THE BASS COLLEGE

I guess this will be the talk around town now. Should it be banned from Tournaments or not ? Seeing it all over the INTERNET now. Has anyone ever thrown it before ? I can see how it would work with Schooling Bass. Think people will be talking about this all winter !

i do not think it should be banned at all, its just another idea somehad thought up and then had the confidence to use in a tournamet, its not different then the double fluke rig, i think its probably the best fall bait possible if you know fish are school, i think it has its place just like everything else, it would shine in stained water, but it would not fair so well in clear water seeing as the umbrella rig would easily be seen

It does not work everywhere or all the time and if it is not thrown properly in the the exact right spots it has no effect whatsoever. It should not be banned since it doesn't even work everywhere or all the time. It would be like banning a swimbait.

I agree totally with steve, it shouldnt be banned because for one thing everyone has access to it. Another is just like steve said, its not a "magic" bait it only works in certain situations. My friend and I have thrown it some and it catches fish but it is by no means a bait you can throw all the time and expect to catch fish or cut a check at a tourney. For instance, when its summer time on Veggie based lakes and those fish are in the thick junk, good luck cashing a check with that thing when everyone else punches mats and catches 25lb a day. That being said this thing does have a place in my tackle box and i will not hesitate to throw it if i think conditions are right. Banning this rig would be a bad move in my opinion

the saltwater guys here in nj have been using them for at least 30yrs that i lnow of. they call it an unbrella rig they catch blues and stripers with it. this is probaly where it comes from.

and no it shouldnt be illegal if the double rig isnt. way to go paul. old dog showing them young guys some new tricks

Well here in Ohio I believe you are only allowed to have 3 hooks. So I guess you can use the mini rig. Funny thing is that I seen this bait last year maybe and most people just laughed at it. But then again most baits are that way until someone wins with it. I would not want to throw that here due to the fact if I catch 5 on one cast their would not be any more bass in the lake.lol

I agree with all of  you. I've used the double fluke many times. I also saw this idea many years ago when I was Salmon fishing on the Great Lakes.

ive never tried it in frsh water, but like tom said it works great in salt. i dont see why it wouldnt work in fresh water too. given the conditions are right.

Pro winner Paul Elias holds up part of his 23-pound stringer from day four on Lake Guntersville. (Photo by Brett Carlson)

Elias wins Walmart FLW Tour Open on Lake Guntersville wire-to-wire 23.Oct.2011 by Brett Carlson

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. – As a noted structure fisherman, Paul Elias has always had a special connection with Lake Guntersville. But this week he discovered a new technique to ignite its plentiful, yet largely dormant population of largemouth bass. And in doing so, he completely dominated the final Walmart FLW Tour event of the season in wire-to-wire fashion.

After three days of practice, most pros felt like this would be one of the toughest Guntersville tournaments ever. Winning weight predictions hovered anywhere from 50 pounds on the low end to 70 pounds on the high end. Thanks entirely to the Alabama rig, that all changed. When a new presentation dominates in such a fashion it causes the entire bass fishing community to respond. In short, the demand for the Alabama rig is sky high, mostly due to Elias. For those new to the mayhem, the Alabama rig consists of a hard-bait body that trails five wires that have a swivel attached to the end of each wire. Elias started the tournament tipping his rig with Mann’s HardNose Swimshads but ran out and had to use several swimbaits.

With heavier 3/4-ounce jigheads, he’d use 6 1/2-inch swimbaits and with 3/8-ounce jigheads he’d use 5-inch swimbaits.

The chandelier-looking concoction was heaved on a 7-foot, 11-inch Pinnacle flipping rod, a Pinnacle reel and 65-pound-test Spiderwire Ultracast FluoroBraid line. The idea behind the presentation, which mirrors a smaller version of the saltwater umbrella rig, is to mimic a school of shad. In the fall, that’s precisely what the Guntersville giants prey on. “The majority of the fish in this lake are suspended right now and that’s why everybody was struggling early on,” Elias explained. “I’ve been an offshore fisherman my whole career and I’ve always struggled when they suspend too. But this new rig is just incredible.” The Laurel, Miss., pro said that most of his schools were positioned 5 to 10 feet off the bottom. “They absolutely would not bite it on the bottom.

The whole key to this tournament was knowing how to count it down to keep it in the zone.” While Elias was the most effective angler, his win wasn’t just about the A-rig. He also found two giant schools of bass, located around causeways and bridges (Spring Creek Bridge). While he caught some fish near the pilings the key areas were ridges and quick-dropping points around current that was causing the fish to stage to ambush shad. Elias positioned his boat in 25 to 40 feet of water and was catching fish in 20 to 30 feet. On the final day, Elias calmly put the finishing touches on an unforgettable week – catching his fourth consecutive stringer over 20 pounds – this one going 23 pounds even. With a total weight of 102 pounds, 8 ounces, his margin of victory was a staggering 17 pounds.

He missed the four-day cumulative FLW Tour weight record by just 4 pounds. Consider that record was set during the spawn on Lake Okeechobee, while this event was held during perhaps the toughest time of the year. “It was crazy. I would throw everything a bass pro would normally throw at these fish and I wouldn’t get a bite. Then I’d throw that Alabama rig and I’d catch one immediately. Those fish were there the entire time and that rig absolutely transformed this fishery.” For his second FLW Tour win, the 60-year-old Elias earned $100,000. But more importantly, he got his long-coveted Guntersville victory. “This is one awesome lake. I’ve had some great Octobers on this lake and I had been wanting a win on it for a very long time.” Behrle solidifies second If not for Elias, the talk of the tournament would be Hoover, Ala., pro Bob Behrle, who was also one of the first to discover the A-rig.

After a rough start to his rookie season fishing the FLW Tour Opens, Behrle considered dropping out of the Guntersville event. But he kept the faith and the rest is history. While Elias had several offshore spots and was whacking fish non-stop, Behrle averaged only eight keeper bites each of the first two days. He also only had one offshore spot – a flat off a ledge located within sight of the takeoff location at Lake Guntersville Resort State Park. The flat rose from 25 feet of water to 15 and the sweet spot was a series of stumps on a hump. While he caught 18 fish there Saturday, he essentially depleted it. “That spot replenished every day but today,” Behrle said. “I only caught one 4-pounder off it.” Thankfully, he had a backup grass-line spot near his offshore honeyhole. “That’s what saved me today. I caught most of my fish in 8 or 9 feet of water.” Behrle’s day-four stringer weighed 20 pounds, 6 ounces, brining his combined weight to 85 pounds, 5 ounces. He used 3 1/2-inch Storm grubs with 1/4-ounce weights on his Alabama rig, which he tipped with small blades – similar to a Fish Head Spin. While others varied retrieve speeds, Behrle ever-so-slowly wound it in.

The 51-year-old earned $34,021 for his first FLW Tour top-10 finish. “I finished second to a legend. I had a great week with no regrets.” Lane up to third Although Russell Lane roomed with Elias, the pro winner didn’t clue him in on the Alabama rig phenomenon until after the second day. Once he got the memo, the Prattville, Ala., pro proved to be a quick study. The last two days Lane caught limits worth 19-15 and 24-5 to finish with a cumulative weight of 74 pounds, 4 ounces. “Early in the week I was flipping a Big Bite Yo Daddy and I was cranking a Spro Big Daddy,” Lane said. Once he was on to the A-rig, Lane used 3/8-ounce Buckeye jigheads and Cane Thumpers. Like many others he eventually ran out of his original baits and tried other swimbaits with equal success. “I had three good places, but my best spot today was in 25 feet of water. I’d roll the rig about 10 feet down and they would come up and get it. It’s one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen. There’s going to be a lot of tournaments won on this thing.” Lane mainly fished South Sauty Creek. For third place, he earned $29,154. Gagliardi rallies to fourth Anthony Gagliardi caught a 24-pound, 9-ounce stringer Sunday to finish the tournament fourth with a total weight of 74 pounds, 1 ounce. Gagliardi too was using the A-rig and claims he was the first FLW Tour pro to purchase one. “I bought some at the Chevy Pro Night before the Pickwick event,” Gagliardi said. “I threw it some at that tournament so I knew they’d bite it, but I didn’t realize the potential.” Largely due to the reports of a tough practice, Gagliardi thought he was in good shape with 13 or 14 pounds the first day fishing grass edges. “Looking back, I could’ve really improved my weight. I’m kicking myself for not fishing some stuff harder.

But I also got more and more tuned into that rig as the week went on.” Gagliardi fished Preston Creek and Mill Creek. On the final day, he wanted to stay in one area and probe it thoroughly – that turned out to be Mill Creek. It was a wise decision as he caught his three biggest fish after 1:30 in the afternoon. “If could find some shad in the backs of pockets and get it in front of them, they would bite it every time.” The Prosperity, S.C., native said he employed two different setups – a heavier one with big swimbaits and a lighter one with smaller swimbaits.

He used mostly Buckeye jigheads and either Keitech Swing Impact swimbaits or Jack’s swimbaits. The Chevy pro earned $24,288. Thrift fifth Bryan Thrift started the final FLW Tour event of the year by cranking shallow grass with a Damiki DC 100. He had moderate success with it the first three days – making the cut but never threatening for the top of the leaderboard. That all changed midway through the third day. “I caught a 14- or 15-pound limit on day three cranking and then I picked up that Alabama rig and culled everything with it,” he said. “There’s no doubt that bait catches fish that no other bait can catch.” From there, it all clicked as the 2010 Angler of the Year worked the A-rig in the backs of creeks. His specific rig consisted of two 5-inch swimbaits and three 4-inch swimbaits – all of the Strike King Shadalicious variety. Thrift presented the rig in anywhere from 8 to 15 feet as he focused on following bait.

He spent most of his time in the Town Creek area of the lake. After making the switch, he upgraded his day-three catch to 18 pounds, 6 ounces and caught 22-8 on the final day. “I know I caught 20 4-pounders today; it was absolutely ridiculous. If I didn’t have to go Texas I’d stay here for a few more days and just whack on them.” The Shelby, N.C., pro finished with a combined weight of 73 pounds, 7 ounces, and earned $19,421.

Rest of the best Rounding out the top 10 pro finishers at the FLW Tour event on Lake Guntersville: 6th: Troy Morrow of Eastanollee, Ga., 70-6, $16,501

7th: Jay Yelas of Corvallis, Ore., 69-2, $15,528

8th: Jacob Powroznik of Prince George, Va., 68-1, $14,554

9th: Luke Clausen of Spokane, Wash., 63-8, $13,581

10th: Alex Davis of Albertville, Ala., 62-10, $12,608

sisezz73 at October 24, 2011 at 4:03 PM

Well here in Ohio I believe you are only allowed to have 3 hooks. So I guess you can use the mini rig. Funny thing is that I seen this bait last year maybe and most people just laughed at it. But then again most baits are that way until someone wins with it. I would not want to throw that here due to the fact if I catch 5 on one cast their would not be any more bass in the lake.lol

Some states have the stupidest rules I have ever heard of. If it was a rule for live bait i might agree, but on artificials?? Idiots!!

Guess what else Paul used to win that he says was a MAJOR part of it?? The HYDROWAVE!! 

People crack me up with the comments they make all over on this! lol They are SO JEALOUS that it is a joke. LOL 

If you really want to know what should be banned, it is this rig for recreational angling only! LOL NOT TOURNAMENTS!! 

The reason all our laws were set up was to protect the bass from predators like grubby fish keeping, poaching idiots who keep bass to eat and keep more than their limit, etc not tournament anglers!

They should ban it!! From REGULAR ANGLERS! That's the danger, not Catch and Release tournament anglers. lol 

All the stupid laws about the number of hooks allowed on a line etc, come from fish keeping poaching morons and not tournaments. 

So here's an excerpt right out of the 2011 Minnesota Fishing Regulation book:

Anglers may use only one hook. An artificial lure is considered one hook.

A treble hook, when not part of an artificial lure, is considered three hooks

and is not legal. The exception is that three artificial flies may be used

when angling for trout, crappie, sunfish, and rock bass.

So,  would the Alabama Rig be considered an artificial lure, or would the baits at the end of the rig be considered the lures? Confusing, right??

It would be considered Terminal Tackle and the baits themselves are the lures. They dont come with it so it's legal.

I need to call the State and find out if it's legal in this State. I've been talking to a lot of people and NO one seems to know.

If ya got them just go out and give them a try...I am sure they would understand... lol