish separately) are de-constructed, the rig is not legal in Arizona as regulations are currently written. An example of a rig that would be legal in AZ is a rig with two swim baits with hooks and three or more (as many as you want) hook less swim baits or hook less spinners.

Kirk Young

Fisheries Branch Chief

Arizona Game and Fish Department

5000 West Carefree Highway

Phoenix AZ, 85086-5000

623-236-7259