Alabama rig

[RumRiverRat]

Reading some of the comments in this thread reminds me why I havent been back in a while

Yep the holier than thou attitude makes me want to vomit once in a while.

[luckycrank]

I sent an email off to the MN DNR and they said that the Alabama rig is definitely not legal in MN, due to it being a lure designed to catch more than one fish. No surprise there.

I sent a couple pictures with A-Rigs with dummy baits without hooks and one lure in the bunch with a hook and they said that would be legal.

i.e., this would be legal:

Id call b.s on them calling it designed to catch more than one its all about interpretation and I would take my chances meet me at the court date after you right me a ticket and Id explain myself its almost like saying your driver in golf is disigned to hit two balls at one time cause it could. and might ocassionally do it. but its not what it was intended to do. or like saying a double barrel shot gun is designed to kill two birds at once.

[corncob]

Just get a commercial fishing license and be done with it. Then you could use 2 or three A rigs all at once. What a thrill that would be.......

[Nick Kuhn]

The problem is that if you allow the Alabama rig people will push the limits until it's practically long-line fishing. Minnesota and Wisconsin have pretty well defined rules regarding this and by definition it is illegal. In Wisconsin you can use this with 3 hooks, but it counts as fishing with all 3 of your lines that you are allowed.

[goblueM]

The problem is that if you allow the Alabama rig people will push the limits until it's practically long-line fishing. Minnesota and Wisconsin have pretty well defined rules regarding this and by definition it is illegal. In Wisconsin you can use this with 3 hooks, but it counts as fishing with all 3 of your lines that you are allowed.

I have yet to see anybody using an A-rig with more than 5 baits on it. It just isn't practical. ESPECIALLY for casting. And very very very few bass fishermen troll or want to troll

Is it possible that a few guys would put 15 or 20 baits out there, if it was legal to do so? Yes. Maybe a fraction of a percent.

Lets keep in mind that even in the south where you may have dozens of hooks (example: missouri, 33, texas, 50) or unlimited (Virginia) 99% of bass fishermen still use a single lure, the alabama rig being a new exception.

[East Rush Rules]

"In Wisconsin you can use this with 3 hooks, but it counts as fishing with all 3 of your lines that you are allowed."

Can't you only use two in Wisconsin? I for one can't wait to throw this rig this summer(MN legal rig of course). Two of our guys from our fishing team were down on Table Rock this last weekend and crushed um on it! Said it was just a blast!

[Nick Kuhn]

3 lines in Wisconsin, but only 2 lines on the St. Croix.

[beakgeek]

It is imitating a school of small fish which triggers a strike. How is that any different than a bait that imitates a frog, a worm, or a shad?

My younger brother won that rig for liking a page on a social network site. He travels a lot and can use it in states that allow it.

[RumRiverRat]

The problem is that if you allow the Alabama rig people will push the limits until it's practically long-line fishing. Minnesota and Wisconsin have pretty well defined rules regarding this and by definition it is illegal. In Wisconsin you can use this with 3 hooks, but it counts as fishing with all 3 of your lines that you are allowed.

The same thing was said when MN passed it Carry Permit Law.

They said it would be like the wild west and shootouts in the street at high noon.

Still waiting for that to happen....................

[apegs]

Im pretty neutral on the rig. Both sides have valid points. The only thing that I dont like about ot is reports of a fish getting tangled up in the other four hooks.

[slipperybob]

The only thing I see is a fish that's willing to bite a lure, despite all the extra hardware.

[bassinator]

I have been looking into these and am still undecided as too which side I am on. Tommorrow I leave for Bull Shoals AR for TBF National Championship and addmittingly I have one tied on. I personally feel like it takes away some of the skill, and its bothersome to think that everyone in the top is using the same lure (by the sounds of some results from some tournements down there atleast)

Guess I am still curious to try it out, seems like it will be a workout to fish all day! I am just excited to be bass fishing again tho! my two cents...

[apegs]

I would like to hear back on your experienc with it

[mabr]

Giving my experience with the A-rig in Texas.

NOT ONE FISH!!!! Threw it for maybe 30 minutes on several different lakes around Lake Fork area and not one fish. To be honest I knew going in that it wasn't the best time for it but I had to try. It was spawning time and we flat tore them up off the beds.

Never got my traveling partner his double digit bass but managed 28 lbs for our best five all on jigs. Largest was a 5.13 so do the math. Never dreamed we'd be flipping in 5lbrs without a net but it got that crazy.

My thoughts, its a great bait and looks unreal in the water but the fish need to be on a shad schooling pattern for it to pay off in any big way. Just my opinion though

[goblueM]

my experience with it in Virginia has been (as Mabr said) it helps to have fish on a shad schooling pattern. Its a good open water search tool, great on shad reservoirs, but if the fish are in timber, weeds, or hugging the bank it really isn't that effective.

You can be fishing with TNT in a place where there aren't any fish and not do any good. Alabama rig or any lure is no different. We killed em on it when they were early pre-spawn, but now they are getting closer to bedding and its terrible. Much better off pounding the banks with crankbaits or jigs rather than using an A-rig

Also, Mabr did you mean 5 lbs 13 oz? Cuz five fish at 5.13 pounds is short of 28 if I did the math correctly in my head

[mabr]

GoBlue maybe i did it wrong. But remember were talking pounds "AND" ounces. Not 5 lbs and .13 ounces it was 13 ounces So 5 x 5.81 lbs (roughly 5.13 ounces) equals what? My math says if all were 5 lbs.13 oz we would have 29.05, which we didn't it was closer to 28lbs.

Or am I mathematically challenged? Wouldnt be the first time I was wrong. dam Rapala scale lied to me? No wonder i cant win any tournements anymore LOL

GoBlue, I apologize, I miss read your response, you asked me if I meant 5.13 ounces, YES I did mean 5 lbs and 13 ounces

[goblueM]

I figured you did, otherwise you'd be a few pounds short. That is a heck of a 5-fish bag! I would love to fish that area sometime

[mabr]

Darn it!!! I was about to delete my post and just say yes I meant 5 lbs 13 ounces. It was alot of fun and I would encourage everyone to try and hit Texas in March for some good bed fishing adventures.

But your about to see it in VA as well based on what Im hearing for weather. My son just finished a 2 week period where he TORE them up fishing beds in SC. Biggest caught being 9.1.

Id think VA has got to be starting about now as well. GO get um goblue and let us see pics when you do!

[luckycrank]

Now that the dnr posted a link to alabama rigs on their home page I guess it just settled if its legal or not.

What I would like to understand is how they can justify 3 hooks per line with live bait Example: night crawler harness or stingers , which are (mainly used to target species that they manage).

or a Suick , Poes Jackpot, double Trebled bucktails, and other double hooked baits for pike and muskie how many bloody muskie pictures have you ever seen ?

But if you use a alabama rig with single hooks its illegal.

I can tell with out evan fishing either what rig will have a higher mortality rate.

I have seen instances where two fish are caught on one lure, I have personally caught two fish on one original rapala they should be illegal two I guess , by their opinion according to youtube which by the way we all know every thing you see on you tube is real! just another lame law pu t into place by the state of minnesota to generate funding

[corncob]

I'm in the process of developing a "Minnesota Rig"....It will weasel around the existing law and all fish chasers will be able to just slaughter those sneaky fishy's...What a diabolical scheme!!!!!....

[smallie_hawgin]

Now that the dnr posted a link to alabama rigs on their home page I guess it just settled if its legal or not.

What I would like to understand is how they can justify 3 hooks per line with live bait Example: night crawler harness or stingers , which are (mainly used to target species that they manage).

or a Suick , Poes Jackpot, double Trebled bucktails, and other double hooked baits for pike and muskie how many bloody muskie pictures have you ever seen ?

But if you use a alabama rig with single hooks its illegal.

I can tell with out evan fishing either what rig will have a higher mortality rate.

just another lame law pu t into place by the state of minnesota to generate funding

[J2M]

Why were they selling these at the sportshow? For WI folks? I'm sure there's gonna be a few Minnesotans who'll think it's legal because they saw it at the sportshow. Didn't really pay too much attention but I don't think I saw anything stating that it wasn't legal in MN.

[goblueM]

Why were they selling these at the sportshow? For WI folks? I'm sure there's gonna be a few Minnesotans who'll think it's legal because they saw it at the sportshow. Didn't really pay too much attention but I don't think I saw anything stating that it wasn't legal in MN.

They were selling it to make money. Some places are usually pretty good about only selling legal stuff (Cabela's has been pretty good, in my experience) but other stores have no issues selling something that is illegal. For example, here in Virginia you can't bait deer, and "bait" even includes salt blocks or minerals. But Dick's Sporting Goods and Walmart load the shelves every year with every mineral bait known to man

And I agree, there probably will be some folks that assume it's legal because it was sold at the sportshow

[HawgTide]

Cabelas sells them, a couple of different brands as a matter of fact. But the rigs are not illegal in Minnesota if you don't put more than one hook on it.

Got to try out the "M Rig" yesterday. (that's what I call the MN Legal version of the A Rig). It worked well at times, but then other times I was outfished by the other guys using conventional lures.

[luckycrank]

think I red it just fine, and described what I felt on the matter why do we allow for multiple trebles on one lure but not multiple singles

I look alabama rigs as 1 lure for example I could put three night crawlers on one nightcrawler harness would that classifie as three differant baits ? or can a minnow and a chunk of crawler on the same line count as two baits.