Flw Ban On Umbrella Rigs?

[J Francho]

There are guys in my club that think it's too much.  Their money spends as well as anyone else's.  It doesn't work everywhere, and not just one rig does it all. I've had fun learning about it through using.  Can't say it's been a huge difference make, but when all the guys in the money are using them, then you better figure out how, or don't waste your entry fees.

[bassin is addicting]

i personally like the ban.  i'm of the opinion.  one rod...one line...one bait..

A-rig is non-sporting.

IMO  

[Nice_Bass]

I bought a few for some striper fishing applications, and honestly felt a bit silly throwing it yet I have no issue throwing 3oz swimbaits.  Go figure. 

Anyhow, I think it was the correct move for tournament fishing at the highest level. 

Maybe it is because I never caught a thing on one. 

[Brian Needham]

[Brian Needham]

come on guy, yall know this thing flat out catches 'em!!!!!

[rangerboy]

in California I saw the first three events I fished this year won on a-rigs. we can only have three hooks. makes you wonder if the people are actually using three hooks. I approve the move and would like to see it carry on to the club level as well. doubt its any more damaging to a fish the a crank bait or super spook. but I can see it by a fairness stand point. good fishing br.     

[Snakehead Whisperer]

Whoa man! Nice gar. I caught a large, very spirited channel cat today on a popper. The strike was like nothing I've ever seen before.

[bonzai22]

I think it is a good move because with it looking like a whole school of shad it seems like you are fooling the fish to much.

[buzzed bait]

I think it boils down to your personal preference.....  some like to deer hunt with a muzzleloader or a bow, others like the most up to date .300 mag you can find.  But for tournament fishing i think it takes the sporting down a notch.  Sure it may win, may catch fish but it somehow seems like it takes away from the sport....  much like PEDs and baseball, it may make you bigger, faster stronger but it's just not appealing to me.....  i think it is a big time marketing appeal and for that reason will be hard to remove from the FLW especially since they have the Walmart affiliation and Walmart sells the H**L out of those rigs.....

[Deleted account]

There are guys in my club that think it's too much.  Their money spends as well as anyone else's.  It doesn't work everywhere, and not just one rig does it all. I've had fun learning about it through using.  Can't say it's been a huge difference make, but when all the guys in the money are using them, then you better figure out how, or don't waste your entry fees.

We may have been separated at birth, I say "As long as their money is green". When we fish for $, we fish for $, and we are going to push the rules right to the edge (hope they aren't made of flouro). 

[Snakehead Whisperer]

I think it boils down to your personal preference.....  some like to deer hunt with a muzzleloader or a bow, others like the most up to date .300 mag you can find.  But for tournament fishing i think it takes the sporting down a notch.  Sure it may win, may catch fish but it somehow seems like it takes away from the sport....  much like PEDs and baseball, it may make you bigger, faster stronger but it's just not appealing to me.....  i think it is a big time marketing appeal and for that reason will be hard to remove from the FLW especially since they have the Walmart affiliation and Walmart sells the H**L out of those rigs.....

You make a good point. But there is a major difference in the market around bass fishing compared to that of baseball. While manufacturers of baseball equipment do rely on the marketing/exposure of pros using their gear, the overwhelming amount of revenue generated from baseball (and most other pro sports) comes from memorabilia, tv/advertising and concessions. In bass fishing a good deal of the revenue comes from tackle/boat sales, and pros endorsing the tackle that they use.

My point is that sports like baseball can afford to ban things like aluminum bats, pine tar, and steroids. They make up for it with sales of t-shirts, advertising, beer, etc. Bass fishing relies heavily upon the marketing of the latest and greatest tackle to make money, and without the product endorsements most pros couldn't afford the entry fees and equipment to be competitive.

Another point that I've seen brought up in other threads is that most who follow pro bass fishing tournaments want to see these guys catch the biggest bag of fish possible (and in turn buy the lures that they caught the fish on.) If tournament bass fishing was regulated to be a strictly "sporting" event, then it would be much slower to watch and much less exciting for the average fan. From this perspective, bass anglers should be allowed to throw anything that will improve their odds of meeting that goal.

With all that said, I gave up on competitive fishing a long time ago. There's really no point to it for me. It ruins the whole experience for me personally. I know many anglers who IMHO could outfish top money pros consistently, but they have too much love for the lifestyle to give that up. I know many of you will want to call BS on this, but I believe this so it doesn't matter to me.

I'm with Brian Needham on this; I just don't think the commercialization of competitive fishing does much for the sport at all. A lot of the mentality that I see with tournament anglers is that bass rule, everything else is a trash fish wasting my time... off with it's head! So sad. With that said, I do respect many pro anglers and what they do for a living. I'm a member of BASS (not FLW, I know,) I just don't particularly care for pro fishing or what "the pros are throwing."

As for the a-rig, they're great when you're trolling for stripers to keep. I don't think I'm qualified to speak for their legality in tournaments though. I personally think they're rediculous, but so am I in many ways.

[Brian Needham]

if we are bringing Baseball into the equation........... don't forget EVERYBODY was watching baseball when the steroid jerks were bashing home runs which equals huge revenue.

[Snakehead Whisperer]

if we are bringing Baseball into the equation........... don't forget EVERYBODY was watching baseball when the steroid jerks were bashing home runs which equals huge revenue.

I wasn't

 

I was really into baseball until the lockout of 1990. I'm one of the fans that was lost, and never came back. Still a huge Nolan Ryan fan though.

[Brian Needham]

I never been a big baseball guy

 

all sports including fishing need to "cast a big net", meaning do marketing/whatever it takes to bring in new fans/customers.

fans/customers= revenue

revenue= baits,rods,reels,boats being sold

stuff being sold= profits

profits = new baits/technology being produced

new stuff produced= the new fans buying MORE stuff

 

sports in general are hobbies and hobbies are done with extra money (not normal money), so unless people are excited about something they aint gonna spend their  extra money on it. I am for whatever promotes the sport, and grows the sport.

 

JMO

[Snakehead Whisperer]

I never been a big baseball guy

 

all sports including fishing need to "cast a big net", meaning do marketing/whatever it takes to bring in new fans/customers.

fans/customers= revenue

revenue= baits,rods,reels,boats being sold

stuff being sold= profits

profits = new baits/technology being produced

new stuff produced= the new fans buying MORE stuff

 

sports in general are hobbies and hobbies are done with extra money (not normal money), so unless people are excited about something they aint gonna spend their  extra money on it. I am for whatever promotes the sport, and grows the sport.

 

JMO

Unfortunately that profit does not lead to all that much innovation in the tackle/baits field. The a-rig is a good example of that. Tried and true old school bait that was marketed as the next big thing. It seems to me that the most innovative baits to hit the water are usually developed by some guy in a garage working on a shoestring budget. Big money does usually buy him out, however. There are notable exceptions to this, of course.

 

I'm with you on the promotion of the sport. I just wish that more emphasis was put on conservation of the watershed too. There was a good balance between the 2 in recent times, but conservation of fisheries seems to be on the backburner again.

[Brian Needham]

Unfortunately that profit does not lead to all that much innovation in the tackle/baits field. It seems to me that the most innovative baits to hit the water are usually developed by some guy in a garage working on a shoestring budget. Big money does usually buy him out, however.

 

 

and that's somewhat true........ but the guy in his garage didn't make Ci4 for shimano, or the Ipilot of Minnkota, sidescan for hummingbird ect ect. In the last 10 years R&D has brought huge tech advances to the market.

 

but aint no big bait maker beating Bucca's Bull Shad.!

I defiantly see your side, I hope you see mine.  

[Snakehead Whisperer]

and that's somewhat true........ but the guy in his garage didn't make Ci4 for shimano, or the Ipilot of Minnkota, sidescan for hummingbird ect ect. In the last 10 years R&D has brought huge tech advances to the market.

 

but aint no big bait maker beating Bucca's Bull Shad.!

I defiantly see your side, I hope you see mine.  

Agreed, to an extent. But I beg to differ on the technology side of things. 

 

For many years the open source software movement has innovated on mundane software, then given away the source code for free. MacOS is a prime example. Built on tried and true POSIX technology. I'd be very surprised if Minnkota and Humminbird developers didn't utilize some of this readily available, free to use source code in the development of their technologies. Shimano on the other hand, kind of hard to argue that one. 

[00 mod]

"Flat out catches em" ??? I thought the 9" bull shad flat out caught the gar!!!!!

Jeff

[Brian Needham]

cant get 'em to the boat with the bull shad!!!!!!!, LMAO

[J Francho]

 

It seems to me that the most innovative baits to hit the water are usually developed by some guy in a garage working on a shoestring budget.

 

Just a quick counterpoint...

 

Sometimes that's true, but look at baits like the Lucky Craft Pointer.  A ton of tech went into it's development, and it's still considered a revolutionary, hot bait after more than a decade.  To me, that bait and subsequent hard baits got a lot more technical in their construction.  Many copies are made, but the Pointer was an evolution of a tried and true bait that would not have been possible without the technology that a large manufacturer can afford.

[Felix77]

IMO it went over the top when competitors started stacking the A-Rigs.  That's just a bit too much for me.  I'm ok with the ban at the Elite level.  Hard to watch a show when all they are doing is throwing an A-Rig.

[Brian Needham]

IMO it went over the top when competitors started stacking the A-Rigs.

  

 

TRUE!

 

that being said.........I will be slinging a picasso bait ball extreme is fall! 13 baits (but only 5 hooks),

 

Hell, who am I kidding, I'll probably get the 7 wire version, lol

[Jake Coucoules]

I dont understand how people say there are times where nothing else will work. The BASS tour has always had it banned and their anglers always seem to do just fine...

[Snakehead Whisperer]

Just a quick counterpoint...

 

Sometimes that's true, but look at baits like the Lucky Craft Pointer.  A ton of tech went into it's development, and it's still considered a revolutionary, hot bait after more than a decade.  To me, that bait and subsequent hard baits got a lot more technical in their construction.  Many copies are made, but the Pointer was an evolution of a tried and true bait that would not have been possible without the technology that a large manufacturer can afford.

The pointer is one of the notable exceptions that I was referring to. There are several larger tackle manufacturers that are doing R&D to create innovative baits, I was simply stating that most commercially available tackle is more or less the same old stuff.

[coryn h. fishowl]

I have never used one, but if it levels the playing field that much I kinda want to get my hands on one. It does look like a nightmare to cast though.