Crankbait bite: pond to the east

[Bill Babler]

I personally have caught bigger fish on a float-n-fly, jig and jerkbait than I have an A-rig.  Not nearly the number of fish per day that I catch on the Rig.  I am not opposed to it as some of you are.   It is a fish catcher and it is legal, I just don't have a problem with it.  If I can catch fish any other way, I'll do it.  Mostly because I don't want to work that hard.  Here is another deal on the A-rig,  Just chunking and winding it is not going to get you true success with that bait.  Ask the guy that won the tournament with it this weekend.  It is just like ever other piece of equipment that you use.  There are good, better and best ways to fish and use it.  You also like any other bait have to throw it where they are, you throw it where they are not, they will not just mysteriously be there.

I can remember when the Carolina rig came out and there was a huge stir on this deal.  That was a time when I was doing sports show.  I heard Larry Nixon tell Bill Dance it should be outlawed as it was a terrible fish killer as they most always swallowed it.  Jimmy Houston was part of the conservation and commented that, "The Carolina Rig was for people that could not fish and that there has never been a bait that made more Hero's out of Zero's than the Carolina Rig."

I can remember that there was talk about not allowing it also.  Main reason was that you strolled with it and if you really wanted to win you let them swallow it.  Plain and simple.   Two of the most iconic fishermen on Table Rock, in the hay day of the C-rig came in every tournament with Fish Dr's sticking out of the gullet of every fish in their live wells.

Don't quote me  on this as I don't know, but I bet when Jim Dopp won the BASS event here and that was pretty close to when we started fishing the C rig that a large percentage of his fish were gut hooked.  I was personally so happy when Dave introduced us to the Ned.  Like everyone else I was using the tube and the C-Rig.  Don't know what it is, probably the feel, but we hardly ever hook a fish deep on a Ned.  Of course on the Crig using that loose leader you cannot feel the bite as quickly, and they just pound that slick tube right to the back of their throats

Fly fisherman have used this type of bait for years using multiple flys and dropper rigs, yet unless your a purest using only a dry fly its ok.

Good Job with the Cranker Hammer, continued success

[dtrs5kprs]

Well put. Just another way to fish. 

[Royal Blue]

Headed out to K-Dock on Wednesday morning.  I'll have both a rock crawler and an A-rig tied on.  I also just got my new set up for throwing big swimbaits, so I plan on dragging a shad colored Huddleston 68 a little bit too.

[Hammer time]

2 hours ago, Bill Babler said:

I personally have caught bigger fish on a float-n-fly, jig and jerkbait than I have an A-rig.  Not nearly the number of fish per day that I catch on the Rig.  I am not opposed to it as some of you are.   It is a fish catcher and it is legal, I just don't have a problem with it.  If I can catch fish any other way, I'll do it.  Mostly because I don't want to work that hard.  Here is another deal on the A-rig,  Just chunking and winding it is not going to get you true success with that bait.  Ask the guy that won the tournament with it this weekend.  It is just like ever other piece of equipment that you use.  There are good, better and best ways to fish and use it.  You also like any other bait have to throw it where they are, you throw it where they are not, they will not just mysteriously be there.

I can remember when the Carolina rig came out and there was a huge stir on this deal.  That was a time when I was doing sports show.  I heard Larry Nixon tell Bill Dance it should be outlawed as it was a terrible fish killer as they most always swallowed it.  Jimmy Houston was part of the conservation and commented that, "The Carolina Rig was for people that could not fish and that there has never been a bait that made more Hero's out of Zero's than the Carolina Rig."

I can remember that there was talk about not allowing it also.  Main reason was that you strolled with it and if you really wanted to win you let them swallow it.  Plain and simple.   Two of the most iconic fishermen on Table Rock, in the hay day of the C-rig came in every tournament with Fish Dr's sticking out of the gullet of every fish in their live wells.

Don't quote me  on this as I don't know, but I bet when Jim Dopp won the BASS event here and that was pretty close to when we started fishing the C rig that a large percentage of his fish were gut hooked.  I was personally so happy when Dave introduced us to the Ned.  Like everyone else I was using the tube and the C-Rig.  Don't know what it is, probably the feel, but we hardly ever hook a fish deep on a Ned.  Of course on the Crig using that loose leader you cannot feel the bite as quickly, and they just pound that slick tube right to the back of their throats

Fly fisherman have used this type of bait for years using multiple flys and dropper rigs, yet unless your a purest using only a dry fly its ok.

Good Job with the Cranker Hammer, continued success

The A-rig is not allowed in both FLW and BASS and most tournament curcits, including Ozarkanglers.com 

 

[Sprint21fter]

The winner of the Derby gave some really good information on what he was looking for and what structure he caught off of.  You have to be patient with the style of fishing.  I would describe what he was doing would compare it deep swimming a grub over drops in deep water.

[cheesemaster]

1 hour ago, Hammer time said:

The A-rig is not allowed in both FLW and BASS and most tournament curcits, including Ozarkanglers.com 

 

Saw this at Home Depot and thought of you Hammer....

[Sprint21fter]

The winner of the Derby gave some really good information on what he was looking for and what structure he caught off of.  You have to be patient with the style of fishing.  I would describe what he was doing would compare it deep swimming a grub over drops in deep water.

[Champ188]

I do believe the A-rig results in more big fish being caught by inexperienced or unconcerned anglers not responsible enough to release them and have a replica mount made.

Beyond that, my dislike for it is purely selfish ... you almost have to throw it if you want to win a winter/early spring derby and it's hard on old shoulders, elbows and wrists.

[aarchdale@coresleep.com]

Maybe the Ned should be outlawed to since it is a fish catching machine.  Ive thrown the a rig plenty but it isnt as simple as just throwing it out, ive never caught a real big ones on it. I dont like throwing it but i dont think it is hurting the bass pop at all.   I hate that tournament trails are banning it, perfectly legal way to fish.  All us fisherman are always looking for that perfect bait. Why ban the :"perfect bait" when it come along.   And most tournaments that arent "pro" allow it.  

[Quillback]

I remember when the A-rig craze hit the Ozarks, I believe that was about 6-7 years ago.  That first year it was stupid easy to get fish on it, I personally saw a couple of six+ lbers caught on it, and some pretty good best 5 fish bags.  And there wasn't much science to it, toss it around some deep trees and you'd catch bass.  It caught some big walleye too, according to one of the retirees I talk to that lives over at Eagle Rock.  Nowadays from what I hear, you gotta work that A-rig to catch fish, the easy days are over.

Personally, I don't fish it, just not something I like to fish, but I am not mad at anyone who does.

I got a kick out of Bill's statement that:  "You also like any other bait have to throw it where they are, you throw it where they are not, they will not just mysteriously be there. "