Alabama Rig

[Catt]

Couple questions 

 

1. What's the lights jig head y'all have thrown?

2. What's the shallowest y'all thrown an A-rig?

[Deleted account]

8 minutes ago, Catt said:

Couple questions 

 

1. What's the lights jig head y'all have thrown?

2. What's the shallowest y'all thrown an A-rig?

 

I sometimes use just hooks, just under the surface.

[Jig Man]

I throw a set of 1/16 oz heads on 4/0 hooks with flukes.  That is on 3 wires as we aren’t allowed more.  I put blades on the other two.  
 

I sometimes use them in shallow water and run them like a spinnerbait.

[Deleted account]

27 minutes ago, Jig Man said:

I throw a set of 1/16 oz heads on 4/0 hooks with flukes.  That is on 3 wires as we aren’t allowed more.  I put blades on the other two.  
 

I sometimes use them in shallow water and run them like a spinnerbait.

You can also run the same plastic as the hooked baits using screw locks or a snap swivel.

[LrgmouthShad]

Woah. Catt you learning some new tricks? 

[Jig Man]

38 minutes ago, Deleted account said:

You can also run the same plastic as the hooked baits using screw locks or a snap swivel.

Tried it and don’t like it.

[Koz]

I recently purchased 1/16 oz Picasso Smart Mouth Jig Head Gamakatsu and a Picasso BFL Smackdown Four Blade Umbrella Rig. I tossed it for about 15 minutes while kayak fishing a few weeks ago with no luck. I'd toss is into shallow water (2 ft) and bring reel in to where is was about 15 feet deep.

 

I've fished A-Rigs a few times over the years without even one strike. It's kind of one of those, "Oh yeah - I forgot I had that" baits that I probably should throw more.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

1/8oz heads are the most popular and also size I use.   

 

I like to combine that with a size 3/0 hook.    Then run 3.5-4.5" swimbodies 

 

I've been fishing it in 2-3ft of water the last several days chasing Shad and Bass back in creeks with the warm weather here.   

 

To me it's nothing but a big spinnerbait...so burning it will bring it very high in the water column. 

[WRB]

Picasso Bait Ball Flex Jr is compact light weight head and well made, the blades help to run shallower.  The A-Rig you choose is very important.

You can use jigs or CPS style worm hooks. 

Tom

[crypt]

sometimes will use no weight when really shallow,2-4 foot deep. when I go a little deeper maybe 1/8-1/4 oz. here in Florida deep is a relative term. I usually use a 3 prong rig. easier to manage.

[RDB]

Lightest I use are 1/16th for the top 3 and 1/8th for the bottom 2 (that is my most common setup and I feel like it tracks better with more weight on the bottom arms).  For the 1/16th hooks, I use the one’s from Shane’s Baits…I use their A-rigs as well.  When I use their double rigs, I either use dummy heads or screw locks like @Deleted account suggested.  Five feet would be shallow for me with a traditional A-rig.  Maybe shallower using their mini finesse rig but personally I usually go with a different lure choice if I’m that shallow.

[T-Billy]

My "go to" is 1/8oz heads on the middle and bottom arms, and two dummies on screwlocks up top. This fishes well from 2' down to about 15'. I wouldn't run jigheads on the top two even if they were legal here. They just don't get bit, so no point in having two more hooks to snag.

[Woody B]

I've caught 10 or so on an A-rig so I'm far from an expert.  My best combo has been 1/8 ounce jig heads with money minnows on the outside 4 with a 1/2 ounce Johnson Silver Minnow (spoon) on the center/longer one.    I use one with willow leaf blades on the arms for 15 feet or less.   I've used one without the blades as deep as 40 feet.  (that's deep around here)

 

I never had any luck with an A-rig until I got active target.  I wasn't letting is sink enough.  It takes forever to sink.   (alot longer than a big bladed spinner bait)

 

I've caught some without watching in on the screen, but watching it live helps me make sure it's deep enough, without getting hung up on something.  

[RB 77]

On 1/19/2023 at 10:13 AM, Catt said:

Couple questions 

 

1. What's the lights jig head y'all have thrown?

2. What's the shallowest y'all thrown an A-rig?

 

 

1 - 1/8oz Heads

2 - 1-2' of Water

 

I fish the skinniest of water with these on occasion. This is the exception tho, not the norm. 

[KP Duty]

I have a tournament in march on a new lake, and last years results show the winner caught 2 5lber's early on an a-rig.  I figured I better get myself more familiar with it, so I found a good video....

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=aa+rig+fish8ng.tips+video&client=ms-android-att-us-rvc3&sxsrf=AJOqlzV8SFXFLfUutRtAtdhAuMCub56gzg%3A1674360177796&ei=cbXMY8CZMIquqtsPn56p4A0&oq=a&gs_lcp=ChNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwEAEYADIECCMQJzIECCMQJzIECCMQJzILCC4QxwEQrwEQkQIyCwguEMcBEK8BEJECMhEILhCABBCxAxCDARDHARDRAzILCAAQgAQQsQMQgwEyCAguELEDEIMBOgcIIxCwAhAnOgcIABAeEKIEOgUIABCiBDoKCCEQoAEQwwQQCjoICAAQCBAeEA06BQgAEIYDOgUIABCRAjoKCAAQsQMQgwEQQzoECAAQQzoICAAQgAQQsQM6EAgAEIAEEBQQhwIQsQMQgwE6CAgAELEDEIMBOgcIIxDqAhAnSgQIQRgAUKUjWKtTYLBbaAJwAHgBgAG8AYgBsxeSAQUxMy4xNpgBAKABAbABD8ABAQ&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:937dde6b,vid:D-cgJX0UTfE

[softwateronly]

I can only throw 3 hooks as well and agree w/ @T-Billy, the top wires are for dummies, never been hit up there.  I like 1/8oz for the 3 heads normally, but if I want to work the bottom in the 15-25' range, I bump up the furthest back / center head only to 3/8 or 1/2oz.  Keeping the outer arms at 1/8oz helps prevent tangles on the cast.  Don't ignore the bladeless a-rig.  Eventhough it's an obnoxious chandelier, sometimes the flash is too much.

 

scott

[Catt]

7 hours ago, softwateronly said:

Don't ignore the bladeless a-rig.

 

I plan on using a 5 wire Yum Brella.

[Mr. Aquarium]

I was thinking of trying out there Bama rig. The Tactical bassin flex rig looks awesome!  

[T-Billy]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

 

I plan on using a 5 wire Yum Brella.

Good rig for the $$$.

[Dwight Hottle]

Catt these are worth looking at. They are the favorites down in Mexico at Lake Baccarac because they hold up well to bigger fish. 

 

https://hogfarmerbaits.com/collections/rigs

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Just a point on the 3 vs 5 hooks if allowed by your state.

 

2/3 of my double ups including my newest on Friday came because a fish ate one of the top two baits.   Until this happened, I was going to go with 3 hooks, but I've also caught several single fish on those top ones, but not nearly the amount as the bottom and the middle ones. 

 

Largie took the top bait, Spot took the bottom bait 

 

Big girl ate the bottom, smaller one ate the top.  

[RDB]

2 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Just a point on the 3 vs 5 hooks if allowed by your state.

 

2/3 of my double ups including my newest on Friday came because a fish ate one of the top two baits.   Until this happened, I was going to go with 3 hooks, but I've also caught several single fish on those top ones, but not nearly the amount as the bottom and the middle ones. 

 

Largie took the top bait, Spot took the bottom bait 

 

Big girl ate the bottom, smaller one ate the top.  

I agree and to me this makes sense.  Most of the time A-rigs are fished above bass, so the most logical hooks to be hit would be the bottom or furthest trailing hook.  However in situations with multiple hook-ups, in skinny water, or when fishing at depths even or below, I would think the likelihood of upper hook strikes would increase.  I have caught quite a few on the upper hooks over the years.  If the law gives me 5, I’m using all 5.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

20 minutes ago, RDB said:

I agree and to me this makes sense.  Most of the time A-rigs are fished above bass, so the most logical hooks to be hit would be the bottom or furthest trailing hook.  However in situations with multiple hook-ups, in skinny water, or when fishing at depths even or below, I would think the likelihood of upper hook strikes would increase.  I have caught quite a few on the upper hooks over the years.  If the law gives me 5, I’m using all 5.

Agree, and while I can't prove it yet with enough data my suspicion is the less viz of the water, the more fish simply charge into the "bait ball" and see what lands in their mouths.     I've been catching fish recently in skinny less viz water, and have tail hooked and back hooked a fish.   Caught another fish outside the mouth.     Then yesterday I catch a big girl in less than 3fow that had two baits perfectly hooked in the back of her mouth, and a third in her lip.   It was the Picasso finesse bait ball rig, and I think she basically inhaled the whole rig.      

 

I was watching some professional who has thrown big swimbaits for his entire life, and he said that he has learned more from big swimbaits about Bass behavior than any other lure.     

 

I starting to feel this way about the A-Rig.     I'm learning things that I never would have without it like the fact that a Spotted Bass and LGM will hunt side by side so closely that they'll bite the same bait. 

 

One of the first things I can remember learning about the A-Rig, is that it triggers a unique "feed response" through the multiple bait presentation.

 

It's a ridiculously addictive bait to fish, between the bone jarring strikes, the quality of fish, the double up potential, and lastly the ability to cover a ton of water seeking active fish.   My shoulder and back hate the darn thing though. ?