Steve Merlo: Like it not, 'A-Rig' is effective fishing lure
| Thursday, Jan 05 2012 05:32 PM
Last Updated Thursday, Jan 05 2012 06:50 PM
When well-known pro-bass tournament fisherman Paul Elias weighed in over 100 pounds of largemouth for his four-day total of 20 fish in a recent tourney, the bass fishing world went nuts over the "new" lure he used to weigh in his almost unheard of 5-pound average.
Called the "Alabama Rig" for its so-called birth in that state, the bait instantly became the darling of the fishing world. So effective was the new attractor that fishermen coast-to-coast literally went bonkers over the new invention and thousands clamored to get their hands on one, myself included.
In fact, the calling became so great that manufacturers could not keep up, and back orders of over 2 months became the rule along with the laws of supply and demand. Prices for the lure shot to over $25 each when fishermen gladly paid the steep price just to get one.
So what does this astounding fish catcher even look like and where on earth did it originate?
The lure, if you want to use the singular, usually consists of five or more artificial plastic swimming baits attached to individual stainless steel wires that umbrella out from a main source, where it is then attached to the line. Actually, the bait looks like something out of a sci-fi fishing film and the only similarity between it and time-proven baits are the attached lures themselves.
When the rig is cast and retrieved, the whole get up appears to be a school of baitfish escaping from a predator, and one cannot believe how realistic the lure(s) appear in the water. The bait is so effective that fishermen continually rave about catching multiple fish on a single cast. One tourney fisherman back east, for instance, made one cast and won the big-money event--weighing an incredible five-fish limit of smallmouth that sagged scales to over 19 pounds. That's right -- 19 pounds and a tournament win in only one cast!
The A-Rig, as it is affectionately known, did not begin its storied life in fresh water and has been around for years as a salt-water staple. East coast fishermen have used a larger, wider version of the multiple bait attractors to catch thousands of striped bass, bluefish and other game species. When fresh water fishermen began trolling the rig in freshwater lakes to attract striped bass, they quickly discovered that if they pulled the A-Rig across a point or other structure, huge largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass also bit it with regularity.
When the bait eventually down-sized to where it could be cast rather than trolled, the magical lure took off, but right away, war broke out between its promoters and detractors. Some anglers argued that the lure worked too well and should be outlawed, claiming the A-Rig would soon deplete fishing waters of all susceptible gamefish. Others hailed the artificial as a boon to the sport of fishing, much like the plastic worm did back in the early 1950s.
My own feeling regarding the super-fish catcher is mixed. Yes, I own two of the coveted baits and I intend to use them when I see fit as a fun way to catch more fish. But on the other hand, I feel the bait should be outlawed in bass tournaments simply because it detracts from the basics of the sport, i.e. using one's brains and fishing prowess to ferret out a basic limit of bass.
But, I also feel the same way about using large, trout-imitating swimbaits to catch limnatic largemouth bass -- the huge Florida strain bass that seldom, if ever, relate to underwater structures -- for the same reasons. Some anglers typically put the trolling motor down and begin casting their huge baits until a huge lunker bites the outlandish, heavy offering.
No brains or much prowess needed here. Anyone fishing the mega-baits can accidentally catch a single large fish and win, beating out other anglers that have caught 30 or 40 keeper fish but end up a half-pound shy of those with the lunker. Using either the swimbaits or the A-Rig, to me, takes away the spirit of tournament bass fishing to see just who the best fishermen are.
By the way, California law only allows three hooks per line. While other states allow fishermen to use as many hooks as they want, the A-Rig needs to be modified here in ours. Simply cutting off the fourth and fifth hook seems to be the easy way to keep it legal.
Will I continue to use the A-Rig? The lure is so effective, as I've said before, that to remain competitive I will have to keep casting the A-Rig along with the rest of the crowd. I may not like the new addition to tourney fishing, but I'm sure as heck not going to get beat by not throwing it.
These are Steve Merlo's opinions, and not necessarily The
Californian's. His column appears every Friday. Write him at
