I confess. I’m a fin-addict (fanatic). And a tackle junkie. If there’s something new out there or a twist on some kind of tackle or tactic, I want to know about it. So, here’s something that’s both new and old that you might want to try in salt water. The Alabama rig, or A-rig as it’s more commonly called.
The A-rig of course, has been around on the freshwater scene for some time but has been under-utilized in saltwater. Resembling a chandelier, it typically consists of five short wire arms all coming out of a lead or plastic head, with swivels and clips on the end of the wires that hold leadheads with plastic swimbaits threaded onto them. It’s designed to mimic a little bait ball and is a great search bait that often gets bit when nothing else is working.
Of course, the first step is finding the right “conditions” — the key to finding any biting fish. Most important is finding the right current — with structure, baitfish, water color and temperature also playing into the mix.
Catch Calico Bass with A-Rigs
In Southern California, savvy anglers have made the A-rig one of their go-to options when targeting calico, sand and spotted bay bass. But don’t be surprised when one of the glamour species like yellowtail, white seabass or halibut grabs your offering. It’s happening more and more. I’d imagine that east coast fish, like stripers, blues, redfish, jacks, and other inshore species would be great targets for the A-rig. In fact, some anglers definitely utilize modified A-rigs (called umbrella rigs) to target striped bass.
One of the keys is matching the hatch to the prevailing bait fish in the area. And that’s where customizing the rig comes into play. Lane Kilian, a SoCal young gun with pro staff ties to Kicker, Warbaits, Dark Seas, AFTCO and other manufacturers, has the A-rig pretty well dialed in.
“Some anglers opt to use three swimbaits, with willow leaf blades on the top two arms, while others run five swimbaits,” says Kilian. “Different weighted leadheads will allow the lure to run at different depths. One of the most important things to remember is to always run two heavier heads on the bottom two arms that act like a keel and keeps your rig swimming true in the water instead of twirling around.”
Modifying Your A-Rig for Salt Water Fishing
Another way to get more depth if you don’t want to switch out all the leadheads or have multiple rigs on hand, is to attach a one or two-ounce torpedo sinker with a swivel to the line tie of the A-rig. That can get you down to where the fish are.
“Color is also an important factor,” says Kilian. “Although you can catch fish on a mix of swimbait colors, I recommend keeping them all the same and matching the color of whatever baitfish are in your area. Keep it natural looking. Size of swimbait also comes into play. Don’t use 5-inch baits when the bait in the area is small.
A new twist on customizing A-rigs has been adding willow leaf blades. Some come with blades already installed midway on the wire arms, but the new technique for adding more flash is to cut off the paddle tails of the plastic swimbaits and insert a twist lock spring with a swivel attached to a willow leaf blade. You can add it to just your two heavier leadhead swimbaits, or all five to generate even more flash. Blades are available in tackle shops or online in different metallic colors and sizes. Everyone has their take on using or not using blades, as well as colors and brands of swimbaits, style of leadhead, and so on.
Fishing A-Rigs in California
“Locally, we fish a lot of rocks and break walls that go as deep as 50 feet,” said Kilian. “Most times, we fish the deeper side of the ledge. I’ll clip on half-ounce heads on the bottom two arms, and three-eighth-ounce heads on the top three arms, with five-inch swimbaits on all of them. Make a long cast, sink it out and slow wind it above the bottom. For fishing San Clemente or Catalina Island, it’s much more surface oriented and the rig will be much lighter. Quarter-ounce heads on the bottom two arms and weightless swimbaits on the remaining three arms. This allows the lure to stay closer to the surface. In areas of kelp or weeds, use weedless hooks.
“Because these A-rigs can get expensive, I always fish heavy enough line to bend out the hooks before they break the line. I normally use an eight-foot rod with a 300-size bait cast reel, 65-pound braid and a 50-pound fluorocarbon leader. That might sound heavy but the rig you’re throwing is heavy and you might get surprised by something big. My best catch to date on the A-rig was five calico bass at once, totaling 20-pounds. An eight, seven, three and two one-pounders. I was fishing the outside edge of a shallow kelp line, casting parallel to it and working the lure about three feet under the surface. The baitfish were small and I had my A-rig loaded with three-inch Kicker Fishing weedless swimbaits. One bass got hooked, they schooled up on it and next thing you know, I had a fully loaded five-arm rig including a couple of giants!”
Be sure to check regulations on A-rigs in your area, as some states limit the number of hooks you can use. Also, there are inexpensive A-rigs out there but don’t settle for the ones with light gauge wire. I got into a barracuda bite last summer and got wrecked when hooking a couple of logs on the same cast. Like most things in life, you get what you pay for. Give A-rigs a try and experiment to see what works for you. But beware. They can become another addition to your fishing addiction.
