Whats New with Alabama Rigs?

Love 'em or hate 'em the Alabama Rig is here to stay! Its been questioned, argued, bashed, and even banned... but the A-rig just keeps catching fish for the anglers that have stuck with it.

We thought it was time to revisit the Umbrella Rig now that all the dust has settled. We know you can't use it in most major tournaments but that doesn't stop you from prefishing, fun fishing, or trophy hunting with the rig. This week's video covers some of the changes that have come along as companies have fine-tuned their approach to this awesome technique.

The two biggest differences from rig to rig in today's market are blades vs. no blades, and the number of baits a rig can hold.

I don't think there is a right or wrong answer when it comes to these various options so you need to be prepared for every circumstance. The bladed rigs like the Yum Flash Mob or Flash mob junior seem to work best when the water is stained or you have overcast conditions. Once the skies and waters clear I prefer using a more finesse rig like the Boss "All wire" or Frenzy Baits Sniper.

If the fish have seen a lot of rigs it might be time to go custom. There are plenty of small manufactures making ultralight rigs with 6, 8, 10, and even 15+ baits on them. While this may seem excessive, if you're looking to fool the wariest of giants it might be worth considering.

The one part of the rig that we haven't changed our minds on at all is the hardware and baits. We're still using the Dirty Jigs Swimbait Head (usually 1/8 oz) and coupling it with either a 4.8 Keitech Fat Swing Impact or RI Skinny Dippers. The specifics of how we rig them is still the same as last year's video which you can see below.

We know this isn't a new topic but with all the changes and refinements that have been made to these rigs over the last few years we thought it was time to touch on the subject again. We hope this helps!

How to Back Reel

When the fishing gets tough many anglers turn to finesse tactics. While this increases their odds, it creates its own set of unique challenges. The most significant of which is learning to adapt to fighting big fish on light line.

The technology behind spinning reels has vastly improved in recent years but there is still room to fine tune your skills. One of the best ways to increase your odds at landing big fish on light tackle, is to back reel.

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In this week's video, Tim finds himself fighting a 14 pound catfish. He was completely outgunned, armed with only a Stratic, Dobyns Spinning Rod, and 4 lb Line. Catfish are known for pulling hard, rolling in the line, and otherwise destroying tackle. Instead of letting the drag scream and hoping for the best, we flipped the camera on so Tim could walk you through how to back reel, why he's doing it, and how it can benefit you.

The biggest misunderstanding about back reeling is that your drag will be disabled. This simply isn't true, its still intact and working normally. When you're reeling in reverse there is no stress on the line but if a fish pulls harder than you can react to, the drag is still in place and will release line like usual. Really, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain so the next time you find yourself tied to a big fish, flip that little switch on your reel and give it a try!

How to Catch the Fish of a Lifetime

I recently had the opportunity to do two seminars at the International Sportsman's Expo in Sacramento. From swimbaits to jigs, even going so far as fishing a chartreuse spinnerbait with willow leaf blades at night, I laid out my tricks for fooling big Winter and Spring bass.  There was a great turnout and a lot of positive feedback. There were also quite a few requests from anglers that live outside the area, that we record the seminar so they could listen and learn as well. The show was extremely loud and there is some background noise but Tim did everything he could to bring you the complete seminar.

From start to finish, here it is! Below you will find a breakdown of the various baits I discuss in the seminar with quick links to see them on Tackle Warehouse.

We hope you're able to glean some knowledge from the seminar and put it to work on your local fisheries. If you have any questions, we're here so feel free to ask.

The following baits were used in the tank:

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Photo Courtesy of Sean Moffett

Trout/Kokanee eaters:

• Huddleston Deluxe 8" Swimbait
• River2Sea S-Waver 200
• Gan Craft Jointed Claw Magnum
• Dirty Jigs Tackle 3/4 oz Pitchin Jig with Sweet Beaver or Pork Trailer

Bluegill/Baitfish Eaters:

• JSJ Prototype Swimbait (Not yet available)
• River2Sea S-waver 168
• Dirty Jigs 3/4 oz. California Swim Jig with Roboworm EZ Shad Trailer

Night Fishing:

• Huddleston 8" Trout Swimbait
• Osprey 7" Tournament Talon Swimbait
• Dirty Jigs 3/4 oz California Swim Jig with 4.8 Keitech Trailer
• Revenge Heavy Duty Spinnerbait (Double Willow)

Night Fishing with Infrared Cameras

This past week we attended the International Sportsman's Expo. Instead of fishing we were meeting anglers, shaking hands, and doing seminars on the bass tank. The seminars were recorded so you should expect to see some of the content uploaded here very soon. We know some of you live out of state, and even out of country so we did our best to capture it for anyone that wasn't able to be there in person.

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Since you'll have to wait on that footage we thought we'd share something unique with you this week. To our knowledge this has not been done before by bass fisherman. Tacticalbassin used Infrared technology and  highly modified GoPro cameras to record a night of fishing. This allowed them to capture very clear images without the use of lighting so that you can have a true, first person view of what goes on out there in the dark.

The footage is very well lit from the camera's perspective but remember, without the headlamps the anglers cannot see anything. Enjoy the footage, good luck out here this week, and keep an eye out for more infrared fishing clips in the future!