The poster from Grand makes a good point I hadn't thought about. Tournament directors will need more resources and funds to better care for the increased numbers of fish coming in. More fish weighed in = more delayed mortality. That is not chicken little, it is a natural correlation. Interesting.

if we want to talk about what's fair how bout them gadgets we all got that show us exactly where a school is on a ledge or in a channel bend. the guys on the highest level are so good that it just depends on who finds the winning fish with very few exceptions those guys are catching five every day. it seems that it is more about being around the right fish. so that part will still be there. does'nt anybody think that the fish will get used to seeing this lure or lures just like every thing else that has been new and on fire, this is just to a greater degree. I say give it some time it will eventually calm down. congrats to the folks who are on the money end of this idea. by the way not a tournament fisherman, never thrown one of these just an avid weekend angler who does enjoy the challenge when it gets tough. just armchair Qb on this one

I don't know what it is but if a guy with a 2K depth finder, a hyrowave, two power poles, and a aqua veiw camera beats me with a crankbait I'm ok with it. Someone beats me with an A-rig I feel cheated.

Ban the A-Rig, along with trot lines completley in Texas "public" waters would be fine with me.

Couldn't agree more!!

I don't have a problem with them and I am a tournament fisherman. I have five of them. I have thrown one once so far this year and was tired after 10 casts. As far as it being not fair, how many times do you actually catch more than one at a time on it? I'll be willing to bet not many at all. Remember when the ac plug came out an everyone was wacking big bass on fork, they didn't ban it and it ran its course. If you get beat by a a-rig then even the field, get you one. If I'm throwing spinnerbaits and someone smokes my butt on jigs I'm not gonna want them to ban jigs!! Just my opinion fellas.

A person can not compare a jig, spinnerbait, crankbait or any other bait to the A-rig. It is like comparing apples and oranges. Fish will not evolve past biting an A-rig(in my opinion). I have a good buddy that is a retired fireman and he fishes almost everyday. He told me that it is the most amazing thing he has ever seen, he can now catch the fish that he tried for 30 years to figure out how to catch. You guys know the ones that are suspended out over deep water, relating to nothing. He says when he finds them on his locatator he backs off and catchs them with the a-rig. An a-rig triggers the predator instint in the fish. A bass can turn away from single shad, or a single crawdad, but a school of shad is a different story all together, they will smash a school just out of instinct even if they are not feeding. If they evolve past hitting the a-rig we will see 1 of 2 things happen: 1- bass will be right next to impossible to catch (because they will no longer be a predator) 2- they will starve to death, what the a-rig reproduces is what they do by instinct.

So now I have to make a choice between 3 options: 1- keep throwing a jig and get beat into submission, 2- give up tourney fishing (which i love to do), 3- get on the band wagon and throw the a-rig. My partner and I will be throwing them because we will have to, to compete, but that does not mean that I like to throw them (I am still a die hard jig fisherman).

I just hope that everyone will do everything in their power to keep up with the extra fish that is going to be caught. Delayed mortality is real and it will hurt lakes more quickly than one thinks. If the a-rig is banned I hope it banned for the health of the species not because someone thinks somebody and unfair advantage over them.

You still have a 5 fish limit!!!! It doesn't matter whether you catch them on an A-rig or a jig or a crankbait. If you are getting beat by one you can do one of two things.

Im sure more fish will be caught on "senko" type baits and be gut hooked than caught on an A-Rig, might as well call the state and ban live bait and bobbers too!!....Give me a break!

I'm not a fan of the A-rig, but this is the stupidest reason to get rid of it that I've heard yet.

Highly doubt that but, this IMHO... To heck with it...Balloons and 10" Shiners! Anyone?

The Alabama rig is causing more controversy than whether abortion is the right thing or not.

Maybe you don't understand, what I am saying is you are going to see a greater "delayed mortality" due to the extra weight that everyone is going to catch. If you don't think it make that big of difference come to Grand Lake (one of the best jigs lakes in the US) and put your money up and don't throw an A-rig, you will get you a** handed to you. In 20 boat jackpots over half of the feild is catching 20+ lbs. That is where the problem lies, when the water warms there are going to be alot of fish die just because no one is used to the amount of fish that is going to be weighed. I am in no way talking about foul hooked fish, just the ones that are going to die from the stress of being held in over stocked holding tanks.

When the water warms people aren't going to be throwing A-rigs.

By that logic, we should probably just stop putting fish in the livewell all together.

When the water warms you are going to see even more fish caught on them. When they get on the long points chasing shad it will be unreal what is caught. They are smoking them right now when the fish are not even feeding that much,(suspended at 20' over 60'). When you get a bass relating to cover, wether it is brush, rocks, ledges or what ever they are holding on, they are there to feed. They will tear the a-rig up. Maybe the bass in Texas are different, but what I seen at Falcon they are not much different than Grand Lake bass.