The Alabama Rig

     Ok, unless you have been living under a rock for the past few months you have heard of the all mighty Alabama rig. In my years of fishing I have never seen a lure sweep the fishing world so quickly. It has won at least $500,000 on the pro circuits since Paul Elias let the cat out of the bag and countless local tournaments as well. I myself have many, should I say too many, and have even made a few myself. I recently purchased a few Pay-Me rigs from Venom Lures out of Ohio and I will have to say that these are the best that I have used.

     The Pay-Me rig is 100% American made and has no lead in it at all. In fact the whole rig itself weighs about 3/16 of an ounce making it easier to throw than other rigs I have used. With it being lighter it is easier to control in whatever water column you are trying to fish. It also tracts great in the water and the head on the rig always stays upright. On most of my other rigs the head always lays to the side when retrieved. As for durability, I have caught tons of fish on the first one I bought with multiple doubles. It holds its shape very well and needs little tuning, aside from its first tuning out of the package. Another thing to note about the Pay-Me rig that I have noticed is that upon casting your baits and line remain tangle free a lot more often than with other rigs. The Pay-Me rig can be purchased online at www.venomlures.com and currently they are running a special with 10% off of their entire stock with free shipping.

     I throw this rig on a Falcon Cara 7'3" heavy action casting rod know as the Amistad Special with either a Revo SX (6.4:1 gear ratio) or a Revo Winch (5.4:1 gear ratio) spooled with 20 lb flurocarbon. I live in the upper state of South Carolina and the lakes here are very clear so braid is not an option. I actually started with braid and when my dad had caught twice as many fish behind me I quickly switched to flurocarbon and have not gone back. The two different gear ratios are for the times of the year. I started throwing a home made Alabama rig in the Fall with the SX and with the cooling water this Winter I switched to the Winch to help slow down. I have also realized that the oversized handle and the slower gear ratio of the Winch does not wear you out when throwing the rig all day, much like when throwing a deep diving crankbait all day in the Summer.

     Fishing the Alabama rig is quite simple, there isn't much to it. I have caught fish around structure, in open water, and even just beating the bank. The hard part of this rig is casting it. It is hard to keep your line from wrapping in the baits and keeping your baits from tangling with one another while airborne. As mentioned above however, Venom's Pay-Me rig helps with both. Once in the water, I have found a slow and steady retrieve works best, slower the better, and with the Pay-Me rig being so light, a slow retrieve allows you to keep the rig in the strike zone a lot longer. When you get a strike there is no mistaking it. The fish will literally knock you hand off of the crank. It is important not to set the hook when you get a bite, but instead just keep your rod firm and sweep it to set the hook. This is very hard to do, but with braid or flurocarbon, which ever you choose, there is no stretch and setting the hook will pull the baits away from the fish. I have also found that if you do not horse the fish to the boat multiples happen quite often. After catching a few fish, it is important to check the condition of the wires that make up the rig. I have not had any problems with the Pay-Me rig as mentioned before, but with other rigs I have lost links while fish were attached to them and while casting the rig. The most important thing about the rig is you have to throw it. It's kind of hard to catch fish on it if you don't. It may take some time to get over the fact that is sounds like a bowling ball when it hits the water, but after a few fish on it, you will forget.

Till next time, God bless and tight lines!