Fishing' the A Rig

[Saba Slayer]

I went outside to fish for halibut yesterday but it turned into "Victory at Sea" in a very short time with limits of wind...!...so I came back into the harbor and thought I'd try the Alabama Rig for the first time for some bass or maybe a halibut.
I dragged the A rig near the bottom while throwing the 3/8 Hookup Baits...What a fun day...there are a bunch of short Cuda in the harbor and they trashed their share of Hookups and tried to ruin the A rig...LOL... The bass were biting and I had a couple of double hookups on Sandies. Most of the fish were the smaller guys but I did manage one legal.
I'll be adding a couple of those Alabama rigs to my arsenal now...
I ended the day with about a dozen Bass and some Cuda....off the water by 11am and back to work on the Battle of the Bays tourneys...Al in all it was a fun day in the harbor.
See you all Saturday at the tournament...
A Rigs are legal to use in the tourney...

[jlabs63]

That is a cool rig. I have been told they are not legal in CA, but it sounds like they are. Can you explain?

[King Saba]

Originally Posted by jlabs63

That is a cool rig. I have been told they are not legal in CA, but it sounds like they are. Can you explain?

If I’m not mistaken, the issue is on yet number of books used. 3 Max in saltwater I believe.

[alanw]

Yep, 3 hooks maximum in CA "inland waters". That rig is no bueno in the bays.

https://californiaoutdoorsqas.com/20...in-california/

[Baja_Traveler]

I have the same exact rig - except I put two flashers in the top two spots instead of hooked softbaits. Caught a Barracuda almost that exact same size on it in last years tournament - too bad they are always short, catching a legal would surely win longest fish!

[dpricenator]

Right on! I have an A-rig in my box, but was always concerned it was not legal in CA. I know it has spots for 4 hooks, but the idea of adding a flasher instead would solve that. Thanks for the post, I've wanted to try it out for a while now.

[Saba Slayer]

Hey Alan...his link is for inland FRESH water not saltwater...I'll check around and see if I can find the saltwater regulation...

Originally Posted by alanw

Yep, 3 hooks maximum in CA "inland waters". That rig is no bueno in the bays.

https://californiaoutdoorsqas.com/20...in-california/

[Hunters Pa]

Also, once you have rockfish on board it is two hooks, one rod I believe.

[Saba Slayer]

OK...I looked through the Saltwater Reg book from the DFW and as Shawn says...once you are fishing for or are in possession of rock fish THEN AND ONLY THEN are you required to have only two hooks (treble or regular) on a rig and use only one rod.
I just got off the phone with Benny Florintino from Coastal Charters and Shimano...he fishes the A rig a lot ( 13lbs catch of 4 Bass at once at San Clemente Island). I started using it based on his suggestions and recommendations at the Fred Hall Del Mar Show seminars. He says that it is legal to fish inshore with it in saltwater. He has discussed this more than once with DFW wardens in the field.
I trust Benny and I'll go with his word as he is a licensed and qualified guide and an excellent Bass fisherman.

[alanw]

Hey Jim I remember reading somewhere that bays can be considered inland because they usually have a stream dumping in to them somewhere, making them "brackish". Looks like that info was wrong though since it says upstream from the mouths of the streams. Glad to have it cleared up, fish on!

From the freshwater regs:
1.53. Inland Waters.
Inland waters are all the fresh, brackish and inland saline waters of the state, including lagoons and tidewaters upstream from the
mouths of coastal rivers and streams.

[rhyak]

Even if they were to call the back bays a "inshore" as long as its only the 3 bottom hooks your legal. I fish the bama rig in the lakes often and its legal. Its all on the rigging. Saba is correct tho on that saltwater you can leave as is.. Now if you keep a rockfish or ling or any part of the RCG then your not legal.

I ask is it legal to make bait with a sabiki in the bay?
If so its legal to use a bama rig.

[rhyak]

Originally Posted by alanw

From the freshwater regs:
1.53. Inland Waters.
Inland waters are all the fresh, brackish and inland saline waters of the state, including lagoons and tidewaters upstream from the
mouths of coastal rivers and streams.

Think bay area in regards to this. We do not have the tides to really create brackish water that "freshwater" species can live in. They catch largemouth in there brackish waters. Heck there largemouth bite is tide dependent.

[Bruntoj]

When you say you’re dragging it, what speed would you say? Do you worry about keeping it moving, or do you just let it drop to the bottom when occupied with other tasks?


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[crashcrow]

I am always worried about having too many hooks when kayak fishing, not for legalities more so I don't end up with a hook in my hand trying to grab a fish. I even usually pull the center hook off of my poppers and rapalas for the kayak. I'm going to bring the A rig next time and see what happens.

[goldenglory18]

Originally Posted by Bruntoj

When you say you’re dragging it, what speed would you say? Do you worry about keeping it moving, or do you just let it drop to the bottom when occupied with other tasks?


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It's a moving target for predatory fish. Slow rolling or erratic (pumps and small yo-yo'ing) retrieval works well. It basically acts as an isolated bait school. Think of what that would look like and emulate.

[Harry Hill]

I have used the A rig for stripers at Silverwood but hate the feel of it. Still, I like catching fish so I may give one a try in the bays

[Fishin Phil]

Use a torpedo weight to get it down to the bottom.