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Alabama Rig!

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Not sure myself Musky Glenn. But it does add another minnow body to the picture. Also makes people question. Questions, how did you do that? :? Mine, the buoyancy does seem to help orientate some by providing a bit of lift in front . Also slows the rigs action a bit. It sinks much slower for sure but really it is along for the ride

Vic

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littleriver what gauge wire did you use? Do you think its adequate? Im definitely gonna try to make one of these, I dont tournament fish to seriously since im in engineering school still and dont have the time but I do fish a little jackpot on a lake that almost all the big fish suspend lol.

Or better yet does anyone know what gauge wire is used on like a half oz spinnerbait for example?

Thanks in advance,

Cory

Edited by Cmiller23
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The reason for using the minnow body is to make the "one lure" concep so it conforms to the law. Many states have laws allowing multiple hooks on one lure. Take the body off and you have five lures on a combo rig! The next question I have is why use swimbaits? Why not put a willow spinner on each leg with a spinnerbait hook behind it? This lure is for lakes with shad schools in them. Fish hide out waiting for a school of shad to swim over, then they come up and blast them. Wait till this summer when the bass are schooling! I bet every state will have a new regulation on the books by next year.

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On wire size, .035 is average gauge spinner bait wire though .040 or so might be a bit better suited for this bait.

Agreed exactly on the reason for the body on the bait, it makes it a lure as MuskyGary stated above (laws), and it also makes it somewhat unique and able to have a direction to go if a patent was desired. As well as provides a place to hide the wire wraps and make it clean looking.

With the heavy wire and extra heavy swivel and clips I keep thinking how much it looks like some sort of culling clips system, though it put bass in the livewell and money on the table when it counted, so it has cred...

Edited by CatchingConcepts
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Reading on the FLW Bass site. for the coming kentucky lake tournment in Paris Tenn. all hooks have to be smaller than size 6 IF YOU FISH FIVE SWIMBAITS. If you fish bigger hooks you can only use three swimbaits. So they are checking the game laws. I hate to buy one (24.99) just to tare it apart to see how they are putting it together!

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After seeing a video about the rig, I don't like it, the fish had three hooks into it from the gills to the tail and bringing it in sideways. That I don't care for. You can't say which caught the fish first, the one in the tail or the gill or the mouth.

That's all I have to say about them.

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The wire I used was .035 stainless. Alone it is not adequate but once twisted it becomes a different beast. The main tie is 1.5mm stainless. This will handle five fish I believe. Would have liked to used something different but it is what I have. Everything used is what I always have on hand to build my hardbaits. Nothing new just put together a bit differently. The rest I will leave to your imagination.

Thanks Musky Gary for the update on TN laws. I think three swimbaits would work well. Do you know if one can still have the other two baits just no hooks?

By the time supply catches up with demand they will most likely be illegal. Especially if people see fish coming out of the water three and four at a time or the way Crazywaynee describes.

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Im sorry, but this Alabama rig thing just has me in disbelief over what they are now going for...

http://www.bbcboards.net/zerothread?id=737574

Us bass guys have to be some of the most gullable and impulsive breed there is? I mean seriously, guys are throwing away over $100.00 for a trend rig that may be illegal next month, has at most $3.00 worth of materials in its construction, and is honestly incredibly simple...

Its magic I guess...

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Pretty much useless in Indiana: "Each line may have no more than two single or multi-barbed hooks, two artificial baits or two harnesses for live bait." Regs only allow two artificial lures per pole and I guarantee DNR would consider each attached bait an individual lure probably even if the other lures didn't have hooks and were just used as attractors like the striper guys do with their umbrella rigs.

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OH I agree, the american way is alive and well on this one...

But... so many guys here could easily duplicate that rig.. honestly most guys with wire and pliers could make one with a little effort.

Guess its the makers time to shine, every gets a few glimpses of fame and fortune...

Remember some of the other crazes? what was it.. a frontrunner? everyone had to have one??

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lol if i was a rod building guy id have an alabama rig rod ready to go..because the next thing is going to be these guys are going to have worn out arms trying to throw it on flipping sticks...if they are willing to pay $100 for a 5 dollar rig...who knows what they would pay to throw it comfortably. by the way i claim a design patent on the idea :lolhuh:

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As far as a patent on the rod, forget it. The musky guys already have one that they use for the big plastic lures! If you read the results of the guntersville tournment the top ten finishers were all fishing the alabama rig by sunday. Paul Elias, who won the tournment with over a five pound average fished the rig all four days. One day he had his limit after making TWO casts! (Three bass on first cast, two on the second cast) One of the other top finishers stated he caught two bass on one cast, both bass were over four pounds and he couldn't use either one (to Small) Elias totals were 4 days fishing, 20 bass (five bass total per day) 102 pounds of weight! You want a chance to win a bass tournment this year? Better have a couple of these lures.

Smoke J This rig is legal in Indiana as the body on the front makes this one lure. Im sure more will come on this bait in the future.

Edited by MuskyGary
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On the legal side the more I read of fish and game rules and such, I think the main thing to beat is making the RIG a LURE...

It needs a main body and set number of hooks pre attached to the bait to meet most regs. one main line tie point of attachment and its a lure not a rig, not an umbrella rig, not something with extra lures hanging off of it as the TAR is now advertised as being. I think that was a mistake on their part to do such.

It cannot be advertised as being able to hang 5 lures off its legs, it has to be a single entity unit, pre rigged with its hooks attached to the main lure out of the package. I think that is how something like this can wiggle around most DFG laws?

Someone will figure out the nuances of all and come up with a original method of packaging a lure that fishes big like a school of baitfish and encorporates the same triggering qualities while keeping the overall lure package one main lure entity to meet regs... We havent seen the last of this thought in lure making, where there is money to be made the sharks are circling, and they smell blood in the waters!

Still thinking something like bait below is a viable model and would pass most DFG regs minus the snaps and with affixed hooks?

399151609.jpg

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Pretty much useless in Indiana: "Each line may have no more than two single or multi-barbed hooks, two artificial baits or two harnesses for live bait." Regs only allow two artificial lures per pole and I guarantee DNR would consider each attached bait an individual lure probably even if the other lures didn't have hooks and were just used as attractors like the striper guys do with their umbrella rigs.

I guess that rules out the 3 treble rapalas and husky jerks that are sold in every tackle shop in Indiana. Doggone it, the 3 hook husky jerk rocked too.

I also think that since TAR had a hard body attached it was considered 1 lure, kinda like sticking a trailer on a jig or a spinnerbait. Does this mean trailer hooks are now going to be banned?

It's definitely going to cause some reg issues. As far as the ethics of the rig, tourney fisherman (including myself) hook/land fish and throw them in a livewell for sometimes 8 or more hours. I've seen several comments about the stress it puts on fish on other forums, but they all seem to forget about 2-3hr runs across places like Lake Erie and the stress that puts on fish. The only reason why I see banning this is if more angling mortality occurs as a result. Of course, winters just around the corner and people will forget about this rig for awhile.

Either way, I'm making one for myself so that I can have a more appropriate judgement of the lure.... i'm sure i'll feel real bad if I get 5 keepers on one cast :D

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This thread is intriguing, Here is another Tennessee boys version, attached to the rear of a crank bait with a heavy split ring. No snaps on this one. .035 wire twisted up on a Hagens G-Lock style hooks, no weights on anything except the belly of the crank bait. May have to add weight to middle wire to keep it from tumbling. Belly hook removed from the crank bait. Haven't tried it yet but will let you know if it works. John

TennesseeVersion01.jpg

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