The Integrity of the Alabama rig | Articles-Fishing Lures, Spinnerbaits, Hair Jigs, Bass Lures

The Integrity Question Surrounding the Alabama Rig After spending some time on the water fishing the Alabama Rig I have a better idea of the sportsmanship and integrity issues that are surrounding it! First of all as we have seen the A-Rig has five hooks or baits being used at one time while fishing it. Although my first thoughts prior to fishing it, having five hooks, never seemed to me at the time to be a big deal. After fishing it I have changed my thoughts on the number of hooks. The first thing I realized is that the five hooks while catching a fish get hooked into several different parts of the fish’s body. I’ve seen a bass hooked from the tail to the mouth and when you start to remove it from the fish you’re pulling several hooks out of its body and maybe just one out of the mouth. The first question that I starting asking myself, if the fish is hooked anywhere including inside of the mouth; how can this fall within the guidelines of the Professional Bass Fishing Circuits. Most of the pro-circuits the fishermen cannot catch the fish anywhere but inside of the mouth; and if it is determined that the bass was caught in any kind of snagging hook set then they must throw the bass back. Well in my experience so far if the bass wiggles at all she will be hooked in several places besides the mouth. The question then arises, was it hooked first in the mouth or snagged by the tail or body. How can you as a fisherman determine the answer to this question when there is five hooks and one of them is in the mouth and the others are snagged all over its body! I believe the answer is unclear; you do not know if the fish was hooked first in the mouth therefore in this situation the bass should be thrown back and not counted in your five bag weigh-in limit. Then the next thing that I found myself dealing with was the pure fact that four or five hooks all hooked up on a fish had a sense of being painful, and yes I am aware that no one was has ever proved that fish feel pain, it just looked painful and wrong to me. This to me as a big believer of catch and release and someone that wants to preserve the great fishing we have been accustomed too seemed wrong! Secondly after removing three or more hooks out of a fish from one hook set I felt as if this questioned sportsmanship and or could kill the fish and that is something I never want to do. Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Call: 256 759 2270 Captain Mike Gerry

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