Alabama rig question

[syd]

Ok i went and bought two of these things at Greensboro fishing show. Now my question is this. Do you throw the same thing on all 5 parts or do you break it up in different colors, lures etc. Most of what i hear is use swim baits or flukes.
I threw it some yesterday but never got a bite. Wanted to get soime input before i got totally frustrated with it.

[Possum]

The A-rig is for schooling fish, not as a search bait. So, if you see birds feeding on baitfish, or a wad of baitfish on your fish finder with bigger targets below, that's the time for the A-rig. As for colors, as our flyfishing buddies would say, "match the hatch".
Use colors that resembles the baitfish that your water has, or that you can see breaking the surface.
Swimbaits or flukes would be the way to go. Just watch you sizes. Especially with the jigheads. Remember, there are 5 baits instead of one back there. The sucker's heavy.
Hope this helps.

[AUFred]

I cannot imagine trying to throw that thing. My best guess is you hang 5 of the same bait off it. Like he said match what you see the bass feeding on.

[Tavery5]

I have been talking allot with the local guys that are using this rig for tournaments. They have shared some info with me that is much different than I would have thought.

The baits they are using are much smaller than I had thought.

They are not weighting all the baits on the rig, and they are using 1/8th oz ball heads with large hooks on the ones they are.

When fishing as a team, they switch off throwing the rig, saying that about an hour is all they are comfortable throwing it. They do not just use to target schools, but use it as a search bait.

Between the two they are throwing the rig 100% of the time to be competitive with the others in the tournament.

[Possum]

Wow. Good idea. I stand corrected.

[Tavery5]

They went on to speak about the effectiveness of the rig saying that last year when fishing the same tournaments 16-18lbs would be enough to win. Now they tell me that largely because of the A-rig 16-18lbs wont even get you a check.

[IUbass]

Originally Posted by Tavery5

They went on to speak about the effectiveness of the rig saying that last year when fishing the same tournaments 16-18lbs would be enough to win. Now they tell me that largely because of the A-rig 16-18lbs wont even get you a check.

Exactly, Tavery, as you saw in Major League Fishing Jason Quinn dominated with the A-rig... It is very safe to say that without that he wouldnt have made the cut.

As far as the A rig goes we throw it with 3-4 inch shad swim bates. The sucker is heavy, and gets annoying when you throw it a lot. Use a 7+ heavy rod and a good braid. It is worth trying out.

EVERY booth at this weeks boat show had their own A rig, it is crazy to see the stir its created while only being really known since last Oct/Nov

[bamabassman]

taves....thank you man. i got 2 of these and am getting more and more confindent that even I might be able to break my dink streak. gonna give the best i got.

[Rebbasser]

I haven't thrown one-yet. Time will tell. Talked to a guy at Cabelas the other day and he said they there is a huge demand for them.

[Dogmatic]

Heard of a lot different rigging options, but mostly smaller swimbaits. Anyone hear of people using bigger baits 6"+, and having any success?

[everettvet]

Use 80 pound braid. It is kind of like throwing a carolina rig. Just lob it out there. I know guys that use a 7 foot rod and some use an 8 foot rod. You want a rod with some backbone to it but also a soft tip. I think that as the water warms up and fish move to spawn, the a-rig will be left behind for a while. The other thing to consider is your state laws on the numbers of baits. For example, Tennessee only allows 3 baits on these rigs. For example, if you have 3 baits with hooks and two lures that you cut the hooks off of, the state of tennessee considers that 5 lures and that is an illegal rig. The states differ on this so check first. It is not worth getting a ticket.

[smcnatt9]

That's the great thing about the rig, combination possibilities are endless. Last year I was throwing the 4" Big Hammer swimbaits in either the bay smelt or sexy smelt with all 5 the same color. Of course they come in packs of 4 so if you're throwing a 5-way rig you'll have to buy a couple but had some great bags that way. I've heard of people making the middle one like a chartruese or putting a grub on that middle just to mix it up. I used the 1/8 oz heads on a 7'11"(heavy) Shimano Crucial flippin stick with 60 lb braid on a Revo STX and you can flat out launch this thing. Side note, I've noticed a lot of fish will follow it then take a swipe right at the boat so once I get ready to take it out of the water I'll make a little side motion, like a change of direction to try and pick those fish up. But my thought is the thing resembles a ball of baitfish so I wouldn't really want a bunch of different baits on all 5, seems counterintuitive.

[Dogmatic]

Thought I'd add another A-rig adaptation, can anyone say schooling Bluegill, a la B.B.?

[screwballl]

Everything I have heard and seen says to keep the baits the same. For the 5-7 bait rig, always keep the baits in the 3-4" range, for the 2-3 arm rig 4-6" is the biggest, and also no extra weights as these are heavy enough. Any bigger or heavier and you will likely need shoulder surgery after each outing.

Also I heard of some that use paint markers or sharpies for slight variation in stripes and coloring in super clear water so it looks a bit more realistic, although I haven't heard if this works any better.

For the bluegill setup, as long as they are not pre-weighted, and all in the 3-5" range, that would work EXCELLENT in my area where bream are the main forage.

[lilmule]

Depending upon where thrown either a chiropractor visit,or 30 days in jail.
Innovative but myself can see a lot of tangles,should be excellent for snapping turtles.or bedding bass that desire to swat at bluegills to chase away.
Either way it is different.Most are preweighted.
Try some pink ones in the pads or under bridges.