The Alabama Rig Controversy
Posted: Thursday, January 26, 2012
by steven vonbrandt
The Bass College
There has already been a lot written about the latest craze to hit the bass fishing world called "The Alabama Rig".
So far, this technique has accounted for numerous wins on the FLW tour and many local events all across the country.
In some states the rig is not legal fully rigged with all 5 baits, and in many it is. The use of this in a tournament situation has caused some controversy to say the least. Anglers from across the nation at all levels are divided on whether it should be allowed in tournaments or at all.
Several calm and rational statements concerning this rig have come from well known names in bass fishing such as Rick Clunn and Jay Yelas just to name a few.
Others, such as Dave Lefebre and other Elite series anglers have come out against it. Whatever reasons they have for trying to get it banned are not valid in my opinion or many others opinions.
This is just another technique or tool that can used in certain situations at certain times and it is not magic. The limits are the same, the rules are the same, there is nothing about it that hurts the fisheries so far in any studies.
People have tried to ban electronics, Power Poles, Chatterbaits, and all kinds of new products before and they rpoved to be not only useful but are considered necessary tools today in all tournaments.
This rig has created all kinds of needed excitement in bass fishing and to try to shut down the excitement and the small business owners at a time when we all could use a little boost is in my mind the wrong thing to do!
The Bass College, a major force in the bass fishing industry agrees with the FLW's position on this and fully supports the use of the Alabama Rig and supports Jay Yelas and Rick clunn in their statements concerning it.
Here is what the FLW, Rick Clunn, and Jay Yelas have to say about it.
FLW 20.Jan.2012 by Kathy Fennel-- FLW
The Alabama Rig has taken the bass-fishing world by storm. Every discussion about its use seems to generate an emotional response unlike anything I’ve seen in my more than 30 years in the sport.
For every passionate plea that it be banned from tournaments, there is an equally passionate plea that it be allowed. No matter which side of the debate you are on, one thing is undeniable:
The Alabama Rig has generated a level of excitement and interest in bass fishing unlike anything that has come before. Since their inception, tournaments have been the spawning ground for lure, equipment and technique innovations that help recreational anglers catch more and bigger fish.
It’s the reason fans tune in to our television shows, visit our websites, read our magazines and attend our events. There are millions of bass anglers out there with an insatiable appetite for cutting-edge information that will make them better at their sport. To argue that the Alabama Rig and other castable umbrella rigs be banned from tournaments is to believe that we’ve finally reached the end of innovation; that the great equalizer has been found; that the only thing separating novice anglers from the world’s top professionals is a weighted head with five wire leaders and swimbaits. There is nothing more to learn.
"We believe professional anglers deserve more credit than that. We believe their skill and intuition will not be undercut by a baitfish-imitating technique that helps less experienced anglers catch fish when otherwise they might not. Will it force some pros to elevate their game and adapt? Of course it will. Just like GPS, side-imaging sonar, sight-fishing, shallow-water anchors and countless lure, line and rod innovations have done over the years .
Buzzbaits and ChatterBaits were once considered radical, as were flipping and sight-fishing. But they are all simply tools of the trade now. The same will hold true for Alabama Rigs. It’s not the end of fishing as we know it. Anglers are still held to a daily five-fish limit. Tournaments are still catch-and-release.
Our conservation ethic has not changed. We’ve taken the additional step of contacting wildlife officials in each state hosting an event in every FLW circuit to urge them to study the effects of castable umbrella rigs on live release rates. If conservation issues are discovered, we will reevaluate our rules accordingly.
For now, we are leaving that in the capable hands of the experts within each state, and castable umbrella rigs will be permitted in our 2012 tournaments. Sincerely, Kathy Fennel President, Operations Division FLW Outdoors"
24.Jan.2012 by Jay Yelas
The Alabama Rig is all the rage now in the sport of professional bass fishing. In my 23 years as a pro, I have never seen a new bait create such excitement – or catch as many bass. I believe the reason it has been so successful this past fall and winter is the fact that it is something new the bass haven’t seen before. I operate under the assumption that in heavily-fished public lakes, every bass has been caught before, at least once. However, every time it has been caught, it has always been on one lure.
Whether it was caught on a spinnerbait, worm, jig, topwater or whatever, it was just one lure. A bass has never been stung by a hook when chasing into a school of baitfish. Basically what I am saying is that bass have learned to count to one. The Alabama Rig is just a new, innovative way to fool a bass once again. I look forward to seeing what other new bait innovations may come along now that this “multi-bait” idea is out of the box. I fish my Alabama Rig with Berkley Hollow Belly swimbaits, but maybe someone will create a way to fish five crankbaits, jigs or worms at one time. Who knows?
I know there is more than a little controversy about the Alabama Rig, but I think it is the best thing that has happened to our sport in a long time. The reason is simple: we all catch way more bass than we used to. And it’s fun – something new to make a day on the lake more enjoyable. If those are the reasons you go fishing, to have fun and catch fish, then the Alabama Rig is for you. I understand why some pros want it banned. They don’t go fishing to have fun; they fish to make money. They are masters of the bass fishing world as we have known it: the single-lure world. The Alabama Rig is a game changer, and when you've got the bass world by the tail you don't want things to change.
However, you can’t stop innovation. It is the trademark of free capitalist markets. Free markets breed innovation that breed a better life. Innovation has made America what it is today. Beginning with the Industrial Revolution and continuing through today's Technological Revolution, innovation is what has made America a world leader. I don't suppose any Alabama Rig opponents want to trade in their iPhone for their old cell phone, or go back to land lines? The same should be true when it comes to fishing lures. Innovation simply makes life better!
There remains no reason to not embrace new fishing-lure innovations; they have always been a part of our sport. The exception, of course, is if they were in some way harmful to our fisheries. However, there is no scientific evidence that the Alabama Rig is harmful to fish. Most biologists consider soft plastic worms more harmful because bass swallow them. Alabama Rigs don’t gill-hook fish either, the way crankbaits sometimes do.
The bass fishing world has been hit by the greatest lure innovation in our lifetime. I can't wait for this new FLW Tour season. I'm hooking Berkley Hollow Bellys on my Alabama Rig and I can't wait to see what more I can learn about fishing in 2012.
RICK CLUNN ON THE ALABAMA RIG
“The newest technique, the umbrella/Ala. rig, certainly has created a lot of conversation both ways. It reminds me of the hysteria when the first graph recorders appeared. The premature hysteria was trying to ban it at all levels. Minnesota said it would clean their many lakes of fish. Jet boats and bed fishing created similar premature responses. One tournament organization banned aluminum jet boats because it might hurt the sale of their $60,000 dollar rigs.
“All new techniques deserve constructive criticism from a scientific viewpoint, not a hysterical one. I admit I was not initially in favor of bed fishing because I was not very good at it and I leaned on the premature assumption that if everyone started doing it, it would hurt the resource. To this date that has not proved to be a valid concern.
“Legally, most of the laws were made (eons) ago to restrict intentional snaggin’ of other species like salmon. Will trotlines be banned next?
“The only current reality I see is that it has created tremendous interest in fishing at a time of year that there is little. People are going fishing at a time that they would normally be staying at home. It has created a tremendous demand for the Industry to create more and newer product.
“All the real things that are happening I see as positives. Ethically we need to wait and watch and not jump to conclusions. There are no magical lures if you do not know where to fish them. If someone starts catching limits out of their toilets I will then be worried. When people catch more fish, people fish more. Isn’t that what we should all be promoting?
“Until we have sufficient data to rule otherwise … enjoy!!!!”
RICK CLUNN
Jay and I have been friends for a while He used to be on my radio show every week for years and I talked to him on the phone and ate dinner with him at the Classic in Pittsburg among other things. This attitude is just one of the things I like about Jay. Thank God some people have some common sense is all I have to say.
Steve Owner/CEO The Bass College
http://thebasscollege.com
This Article has been viewed 864 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.