A- Rig Design Ideas

[Stump bumper]

I am going to make some of my own A-rigs and have been thinking about adding some spinnerbait blades to the arms. I have been debating between white willows, silver or a mix. What do you think about colors, size? Also do you think it will add to attraction or detract from the swimbaits?

[rps]

If you look at the Great Lakes trolling rigs, you will see many different configurations for salmon and walleye trolling. An A-rig is merely an application of those techniques to cast and wind.

Willow is less resistance than other blades - stick with that. White, silver, copper, and gold are all good - choose for them as you would for a spinner bait.

Tight lines.

[Quillback]

I'd go with white for stained water and silver or gold for clear.

[Feathers and Fins]

I know guys making their own rigs now. They are using JB Weld stick for the heads, smash the sticks togeather in the size they want and form it then paint it. This allows them to attach all the wires to a swivel and mold the head around it. For blades ive seen 100 diffrent configurations from white blades to pink and to black. Its a great experimentation time. Heck I know a guy putting 2 1/2oz weights on two arms so he can slow crawl it on the bottom even.

[Stump bumper]

So F&F the guys you know that are using blades, do they catch more fish on the rigs with blades? I am thinking they might more productive on those really windy days.

[Feathers and Fins]

They are catching no more on the blades then I do using 5 swim baits. Fish are now on two seperate bites, Craw and Shad the fish more in the main lake are on a bigtime craw bite and the A-rig is a poor choice of baits for those fish ive watched them throw and throw and throw for nothing and then a guy go behind them a few minutes later with a football head jig loading up on fish. Where the shad are in the coves and big arms they will get a few to bite the A-rig but the lure of choice is a 3.5 inch jerk bait or 1/2 rattle trap.

I said from day one the A-rig has its uses and its times it will be the deadly lure/rig/bait to use but that time is over. I would spend my money on jigs and rattle traps if i was targeting bass. I still keep the A-rig handy for stripers on the surface as I can cast it a country mile, i also keep a pencil popper tied on to an 8ft rod as well. Both the popper and A-rig right now for me are only for full on surface attacks by schooled fish and only because how far i can cast them as i do not like matter fact hate rushing a boat into surface schools.

Now the single surface feeding fish I throw a bucktail with a curly tail at that fish most times if its a striper, if its a bass the Pop R is my bait of choice.