Syracuse.com - Bassmaster Elite Series cracks down on multi-lure rigs (including the Alabama rig)

[HuntingNY-News]

Ken Golub, a competitive bass angler with the Avon Anglers fishing club who took me out on Conesus Lake last spring, has been using an Alabama rig in recent months. He emailed me an eye-opening photo of five bass he caught with an Alabama rig this fall on Conesus Lake with one cast.

Submitted photoKen Golub with his five smallmouth bass, all caught on one cast with an Alabama rig on Conesus Lake in Livingston County.

The Bassmaster Elite Series Rules Committee last week announced it was amending its tournament rules to limit anglers competing in the Bassmaster Classic and Elite Series to the use of a single lure during practice and competition.

The rule will be in effect when the nation’s top bass anglers compete in an Elite Series contest on Oneida Lake, scheduled for Aug. 23-26.

The rule change, which does not apply to the Bassmaster Open, B.A.S.S. Federation Nation, College B.A.S.S. and other events, clarifies the intent of long-standing rules permitting only “one rod, one reel and one cast at a time.” No longer permitted are double soft-jerkbait rigs, drop-shot rigs with jigs used as weights, double topwater setups and other multi-lure rigs, such as “umbrella rigs.”

The change becomes effective Feb. 1 and includes the Bassmaster Classic at Shreveport-Bossier City, La., scheduled for Feb. 24-26.

The rule change addresses the recent emergence of new multi-lure rigs such as The Alabama Rig, which Bassmaster Elite Series pro Paul Elias used to win an event on Lake Guntersville last fall. Since his victory, tens of thousands of the multi-lure devices have been sold and they have proved “extremely effective in both recreational and competitive fishing,” according at a B.A.S.S. press release. Bass Pro Shops at the Fingerlakes Mall is carrying them, and Gander Mountain’s Cicero store is expected to have them soon.

The Alabama rig and similar setups from other manufacturers consist of a weighted head with five wire leaders trailing behind. Soft plastic swimbaits and similar lures are attached to the leaders, imitating a school of bait fish.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation is OK with these lures.

“The Alabama rigs are legal in New York provided there are no more than five lures attached and no more than 15 hook points total,” DEC spokeswoman Emily DeSantis said.

“There are special instances where only a single hook point is allowed (e.g. some Great Lakes regulations) or there may be other restrictions, “ she added, “but in general, these rigs are allowed.”

Ken Golub, a competitive bass angler with the Avon Anglers fishing club who took me out on Conesus Lake last spring, has been using an Alabama rig in recent months. He emailed me an eye-opening photo of five bass he caught with an Alabama rig this fall on Conesus Lake with one cast. Total weight of the fish was 19.7 pounds, which if you follow bass fishing competitions is often enough to lead the day.

“I’m a strong advocate of catch-and-release fishing and I’m wondering about the implications of this,” Golub said.

See story written about this in Bassmaster magazine, which Golub posted on his Facebook page..

Imagine an Alabama rig or something like it being used to fish for panfish or trout. What would be the impact on the fishery, particularly on smaller lakes and streams?

Is it fair? Does it make sense from a conservation standpoint? I’d like to hear what other readers say.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog