I’m just not sure what to make of this Alabama Rig thing. Fad? Fabulous? I can’t make up my mind. From behind, it looks like you’re chunkin’ a poodle out there when you throw the thing. I’m serious! Watch someone – in person, from a safe distance behind them – chunkin’ the dang thing, it’s crazy. It looks like a poodle flying through the air; little legs flapping all over the place… Hey, not that I would ever advocate throwing a dog. That would be less than humane. Although there have been several Yappin’ Little S#@t Dogs (YLSD’s) in the campgrounds that I wanted to punt, but that’s a different story.
I would never promote nor condone REAL LIVE poodle chunkin’.
Really.
Never.
Mostly not.
So is this P-Rig thing a fad or just freakin’ fantastic? I’d say it’s still hard to tell. It’s really not a new idea, as umbrella rigs have been around for over 20 years with the striper guys; they just weren’t casting them. That’s the beauty of the P-Rig and the factor that sets it apart from just another umbrella rig. With the right rod/ reel combo, you can heave this abomination out there, wind it in, and get bit. That “heaving” part may also be the death of it, as it’s not exactly the easiest bait you’ll ever throw. Not quite like chunkin’ and windin’ a 1/2 ounce spinnerbait – by a long shot. This thing will wear – you – out. At times, it will also wear out the bass.
That brings us to another point – should this thing even be allowed/ legal to use? Several states have already stepped up and said “not in our waters” to the Poodle Rig. Oh, you can still use them, but you’re limited to three hooks and/ or baits on the rig. Does that limit its effectiveness? Maybe. Maybe not. In some states, you can still run five baits, but only three can have hooks in them, meaning you might get bit on one of the hookless bodies and miss a bass. Even with three bodies, you still have a little mini-school effect going through the water, which has to look more enticing to El Bass-o. Probably a good idea to check your local reg’s before you order up a big bag of these things.
Some have said that the P-Rig is so effective that it should be outlawed entirely. Mmmm. Not so sure about that. I’m sure there are certain times of the year that the Poodle Rig will be THE thing to have tied on, mostly in the late summer to fall months when bass are suspended in clear to slightly stained water and chasing shad heavily. Will it be as effective in the winter? Pre-spawn? Spawn? Post spawn? I guess we’ll just have to find out about that over the course of the next year. Mann’s Bait Company obviously thinks it will be the next BIG thing, as they have purchased the rights to sell the thing. Too bad it’s so simple and easy to duplicate in the garage. Its simplicity and ease of duplication may be the one thing that could keep it from being a big money-maker; not that someone hasn’t made some jack off the thing at $25+ bucks for five pieces of twisted wire and some swivels. Wow. We really will pay anything to catch a little green fish. Good to see that American Capitalism is alive and well in the bassin’ industry.
One faction of Poodle Rig detractors is afraid that the “meat hunters” will utilize the P-Rig to decimate the bass population in our lakes – and they possibly could. They’re going to have to be pretty darn serious about it though, as this thing is a beast to throw an entire day. It’s not like dynamite where you light the fuse and toss it overboard; chunkin’ the P-Rig is WORK. You have to want to catch them on this thing to heave and retrieve it all day. It also seems to be one of those baits, much like a big swimbait, which doles out the best success to those who throw it all day long – hero or zero. Like the swimbait, those days when you catch them on the P-Rig, they’ll be good ‘uns, and those days when you don’t catch them – oh well, you just won’t catch ‘em.
You just have to get a couple of the Poodle Rigs and throw them for yourself. If you throw it enough, you’ll get bit. It’s a cool bite, too, when they hammer it. Best swimbait bite you’ve ever had. Of course the bite is amplified by the fact that you’re using 50 – 65 pound braid because you’re scared to death of losing the 35 – 50 bucks you have invested in the rig, swimbaits, and swimbait heads, but it’s still a cool bite. Jars you to the bone when a big one hits it. Ooooh. I get chills just thinking about it. But then I think about chunkin’ the thing all day. Not so much fun. But you gotta try it, all the same, because you’ll get tired of someone kicking your butt with it someday.
K-Pink – Chunkin’ and Windin’
About Kevin Short
