Alabama Rig Legal?

[Guest csfishinfool]

Sporting-wise the only real issue I see coming on the old forum is..."What happens when guys start catching and releasing deep fish on it?"

Not that doing so is worse than with a grub or spoon, just potentially more of them.

Legally...makes me think of trying some way to rig up a spreader for a C-rig, since it would be legal.

I need to find a way to make a floating version for top waters

[Feathers and Fins]

Sporting-wise the only real issue I see coming on the old forum is..."What happens when guys start catching and releasing deep fish on it?"

Not that doing so is worse than with a grub or spoon, just potentially more of them.

Legally...makes me think of trying some way to rig up a spreader for a C-rig, since it would be legal.

C-Rigging is simple, Use to do it for Jacks all the time. Use a 5/0 Ball Barring Swivel, stick a number 24 wire through it and wrap it around the eye of the swivel, then cut the wire off at 13 inches from center. Put a Snap swivel on the end of each arm and one in center and your done. I liked the snap swivel as it aloud me fast change outs of baits.. works on stripers, suck on Tuna them dam things destroyed many of mine.

[cullinby9]

I think by sporting what Csfishinfool is saying is it takes no skill with a rod and reel to heave 5 swimbaits out and slow roll it back. It's certainly not like fishing a jig or worm through timber or drop shoting with your graph. Here is something else I fear after a couple of seasons of every angler pulling in and chucking the A-rig in every patch of timber on the lake whats it going to be like to pull in and catch some braided line with an a-rig hung down in a tree with a lucky craft or other high end bait leaving 5 baits and a rig broken off down in the water seems a little contradictory to the mission of conservation.This rig is an equilizer for the average angler. good for recreational anglers, killer to true tournament fishing.

[Feathers and Fins]

Cull you bring up a good thing... Running a LARGE profile bait through cover is going to end up making the angler a Donater to the lakes Christmas Tree decoration division. Of the methods you listed the fishing the worm or grub in timber takes far more skill then drop shoting. Seriously how much skill is it to set a graph sensitivity high and send a bait down to the fish and watch them come get it. You are using electronics not skill to catch the fish. Slow rolling 5 hooks or 1 hooked baits stil has some skill involved. I liken this conversation to ones ive seen where guys complain about a guy using a stick bait with 3 treble hooks vs them and the single hooked worm.

The ultimate skill fishing IMO and this is only IMO is to go after fish with line you know is below the weight class of the fish you are after using barbless hooks. Luck is getting the bite, Skill is landing the fish when the angler is outclassed in line lbs test rating. I know alot of bass anglers who can catch a bass on 50lbs braid but take them after say Stipers or Tarpon using 12lbs line and they will loose a vast majority of the fish as they do not have skill needed to play the fish and take their time. I was one of those guys at one time. I got my rear end handed to me but luckily had a great teacher and when I boated my first tripple digit tarpon on 12lbs i was hooked for life on light line addiction. It took me over a year to learn how to play the fish and play it to get it to the boat but still alive enough for release and that is skill only a good teacher can teach and a willing student can learn IMO.

[cullinby9]

I'm using green. Not sure it matters? I would throw it out and let it sink for about 3-5 seconds and then jerk it slightly to get the blades turning.

When I threw it without the spinnerbait in the middle, it seemed harder to control the speed and depth?

Will keep experimenting. Thinking of trying a single Colorado blade short-arm. I love the thump-thump of that blade on the retrieve and the way it helicopters on the pause.

The possibilities with this thing are endless.

You could put all spinnerbaits, or all crankbaits, lizards, whatever?

I never got close to any thing busting on top, but I'm thinking this thing would be awesome for whites or blacks that were doing so.

What's weird to me is that the bass will even get close to this thing?

Fished this lake for 40+ years and always had the mindset of light line, subtle presentations, etc. because of the clear water.

The water is really clear right now, but they still nail this thing?

[cullinby9]

your playing on the instinct of a predator they can't help but ambush a school of slow moving bait. I throw 20# flouro in the timber and get the same amount of bites as guys fishing 12# they can't help but react.

[cullinby9]

Cull you bring up a good thing... Running a LARGE profile bait through cover is going to end up making the angler a Donater to the lakes Christmas Tree decoration division. Of the methods you listed the fishing the worm or grub in timber takes far more skill then drop shoting. Seriously how much skill is it to set a graph sensitivity high and send a bait down to the fish and watch them come get it. You are using electronics not skill to catch the fish. Slow rolling 5 hooks or 1 hooked baits stil has some skill involved. I liken this conversation to ones ive seen where guys complain about a guy using a stick bait with 3 treble hooks vs them and the single hooked worm.

The ultimate skill fishing IMO and this is only IMO is to go after fish with line you know is below the weight class of the fish you are after using barbless hooks. Luck is getting the bite, Skill is landing the fish when the angler is outclassed in line lbs test rating. I know alot of bass anglers who can catch a bass on 50lbs braid but take them after say Stipers or Tarpon using 12lbs line and they will loose a vast majority of the fish as they do not have skill needed to play the fish and take their time. I was one of those guys at one time. I got my rear end handed to me but luckily had a great teacher and when I boated my first tripple digit tarpon on 12lbs i was hooked for life on light line addiction. It took me over a year to learn how to play the fish and play it to get it to the boat but still alive enough for release and that is skill only a good teacher can teach and a willing student can learn IMO.

Catching fish on a dropshot or spoon is not hard on the graph but locating a school of quality kentuckies or smallies being able to catch 5 quality tournament fish is tough on a drop bait on the graph. I just feel that imitating a school of shad is going to trigger a predatory strike from the fish that they can't control I have had days on the rock swimbaiting when I caught 2 or 3 keepers but seen well over 30 big fish follow the bait back to the boat. I don't know what will happen with this but I would thinks they won't resist a baitball. How long till the fish become conditioned to the A-rig and become skiddish about swiping at a school of bait. Increasing the strike zone by 500% is what the rig is designed to do. I just don't know how you can say this makes you a better angler which is why we all fish to begin with.

[Feathers and Fins]

Im a little confused by your last sentance!

I just don't know how you can say this makes you a better angler which is why we

all fish to begin with.

I do not beleive it makes anyone a better angler, It is IMO another tool in the bag or its case luggage case, Does it improve odds? Possibly does it make the angler better? That i doubt. A good angler IMO is one who can read the water, read the geography of shore and relate it to the water, read the birds and understand the affects of weather and current on fish. Then put it all togeather to catch the target species of fish. And then have the memory to remember it and put it togeather on any given body of water when the conditions and geography present itself for a consistant ability to catch fish on any given body of water. The good angler has the memory of a elephant and the ability to change like a chameleon and the brains of Einstein to put it all togeather.

[exiledguide]

I think by sporting what Csfishinfool is saying is it takes no skill with a rod and reel to heave 5 swimbaits out and slow roll it back. It's certainly not like fishing a jig or worm through timber or drop shoting with your graph. Here is something else I fear after a couple of seasons of every angler pulling in and chucking the A-rig in every patch of timber on the lake whats it going to be like to pull in and catch some braided line with an a-rig hung down in a tree with a lucky craft or other high end bait leaving 5 baits and a rig broken off down in the water seems a little contradictory to the mission of conservation.This rig is an equilizer for the average angler. good for recreational anglers, killer to true tournament fishing.

Sure wouldn't want to hurt true tournament fishing...........

[Quillback]

Speaking of tournaments, the outdoor section in the Benton County newspaper had an article about A-rigs (I can't pick up any outdoor publication these days and not see something about A-rigs), but the writer talked about A-rigs with one of the FLW honchos, and the FLW guy said they had no intention of banning A-rigs in their tourneys, assuming it's legal in the state the tourney is in. FLW is coming to Beaver in April BTW.

Also the local tackle shop, Hook, Line and Sinker, said they have never had a "bait" that has sold as well as the A-rig has lately. My guess is, with all the folks throwing them, the bass will get conditioned to them and they won't be as effective in the future. They'll become another tool in the toolbox.