Alabama Rigs Are No Joke

After months of requests the time has finally come for me to chime in on the topic of Alabama Rigs, generically known as "Spreader Rigs" or "Umbrella Rigs". Obviously I'm months behind the hype. Most of you now own rigs and have had some experience with them. Some of you are probably having a blast catching fish on them while others of you have already retired them to a plano box where they will soon be forgotten.I would have chimed in months ago but I wasn't willing to speak out until I felt I was speaking from a place of experience.

For those of you that have been living under a rock, the "Alabama Rig" gained huge notoriety when Paul Elias won a major event last fall. It is a smaller, "freshwater" version of the old saltwater spreader rigs.

The video was shot on Clearlake in mid-april. While the fish in the video is by far my largest fish on the "A-rig" my clients and I have been catching big fish on it all spring. As you watch the video you will notice there are a handful of details that I failed to cover. I apologize for the oversight, but Jeff and I were in a hurry to get back to fishing. The day ended with 5 fish for 44.05 lbs, only one of which (the smallest) was not caught on a Spreader Rig.

Feel free to respond with your thoughts and questions. I'll film a follow up video with more of the technical details in the coming weeks and will answer as many of the questions as possible at that time.

Reaping the Rewards

In a recent post I talked extensively about commitment and how sticking to your game plan will eventually pay off. You may come up empty handed day after day but if you keep going your turn will come. I’m not saying you won’t catch fish along the way, and depending on what your particular goal is you may reach is sooner than later.
Its important to understand that across the country goals vary. You may be looking for your first swimbait fish, a 4 lber, an 8 lber, or for the Texans in the crowd, a Share-a-Lunker. Or maybe you’re just looking to catch more fish, these are all great goals and are all achievable in time. Whatever your goal is, creating a game plan and following through is the only way to achieve it.
Yes, you can hire guides, use live bait, or try to glean something from the “dock talk”, these things can speed up the learning curve but in the end nothing replaces time on the water.
On a recent trip I was rewarded with a beautiful 11.5 lb bass. The fish was great, but the conditions were anything but. Most anglers had already given up and headed for the ramp but we decided to hold out and fish a little longer. I was armed with a sweatshirt and flip flops, not the sort of gear one should be wearing during a harsh spring storm in the mountains. Logic said to pack up and head for the protection of the truck but my goals mandated that I continue to fish.
Through the shakes, shivers, and yeah, a little bit of whining, something magical happened. The bite turned on. Out of seemingly no where two fish bit back to back. We went from no fish, to two fish for over 17 lbs

The moral of the story is to keep going. Remember to respect your surroundings and know your limits but if at all possible stick to your plan. The big fish are there and when the time is right, they bite. If you wrap it up and head for the ramp you’ll never know what could have been.

13.4lb Largemouth Released

By popular demand… here’s the release video of the 13lber!

13.4 lb largemouth start to finish

I thought long and hard before deciding to put this video on here. Our promise at Tactical Bassin is to be honest so you’re going to see the video unedited, with sound, just like it happened. Keep scrolling past the video and I’ll give you a blow by blow of what took place. Remember, its not always about the perfect cast, the perfect angle, or the perfect conditions. Sometimes everything lines up and a big fish just makes a mistake!

Like I said before, not every fish bites under the perfect conditions. Sometimes “having that feeling” isn’t necessary. This day was just another tough day on the water until this fish made a mistake.

I had come across this spot earlier in the day and had a large fish follow my bait to the boat. After running all over the lake without as much as a follow I decided to give her a second approach. I made “the perfect cast” and sure enough she followed up to the boat again, looked me square in the eyes, laughed, flipped me the fin, and headed back to her deep water haunt.
Now the video is rolling… I’ve just asked my friend to come stand next to me as the fish was still in sight sitting up against her favorite piece of cover and I wanted him to get a good look.
I make a half-hearted cast in order to draw the fish into the open and teach my friend about the way big bass move. If you listen closely you can hear me saying, “This isn’t how to approach a big fish. If she eats this its just because she’s unpressured.” As you can see, the bite doesn’t even register. I see her rush the bait but I’m so surprised by it that I don’t even set the hook at first! From then on its just a straight forward tug of war with a big bass all the way to the net.
I hope you guys enjoy the video! I could have edited out the background, or the swimbait, or me talking to my girlfriend on the phone with a big bass in my hands but let’s face it… fishing is about having fun and sharing the experience with others.

Equipment: Dobyns 807 Mag HSB coupled with a Shimano Calcutta 400B
Line: 80 lb Power Pro tied with a blood knot to 30 lb P-Line CXX
Bait: Huddleston Deluxe 8″ rigged with a single treble on the back