Alabama Rig

[TritonGlenn]

I finally have free time on my hands (just finished my college degree!), so I'm going to get back in the shop during Christmas vacation and twist up wire / pour lead / paint some lures. I was thinking about building my own Alabama rigs. Can someone out there that has one they like take some wire length measurements for me so I have a starting point for length? Any idea what weight head size they pour on the main body?



I have a few new ideas floating around in my mind that I've wanted to try for a while. I'll be pouring lead this weekend.



All the best,

Glenn

 

[Carlos Hathcock III]

Hammer can help you as he has a few on hand.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

When I worked Green Top's grand opening, I got to see a bunch of them and talk to Kevin Short about the rig. They had a good selection and what amazed me was all of the different sizes they came in. I asked him if they were really that good since my experience was limited and he told me at certain times of the year if you weren't throwing them, you were getting beat by them.:lol: 5 wire rigs, 3 wire rigs, 2 wire rigs, I saw a bunch. Seemed to me to be standard spinnerbait, buzzbait wire with heads up to 1/4 oz. The biggest thing to remember when throwing them is to put a different bait on the "center" wire.

 

[TritonGlenn]

Thanks Tox. Any idea of wire length (average)?

All the best,

Glenn

 

[Dan J.]

5"-7" are the standard length arms I've found most used on the better rigs. Some of the micro rigs have shorter arms, but I wouldn't recommend any bass fishing with them. (i.e. Lucky Craft's Bevy Rig.) .035 on the smaller, shirter arm rigs and .040 to .045 on the larger ones. I still have a few of Andy Poss' originals with the composite heads and have found that the lighter composite heads work better overall with the later generations that emulated Andy's success. They also tangle less in flight with the jig/lure weight at the bottom of the rig and not the top. It is also much easier to throw and retrieve when using balance in the rigging. For example, on a typical 5 arm rig I'll use two 3/16 oz. jigheads for the top arms and 1/4 to 5/16 oz. jigheads for the bottom arms with a non-weighted hooked body in the middle. This keeps spin down in flight and instantly rights and runs true on the retrieve. It also allows a more effective use through the water column as the rig described drops at about 2' per second on the fall, depending on bodies chosen, to allow you to work the depth desired. In Fall and Winter they are VERY productive and all around on suspended fish will produce. Good luck!

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Dan,



Do I remember the bottom 2 arms being a bit longer? And the center arm being shorter and the top 2 a cut between the 2 (longer than the center but shorter than the bottom)? All to keep the rig upright and running straight? I have also seen heavier heads on the bottom 2 wires for this same reason.

 

[Wayne P.]

The NORMAL A-rig has all the wires the same length. You can fan out 4 of them and leave a center one that looks like it is longer, but it is not.



I make mine using .050 wire either with the utility marker flags or Tooth Proof stainless steel wire.



I make some with a longer center wire for some presentations.



As far are attachments, you can use different baits on the wires, all the same, different weights, 5 Rat'L Traps, 5 spinnerbait, 5 jigs, etc.



Yes you want a lighter or almost weightless head. To perform correctly the attachments should be the weight. The head can be a fancy painted or just the wire twisted to hold it all together. I use an aluminum ferrule to hold the wire.

 

[TritonGlenn]

Thanks all. Greatly appreciated.

All the best,

Glenn

 

[Dan J.]

Tox - I've seen a multitude of configurations in the past couple years, but the majority of them have equal length arms. This will give similar drag in the water and provide balance, again helping to reduce/eliminate spin. After lobbing through the air it is highly desirable to have it land and fall balanced to keep line tangles to a minimum and start a retrieve through the desired depth range. As Wayne mentioned, a longer center wire is found on some rigs also to produce a "trailing bait from the school" effect. For the best results I've experienced, balance is the key.



Wayne - That's a good looking, heavy-duty rig you've made.

 

[Ed Rife]

Glen you need to make them complient for which States you plan on fishing them also..

Some limit the amount of rigged baits per line. 2 wire.3 wire etc.

 

[TritonGlenn]

Ed,

Good point. I had already looked into it and confirmed I'm good to go in TX. I found a nice link that lists all states legality of the Alabama Rig that I thought might come in handy for others.



All the best,

Glenn
http://www.fhcoutdoors.com/list-of-all-alabama-rig-state-laws/

 

[Dan J.]

Great link Glenn! Good thing to keep in mind for some of those states don't play with A-rigs reg.'s in the least.

 

[Wayne P.]

I've caught more bass with my mini-umbrella rig than with the bigger one.