It seems like just yesterday nearly all members of the bass fishing media were writing about this new bait/system that mimicked an entire school of baitfish. It’s hard to believe that it was almost two years ago that Paul Elias introduced the Alabama rig with his domination on Lake Guntersville. While the controversy surrounding the A-rig will likely never end, FLW announced last week that umbrella rigs will no longer be allowed on the Walmart FLW Tour. That news was met with glee by pro Dave Lefebre, who is known as the unofficial leader of the “ban the A-rig” movement. It’s easy to sit back and say that Lefebre won, but in reality there was no dispute.
FLW took the prudent, calculated approach and evaluated the rig at its tournaments while simultaneously monitoring any changes or restrictions from the various state game and fish departments. In a May blog, I argued that the A-rig is a game changer in certain conditions, but it’s not a luck lure as it hasn’t changed the players who are dominating the game. Now with two full years of competition in the books, the data show that only three of the 18 FLW Tour events were won on the rig. Furthermore, the names at the top of the Angler of the Year race never changed – it was the Morgans, Ehrlers, Dudleys, Powrozniks, Christies, and Thrifts like always. Read more….