January is when many of the Lake Norman's hybrid striped bass, white perch and spotted bass move from the creeks to the main river channel. Add some larger than normal nine to ten pound striped bass, and it makes for fun fishing. Some anglers credit the better than normal fishing season to a change in technique, which includes using Alabama Rigs in lieu of live baits.
The Alabama Rig has been the lure of choice for bass anglers since the fall of 2011. That year, Paul Elias, won $100,000 in a FLW fishing tournament at Lake Guntersville, Alabama. Elias brought twenty bass to the scales that weighed over one hundred pounds, each reportedly caught on an Alabama Rig.
Elias?tournament winning average of five pounds per bass caught the attention of the fishing community. By mid-November, the A-Rig was the hottest selling lure in recent history. Its rapid rise to fame created a supply and demand phenomenon that drove prices to more than $100.00 per lure. Anglers truly believed the A-Rig to be the holy grail of fishing lures, and if they could get their hands on one, they would catch trophy bass like the pros. Supply eventually caught up with the demand, and prices fell dramatically. Over the next two years, the A-Rig continued to produce catches of larger than normal bass, and the lure maintained a high ranking in popularity.
The winter of 2014 saw a resurgence in its use by those who targeted stripers and hybrid striped bass. Taking a nod from their bass fishing counterparts, they cast the A-Rig into schools of surface feeding hybrid striped bass. As water temperatures cooled and the fish went deep, more and more anglers switched to slow trolling techniques.
Trolling is a method where one or more lines, baited with natural or artificial lures, are pulled behind a slow moving boat. Instead of casting a single A-Rig, those who troll are able to pull four, six or eight rigs at the same time. Trolling multiple lines, not only improves one抯 chances, but also allows the boat to cover more water, particularly when fish are scattered. Trolling at 0.5 to 2.0 mph permits the A-rigs to get near the bottom. In order to do so, electric and small gas motors must be used. High powered boat engines have difficulty running for long periods at idle speed.
For those not familiar with the Alabama Rig, it has a wire harness design which allows the angler to cast/troll five or more swim baits on one line. A snap swivel is attached to the center wire and to the terminal end of each arm, which makes it easy to change lures when necessary.
If you haven't used the Alabama Rig, give it a try. It catches lots of fish, and some of them will be big enough to make you proud!
Capt. Gus Gustafson is an Outdoor Columnist and a full time Professional Fishing Guide on Lake Norman, NC. Visit his website at www.Fishingwithgus.com or call 704-617-6812. For additional information, e-mail him at
[email protected].
