Interesting...

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_123/alabama-rig-banned.html

It's almost unbelievable that the Alabama Rig has caused such a ruckus in the bass fishing world.

WOW....interesting indeed...i think the last paragraph sums it up though

kind of unfortunate that all of those other rigs (ie: double fluke, drop shot with shakey head) got the axe also. i guess they do fit into the same field as the a-rig though. i still think the ban is silly

Glen, I apologize as I posted the same topic in the Fishing Tackle section before I noted your post.

Your post is better than my post.

Great article on their reasoning to eliminate the presentation.

Thanks a million for sharing it with us.

figured just matter of time...

The potential exists to have a single fish hooked on an a-rig become tangled up and foul hooked with the other hooks on the rig. This could really be a problem. Had BASS stated this as a reason for banning the rig, I could easily agree.

Their stated reason is nothing more than a steaming pile of what drops out of the south end of a north-bound bull.

I'll repeat what I've said before. Umbrella rigs, or any variations thereof, are not sportfishing rigs. They are for meatfishing, period.

Having said that, were I a tournament fisherman, trying to make a living at it, and the rig was legal, I'd use it, like I do all the other gizmos that increase my advantage over my quarry.

Having caught as many as seven stripers on a single umbrella rig that averaged around 12 pounds each, I can tell you from experience that bringing them to the boat was far from the thrill of landing a single nice fish on a single hook/lure. They were in effect fighting each other more than pulling away from me.

The best way I can describe it would be like retrieving a humongous jitterbait with a winch. The pole throbbed and vibrated, but the multitude of bass were easily brought to the boat.

I believe an article was posted here about the fisherman who caught his five fish limit of smallmouth on a single cast, and he said much the same thing about reeling them in.

Were I commercially fishing for stripers, I'd use the umbrella rig. Fishing for fun, it would not get wet.

I am not really surprised by this as a matter of fact I was surprised it was legal.

Aaron Maertens called it. I saw a video where he said he bought a couple, but didn't plan on using them because they would be banned by next season. Several posters here did too, I just never saw you guys in a youtube video

IMO, i'm glad.

Along the same line, I love to duck hunt. Many years ago they started marketing the spinning wing decoy (mojo type) It was amazing. Ducks came out of no where, now every tom, dick or harry could get ducks without a lot of skill i.e. duckcalling, decoy placement, etc. Some states outlawed them, but if your state allowed them you were pretty much forced to use them. As when they first came out a novice with a spinner could usually get more birds then an accomplished seasoned hunter who did not use a spinner. Pretty much reck the sport for me, for a number of reasons. So I can certainly see the wisdom in banning certain types of rigs from high end B.A.S.S. events.

First no jigger pole now this. Sheesh.

I miss my jigger pole more than the Alabama rig though.

I wish they would've given it one season to see what happened before they pulled the plug.

Well It is simply a way to kill as many fish as fast as possible. If you are after MEAT. Every body should agree it catches more fish in a 8 hour period. No real abilities needed. Not a lot different than netting to pick out the biggest ones . Increasing your odds by at least 4 to 1 sounds very professional. The GOAL of a contest is to win by anything ....NOT BANNED.....in the rule book.

I agree for PROFESSIONAL TOURNAMENT fishermen. You are supposed to be FAR FAR better at catching ANY FISH with a ROD, REEL, LINE & a HOOK / LURE.

Barbless would not be to bad either. Considering the speeds a fish is brought in on + 40# line.

Could all the boats go to catch.. weigh... measure... & release. The sponsors will not pull out. That will stop the stripping of all breeders from their prime food spots....under all structures...& dumping them anywhere it is Quickest for the angler to get out of the water.

I watch a pro bass tournament guy fish the same docks I did. He caught 5 X the fish I did. I waved him in to let him make a living that day.

I sure wish he could have left those fish there.

The day after a big tournament. There are NO bigger fish in my area to catch.for several days to weeks.

Well It is simply a way to kill as many fish as fast as possible. If you are after MEAT. Every body should agree it catches more fish in a 8 hour period. No real abilities needed. Not a lot different than netting to pick out the biggest ones . Increasing your odds by at least 4 to 1 sounds very professional. The GOAL of a contest is to win by anything ....NOT BANNED.....in the rule book.

I agree for PROFESSIONAL TOURNAMENT fishermen. You are supposed to be FAR FAR better at catching ANY FISH with a ROD, REEL, LINE & a HOOK / LURE.

Barbless would not be to bad either. Considering the speeds a fish is brought in on + 40# line.

Could all the boats go to catch.. weigh... measure... & release. The sponsors will not pull out. That will stop the stripping of all breeders from their prime food spots....under all structures...& dumping them anywhere it is Quickest for the angler to get out of the water.

I watch a pro bass tournament guy fish the same docks I did. He caught 5 X the fish I did. I waved him in to let him make a living that day.

I sure wish he could have left those fish there.

The day after a big tournament. There are NO bigger fish in my area to catch.for several days to weeks.

I agree it does lower the catch precentage after a big tournament, on some bodies of water. I recommend going to a different area, I know I know its a hassle and we all love to fish our spots. Still its better to fish another area than to catch them lil uns all day. Honestly though I tend to not run into that problem much, It's part of my secret to winning those tournaments. I fish where the others won't.

And yes I also try to put my fish back where they came from.

I have seen that all black thing yo call a bass boat. Is has 2 warp drive engines. No wonder you take the time.

I have seen that all black thing yo call a bass boat. Is has 2 warp drive engines. No wonder you take the time.

Heh, I wish. I'm having to use my partners boat. Hopefully I will be getting my first boat in a couple of weeks. I'll go into more detail about that later on though. It's an older used center console with a 40hp mercury on it. Again more details will come later.

The old man that's my fishing partner has made it abundantly clear to me to put them back where we got them. His boat his rules. He's taught me more about bassing and what not than anyone else. Honestly though it really does make since to put em back where ya gotten. The way it was put to me was, "howd u like it if I ripped you outta your home and booted you out of the car ten or twenty miles from home?" Whether or not the fish feel that way I dunno but like I said an extra 10 to 40 minutes ain't all that bad. It's kinda peaceful in a way.

Figured it was only a matter of time...

At least it isn't banded for the season,just the Classic.

Side imaging/down imaging is unfair for the fish. Scents are unfair to the fish. Rattles are unfair to the fish. Live bait is unfair to the fish. Boats are unfair to the fish. Awww hell. Let's just ban fishing all together. I mean, it's certainly not fair for a bass to be tricked into eating a pretend fish, is it? I stated in another thread "Maybe we should catch the fish with our bare hands or our teeth as that would be the only REAL way to show off a fishermans skill." No?

No disrespect Raider, but what does it matter if you release a fish immediatly or at the end of the day 5 miles from where it was caught(spawn not included) Fish will seek food and cover. They have an instinct to survive. They're not going to just hang out where they are released and die if no one comes around and feeds them. As many of us know a "good spot" is a good spot. Good spots replenish themselves.

AND all the fish are being released during these tourneys. Everybodys freaking out. Why? The fish are still going back in the water.

It's just another tool. Can't wait for open water!

One man, (or woman) one pole, one reel and one lure...that's the way it should be.

I like cyclops2 post.

Side imaging/down imaging is unfair for the fish. Scents are unfair to the fish. Rattles are unfair to the fish. Live bait is unfair to the fish. Boats are unfair to the fish. Awww hell. Let's just ban fishing all together. I mean, it's certainly not fair for a bass to be tricked into eating a pretend fish, is it? I stated in another thread "Maybe we should catch the fish with our bare hands or our teeth as that would be the only REAL way to show off a fishermans skill." No?

No disrespect Raider, but what does it matter if you release a fish immediatly or at the end of the day 5 miles from where it was caught(spawn not included) Fish will seek food and cover. They have an instinct to survive. They're not going to just hang out where they are released and die if no one comes around and feeds them. As many of us know a "good spot" is a good spot. Good spots replenish themselves.

AND all the fish are being released during these tourneys. Everybodys freaking out. Why? The fish are still going back in the water.

It's just another tool. Can't wait for open water!

I dunno if it matters or not. Just sharing what I was taught.

The other reason I release them like that, is because it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Kind of like a rabbit fart.

One of the most absurd things I see guys say is that this was to keep the status quo of KVD on top.

Well, hate to break it to those guys but he would still school everyone on the A-rig.

The guys that would struggle with it are the shallow guys. Hackney, Bruaer, and a few others. But Vandam already fishes schooling bass offshore.

To me their reasoning for banning it makes PERFECT sense.