Well its official, today B.A.S.S. made a rule change that does not allow the use of Alabama Rigs and other techniques that use more than one lure such as double fluke rigs, drop shots that use jigs as weight and frontrunner/topwater combos. Right now it only applies to Elites and the Classic. I bet this is only the first of many more rules changes.....

Well, I guess it's only a matter of time before bass clubs, the federation, and other follow their lead.

Anyone want to buy my A-Rigs?

So what does everyone think about the B.A.S.S. decision?

You can read the full article HERE

It is so funny how people love to push the envelope. I now hear talk where fishermen are proposing to use teasers without hooks and have only one main bait with the hook.
I kind of saw this ban coming. So now A-rigs, School rigs and all the others will be dust collectors . It is funny how the price came down so quick. Instead of 29 bucks, they are now going for 12 to 16 dollars.
Well you can use the rigs to thatch the yard. They will be great for aerating the yard in the spring. Just cast and drag the rigs across your lawn .

I kinda saw it coming because of all the talk over it but I didn't see the other bans. Double flukes and double top water rigs and dropshot jigs. But I know the DNR rule in Ohio says you can't use more than three hooks on one line. Another bussiness regulated out of bussiness. Like the natural bait B.A.S.S banned a few years ago. But left Gulp out of it for some reason.

You know Alycat you make a great point, that's a sad reality of our world. Regulations and rules can make or break a company. Here you had a guy who invented something that was taking off and was on his way. Now all of his success could be in danger because of this change. Although at the moment, you still can use these rigs in many tournament trails and even at the club level. So until that changes, people will still be buying and using the A-Rig. Probably even more now that the Elite Series banned it. It could really boost his business and the businesses that copied his rig...

Brendan, the original designer of the A rig actually made some serious cash, they sold the business to Mann's, I believe thats who bought it, but it still hurts Mann's. I have noticed that several companies jumped on the wagon, I have seen several big name companies with A rigs.

Mann’s Bait Company acquires license for Alabama Rig
Posted: Nov 16, 2011 8:39 AM CST
Updated: Nov 16, 2011 8:47 AM CST
Posted By Chris Coleman, Channel 3 Outdoors Contributor


Slick Lures, LLC, the owner and developer of The Alabama rig®, and Mann's Bait Company Inc. have concluded an agreement which designates Mann's as the sole and exclusive licensee for the manufacture, marketing and sale of The Alabama Rig® to the fishing tackle trade.

Andy Poss, the inventor of The Alabama Rig®, explained "It was vitally important to our company and to the long term success of The Alabama Rig® to affiliate with a high profile company having a widely recognized brand throughout the fishing tackle industry. In these uncertain times, we are particularly pleased to be able to partner with a company that is committed to making 100% of its products in the U.S.A."

Mann's Bait Company, a leading manufacturer of a broad range of artificial lures for both freshwater and saltwater fishing, has sold its high quality products to recreational fishermen around the world for over 50 years.

Leave it to Kevin to be up on the fishing news. Good stuff Kevin.

Wouldn't expect anything less...

Hey speaking of rules, Frank mentioned that BASS put a "one boat per season" rule into effect (or are going to)... anyone heard about this one? He was saying how they are trying to discourage guys using jetboats to sneak into back pockets...

So does this mean everyone that got an A-rig from me for Christmas, owes me my money back...

Wasn't it Roland Martin in the middle of the tourny had a jet boat air lifted to CT?

You are correct, one boat per year....here is the article



Still An Option For '12 Classic
New Elite Series Rule Eliminates Boat-Switching
Friday, January 13, 2012




Photo: BassFan
Bassmaster Elite Series anglers such as Steve Kennedy (who ran an aluminum rig in the 2009 Classic) will no longer have the option of using a different style of boat when they think it may give them an advantage.
(Editor's note: BassFan will observe Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, so a new top story will not appear until Tuesday.)

By Jonathan Manteuffel
Special to BassFan

BassFan has received confirmation that Bassmaster Elite Series anglers will be required to fish the entire 2012 season from the same boat they start with. In other words, competitors no longer have the option to use a fiberglass rig in one tournament and an aluminum boat in the next.

The rule goes into effect on March 1, shortly after the conclusion of the 2012 Bassmaster Classic.

The rule was requested by a number of Elite Series anglers and approved by B.A.S.S. within the last couple of weeks. It is an addition to Rule P4. UNIFORMS, WRAPPED BOATS, ETC. and reads as follows: "Pros are required to start the season with one wrapped boat for all 2012 Elite series competition. Any changes during the season must be to a comparable boat as approved by tournament officials."

B.A.S.S. tournament director Trip Weldon explained what "comparable boat" means.

"If they start the season in a 21-foot glass boat and say (for example they) change sponsors, then it must be to another boat comparable in the 21-foot range," he said. "Or they can compete in a jet boat or walleye-type boat all season. They just won't be allowed to switch back and forth within the season."

Weldon said the rule came about because "Elite anglers wanted to level the playing field." That sentiment was confirmed by several pros.

"As we like to say, 'Run what ya brung,''' said John Crews. "I think it is good for keeping the anglers on an even playing field. B.A.S.S. has a good history of setting the benchmark for rules and this will be an important year to continue that tradition."

ARTICLE SOURCE

We had a lot of that happen when the Foxwood's Bass Challenge Tour was around. There were always some team that ran jetboats on the CT River and Hudson River. They usually won too!

I've seen that here too. If your fishing the river and you want to get real shallow guys would take a jhonboat style boat to get way back in the creeks till the clubs started making certain areas off limits. Since i fish in buddy style tournaments and we are both registered as boaters. We can use either my boat a basstracker 170 pro v or his boat a ranger camanchee 170. for small lakes or electric only we use mine for large water or the river we use his. I really like his for big water when its rough out it has more room and a windsheild to hide behind in bad weather. But for small skinny water you can't beat the tracker.

I have a 16' Alumicraft MV Tex-Mex that I use on Long Island mostly, but I baught it with the idea that if I ever needed to, I could throw a jetdrive motor on it. For now I just pulled the console and throttle linkage out. It's an easy convert.



Length 16' 10"
Beam 84"
Max HP Rating 55 HP

Whats next registering your rods and reels at the beginning of the season. Seriously, its just another piece of equipment. I can use a flippin stick for one tourney and the next might be all spinning tackle, what makes the boat different?
Although I think the tours would be quite different if the anglers were limited to 18 foot aluminums with 75 HP Motors. Now that would level the playing field!

I think guys are just complaining because not everyone has a friend near the river with a jet boat they can borrow. These guys are driving all over the country, it's not like they can just stop off at the house and switch boats (even if they own an aluminum too).

I'm sure they had enough people complaining to warrant the decision.

Well now there is a petition online that people can sign to ban the Alabama Rig. Go to BassFan and there is an article that has link to take you to site. I think there is over 600 signatures so far, some of the big names are signing anonymous. But there are some signatures you might recognize......

This is what the FLW had to say about it:

FLW


The Alabama Rig has taken the bass-fishing world by storm. Every discussion about its use seems to generate an emotional response unlike anything I’ve seen in my more than 30 years in the sport.

For every passionate plea that it be banned from tournaments, there is an equally passionate plea that it be allowed. No matter which side of the debate you are on, one thing is undeniable: The Alabama Rig has generated a level of excitement and interest in bass fishing unlike anything that has come before.

Since their inception, tournaments have been the spawning ground for lure, equipment and technique innovations that help recreational anglers catch more and bigger fish. It’s the reason fans tune in to our television shows, visit our websites, read our magazines and attend our events. There are millions of bass anglers out there with an insatiable appetite for cutting-edge information that will make them better at their sport. To argue that the Alabama Rig and other castable umbrella rigs be banned from tournaments is to believe that we’ve finally reached the end of innovation; that the great equalizer has been found; that the only thing separating novice anglers from the world’s top professionals is a weighted head with five wire leaders and swimbaits. There is nothing more to learn.

We believe professional anglers deserve more credit than that. We believe their skill and intuition will not be undercut by a baitfish-imitating technique that helps less experienced anglers catch fish when otherwise they might not. Will it force some pros to elevate their game and adapt? Of course it will. Just like GPS, side-imaging sonar, sight-fishing, shallow-water anchors and countless lure, line and rod innovations have done over the years. Buzzbaits and ChatterBaits were once considered radical, as were flipping and sight-fishing. But they are all simply tools of the trade now. The same will hold true for Alabama Rigs. It’s not the end of fishing as we know it.

Anglers are still held to a daily five-fish limit. Tournaments are still catch-and-release. Our conservation ethic has not changed. We’ve taken the additional step of contacting wildlife officials in each state hosting an event in every FLW circuit to urge them to study the effects of castable umbrella rigs on live release rates. If conservation issues are discovered, we will reevaluate our rules accordingly. For now, we are leaving that in the capable hands of the experts within each state, and castable umbrella rigs will be permitted in our 2012 tournaments.

Sincerely,

Kathy Fennel

President, Operations Division

FLW Outdoors
Source