The Alabama Rig is all the rage now in the sport of professional bass fishing. In my 23 years as a pro, I have never seen a new bait create such excitement – or catch as many bass. I believe the reason it has been so successful this past fall and winter is the fact that it is something new the bass haven’t seen before. I operate under the assumption that in heavily-fished public lakes, every bass has been caught before, at least once. However, every time it has been caught, it has always been on one lure.
Whether it was caught on a spinnerbait, worm, jig, topwater or whatever, it was just one lure. A bass has never been stung by a hook when chasing into a school of baitfish. Basically what I am saying is that bass have learned to count to one. The Alabama Rig is just a new, innovative way to fool a bass once again. I look forward to seeing what other new bait innovations may come along now that this “multi-bait” idea is out of the box. I fish my Alabama Rig with Berkley Hollow Belly swimbaits, but maybe someone will create a way to fish five crankbaits, jigs or worms at one time. Who knows?
I know there is more than a little controversy about the Alabama Rig, but I think it is the best thing that has happened to our sport in a long time. The reason is simple: we all catch way more bass than we used to. And it’s fun – something new to make a day on the lake more enjoyable. If those are the reasons you go fishing, to have fun and catch fish, then the Alabama Rig is for you. I understand why some pros want it banned. They don’t go fishing to have fun; they fish to make money. They are masters of the bass fishing world as we have known it: the single-lure world. The Alabama Rig is a game changer, and when you've got the bass world by the tail you don't want things to change.
However, you can’t stop innovation. It is the trademark of free capitalist markets. Free markets breed innovation that breed a better life. Innovation has made America what it is today. Beginning with the Industrial Revolution and continuing through today's Technological Revolution, innovation is what has made America a world leader. I don't suppose any Alabama Rig opponents want to trade in their iPhone for their old cell phone, or go back to land lines? The same should be true when it comes to fishing lures. Innovation simply makes life better!
There remains no reason to not embrace new fishing-lure innovations; they have always been a part of our sport. The exception, of course, is if they were in some way harmful to our fisheries. However, there is no scientific evidence that the Alabama Rig is harmful to fish. Most biologists consider soft plastic worms more harmful because bass swallow them. Alabama Rigs don’t gill-hook fish either, the way crankbaits sometimes do.
The bass fishing world has been hit by the greatest lure innovation in our lifetime. I can't wait for this new FLW Tour season. I'm hooking Berkley Hollow Bellys on my Alabama Rig and I can't wait to see what more I can learn about fishing in 2012.
