BASS outlaws A Rig

[grab the net]

Just read that the A rig is not allowed in Classic or any other Elite series T. Apparently the rules committee made up of Elite anglers voted to ban its use. Agree or Disagree ?

[Jmeyers]

What was their reasoning for banning it?

[thatoneguy]

Agree 100%

[TR21HP]

Their reasoning is based on a long standing tradition holding Elite anglers to a higher level of competition. Basically they are too easy to catch fish and it also falls under a established rule that only allows 1 rod, 1 lure and 1 cast at a time. It's the same reason landing nets aren't allowed at this same level of competition, they want to have these anglers to be held to a higher skill level when fishing in these events.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

I like the ruling.

No trolling, no live bait, no landing nets, one lure at a time.

[Hester]

100% agree.

They should be outlawed everywhere.

Along with the crappie rigs they use down south too.

Talk about fishing out a lake in a hurry.

[Saint Paul Dan]

Agree. Also think they should outlaw that system for your boat that transmits a bait fish sound in the surrounding water.

[Stick in Mud]

Yeah, I guess I support it. And I also think there are lots of fun and interesting discussions about what counts as "cheating" or "an unfair advantage" and what doesn't. I know that when I see all you fellas in your big fancy boats as I'm paddling around in my canoe, I wish BASS would ban those big fancy engines. Kidding, of course.

[Deitz Dittrich]

also saw that FLW will allow it so long as state regs allow it..

[Cecil]

I like that FLW is going to allow it. Will give both companies a chance to see both sides of the rule.

[Presco]

I like the ruling, this whole rig seems too far fetched for me. I'm sure some of you saw the picture in the latest Bassmaster Mag about the Michigan guy that caught a 20lb limit of smallies on one cast using the A-Rig.

One thing that bothers me about the Elite Series and FLW is they are so strict on some rules but so lax on others. For example, I've heard that anglers like KVD and Reese have teams of fishermen pre-fishing these lakes and providing actionable info on spots, techniques, etc. This seems like A) an unfair advantage and against the rules of sharing information between anglers. I'm sure the excuse is the paid anglers aren't fishing the tournament so it doesn't matter. Seems to me, it makes the rich richer and the entry level guys have a tougher road to climb to be able to compete.

[Hester]

Presco, if that is the case, I think thats horrible also.

[Larson15]

That has been happening for the last 20 years on the tour but has become more prominent over the years. Even happens at a lot of smaller local tournaments including our own state.

[TR21HP]

If that is the case it sure didn't help Skeet last year. I fished as a coangler a number of years ago before the Elite series and hadn't heard of that but money changes everything, and usually for the worse.

[TonkaBass]

I personally like that they kept it legal in the FLW and outlawed it for the elites. The honest truth is that the A-rig is not some magic lure that will win every tournament, as you all know. Its just a contraption that will work very well in smelt/shad fisheries that can catch multiple fish at once when conditions are right. Try dragging a C-rig with 4 lures behind it, or a multiple scum frog set up. It wont guarantee anything. The fish in systems where this will work well will become conditioned to it as with any other lure. The a-rig is not an unfair advantage, just another lure that is the latest craze. We wont need to worry about it here, but I may mess around with it on smallie fisheries and put only one hook in it to see what they do and how it works.

[Comit 2]

Quote:

No trolling, no live bait, no landing nets, one lure at a time.

If they did allow trolling all of you would be saying, Forest Wood who?

The Bass boat would be just about the same as a Walleye boat. The no trolling rule sold a lot of boat for Forest Wood!!!!!! So when I see thing like, Holding to a higher standard. I just laugh. A sponsor nixed it!

[Hester]

"The Bass boat would be just about the same as a Walleye boat. The no trolling rule sold a lot of boat for Forest Wood!!!!!! So when I see thing like, Holding to a higher standard. I just laugh. A sponsor nixed it!"

Thats funny!

Nothing like a good laugh in the morning.

[grab the net]

Raider4ever - just posted the following in the open water forum :

As of 2/1/12 it will be against the rules in the Elite Series (per BASS). Apparently it will be allowed for BASS tourneys other than the Elite Series. Whether it is legal in your state, is another question. Like I stated above, after talking to a MN C.O. Saturday, the rule is basically no more than three hooks and the entire tackle configuration may be no more than 9 inches long. This is a new law in MN and will be in your 2012-2013 booklets. According to the C.O. this does not affect things like 10" worms and those ginormus musky lures as they fall into a provision regarding "single artificial lures". It does affect things like quick strike rigs on musky suckers as those rigs will have to be less than 9 inches

[DTro]

Official word from FLW:

20.Jan.2012 by Kathy Fennel

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

[thatoneguy]

wow what a [PoorWordUsage] rationale for allowing it.

[frogtosser]

agree, ban that thing

[RickyBobby]

so these things are known to occasionally catch multiple fish.... It'll be interesting to see someone handle the following situation: Fishing a tourney in a 6-fish limit state with 5 already in the well, and then catch two or more on a single cast. From what I understand, by law he's not allowed to bring the 7th fish into the boat. Even more interesting if there's a camera man in the boat to record how he handles it.

[RK]

Hiya -

I think it's fine that BASS banned it from the Elites - it seems like more of an interpretation of their one rod one lure rule already in place than anything new. I also think if the FLW wants to allow it that's ok too. Something like this is disruptive technology, and there will be some churn for a while while everyone figures out how it fits in.

I'm more curious to see how effective it is over the long haul. Something that mechanical may have a short shelf life before fish start getting wise to it. And if you don't think fish adapt to lures over time, go fish a lake where fish have never seen a spinnerbait before

One other thought - this isn't the first time a new adaptation was banned because it was seen as an 'unfair advantage.' Your bass rods for the most part top out at 8 feet because in the 1970s Dee Thomas was mopping the floor with the competition on the CA Delta using 11 and 12 foot rods 'tule dipping.' Enough anglers complained about it, and Thomas reached a deal with tournament promoters that capped rods at 8' - which seemed long when most bass rods were 6'6" or less. So Thomas came up with a different way to get jigs and worms into the thick tules, and called it 'flippin.'

It's all a matter of perspective. If it's my idea, it's "innovation." If it's your idea, it's "an unfair advantage."

Cheers,

RK