I don't want to add unnecessary fuel to a fire, but there are a few take-aways from this thread. First, Rob Belloni and Calfishing.com are the shiz. How refreshing to see straight talk, and calling out something that clearly needs to be called out.

Castaic Bait Company should wake up and smell the coffee. It needs to be said. Rob said it, everyone else replied with simliar validation of the issue, and I'm raising my hand to validate the issue as well. Between having some of the worst QA and R&D teams in the space, these guys aren't getting any better. Castaic is OLD SCHOOl/OG on the big bait scene, and making hurrendous mistakes, and if anything taking steps backwards. You'd think these guys would have mastered pouring perfect baits, getting the majority to run straight out of the package, and making baits that can survive a real strike by a fish of consequence.

Besides serious errors in design, testing, QA, R&D, and basically having a second rate, at best product....Castaic further buried themselves in my mind, with this Rago deal. I have 15 Rago Real Trout that don't have a belly ring to attach a trap hook. How is that possible? These guys go way way way back in the swimbait game. This wasn't an oversight, this was sabotage. I didn't even know that Castaic Baits was behind the Rago thing until recently. That was a revelation to say the least.

I'm not big on posting controversial/pointed topics. That's what swimbaitnation is for!

:P

It needs to be said, and hence my allegiance and alignment to calfishing.com and Rob Belloni. Zero tolerance for any BS, and certainly not going to let a company like Castaic who likely has one of the most recognized brand names in the swimbait space, across the country, get away with this crap unnoticed.

MP