Alabama rig

[salmobytes 0]

The New York Times ran an outdoors column today announcing the international bass somethingorother had recently banned the Alabama Rig from competition events because it works too well. An Alabama rig is an extra heavy jumble of wires that allows a bait caster to fish with up to six rubbery lures at once.

 

I've fished tandem streamer flies for years. My favorite such rig is what I call blacks and whites, where I use a black rabbit strip streamer in front of a white one. Or versa visa.

 

Makes you wonder about fishing two streamers side by side somehow, instead for one in front of the other. The following is the infamous and now banned Alabama Rig. You need a heavy bait casting rod and a strong arm just to toss that thing. However. I'll bet there is a lightweight way to fish two streamers side-by-side. I'm going to have to think about that one.

 

[ihang10 0]

Not sure about tandem flies, but I'd render the Alabama rig useless and tangled in a hot minute.

[salmobytes 0]

Well sure. That's why I wondered about two streamers side by side. Two would probably be the maximum possible, if you wanted to toss it with a fly rod. I'm just musing. I remember many years ago when a spinner manufacturer used an advertising campaign based around "Our lure is banned in Yellowstone Park." The only real basis for that claim was the existence of "fly fishing only" waters therein. But it was--apparently--an effective ad campaign.

 

I do fish two streamers a lot. One in front of the other. Would side by side make any difference? I doubt it. But it would be fun to try. Somehow. Someway

 

By the way....for what it's worth....Yellowstone Park still has a few waters designated as "Fly Fishing Only." I asked the ranger at Mammoth Junction about it a few years ago. "How do you define fly fishing?" I asked. "Not bait," was his answer. I was surprised. So I asked about that.

 

"We tried to come up with a logical definition for fly fishing," he said. "But we found it was impossible. So we decided to leave the designation on the maps. But to enforce it as 'not bait'".

[vicrider 0]

Okay, salmob, I have a question from your experience. Do you find fish will much more often hit the rear streamer regardless of which color is there? Over the years I've found that fish for some reason will pick on the back bait almost without fail. Catch a fish on a spinner, fine. Tie a leader on behind the spinner and the fish will hit the fly. You often hear of people fishing tandem nymphs and fish consistently taking the rear nymph. Maybe it's the ingrained nature of predator to take what is the easier prey and the trailer seems a little slower or weaker.

 

So, if you were to use a light wire rig to separate your streamers side by side it may give the fish a chance to choose color more consistently so you can switch to one color on both sides, or it might even cut back on strikes versus the trailer rig setup. Interesting concept to try.

[salmobytes 0]

Excellent question! Yes. They almost always take the point fly. Even when it's two nymphs instead of two streamers. But I still think it helps. Perhaps the first one catches their attention and the second one makes up their mind. It's another reason to wonder about side by side. Information is power. Knowing things is useful. Even if you don't make direct use of it.

[Crackaig 0]

Hmm I've never been into casting hardware, and that is quite a lump of it. The problem with doing that with fly fishing is being able to cast the set up. If you are willing to have them quite close together this would be one way.

Its one idea.

Cheers,

C.

[mikechell 0]

For conventional gear, I hate the Alabama Rig. Of course fish will attack a school of bait fish more often than a single fish. Evolution has given predators the ability to stun and disorient fish with ferocious attacks. They attack a school of fish with the chances of stunning more than the original target to come back and pick off. I feel the A-rig is "cheating".

 

Two flies, one after another is a "draw and target" presentation ... quite a different situation. Two flies, side by side, I am not even sure the predator would notice. From the side, it might even look like one bait fish. It is a very odd condition, rarely seen in nature. Watch fish ... they usually try to get the "prime" position, in current, in feeding, whatever. Even when "pair" is swimming together, one almost always leads the other.

 

I do like the dual fly tie above ... that looks more "natural".

[salmobytes 0]

Wow. I have a bunch of those big worm hooks. I'll have to try that. Thank you!

[Crackaig 0]

Glad you like the idea Salmobytes, Don't make the same mistake I have on that one though!

 

Cheers,

C.

[SILKHDH 0]

It's kind of like an umbrella rig. Umbrella rigs are killer for striped bass. I've seen that rig before. I can say in Kansas, and I assume other places too, you can only put two baits with hooks on it. The other lures have to be dumbies for attraction only. NO hook. I'm not even sure if there legal in Kansas. The law is "only two hooks per rod".

Is that the way you guys have to use it?

 

Also, I have seen the dual streamer fly before. I like it. I even bought some of those hooks to tie some, but never got to it. I guess its on my bucket list some where.

[whatfly 0]

When fishing two nymphs, you will get the most hits on the one at the right depth more often than not. Could be either top or bottom, although often a mix of both. For streamers, again it will vary depending on conditions. If you are fishing tandem buggers or the like, I see no advantage to a side by side presentation because the point of having two flies is to cover more area. Of course, with most of the modern articulated streamers, I would not bother with two flies due to the size of the patterns. If you really wanted to, however, seems to me you could just rig a dropper loop with a stiff tippet for the first fly and then have a very short leader to the point fly and you would have tandem flies. Not worth the casting headaches I suspect.

[SILKHDH 0]

whatfly, My difference with your comment is that this type of rig is mainly to replicate a school of bait fish. Not to cover the water column. But I do agree with the side by side being a tangle head ache. I think the above posted fly is the PERFECT way to present a couple of baitfish. A plus is with stiff enough bucktail, it is even weedless.

The only thing I would change is I think the fish on the bottom is tie up-side-down. Now that's just me. I'm sure the original tie had a vision when he tied it and that's what he wanted. A multi- directional fly. It's kind of a Bent back tied fly. What ever it's called, I like it, and some day will copy it in a shad and minnow color. The white bass and wipers will eat it up.

[mikechell 0]

Silk ... the "umbrella rig" and the "Alabama rig" are the same thing.

 

Crackaig ... two minnows "spooning", that should be the name of that fly.

[cheech 0]

I fish conventional gear a LOT... I never bought in to the whole Alabama/Umbrella rig, but I have a buddy that spent a bunch of money on them. He's never caught a fish on it.

[mikechell 0]

I fish conventional gear a LOT... I never bought in to the whole Alabama/Umbrella rig, but I have a buddy that spent a bunch of money on them. He's never caught a fish on it.

Ha ha ha .... LOL .... I love it when a fad fails to produce. (cough cough ... I mean, oh, sorry to hear that)

The only "fad" in conventional gear that I am REALLY glad stayed around, is the soft plastic bait.