21.Oct.2011 by Brett Carlson - GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. – They say when in Rome, do as the Romans do. So it makes sense than when fishing on Alabama’s Lake Guntersville, it would be wise to use the Alabama rig. That’s what three of the top five pros are throwing this week at the final Walmart FLW Tour event of the season, including pro leader Paul Elias.
Elias isn’t just leading the season-ending tournament, he’s completely dominating it. Coming into the week, most pros felt roughly 60 pounds would be the winning weight after four days. Elias has nearly reached that benchmark in half the time.
After weighing in his 29-pound, 3-ounce catch, the veteran pro was nearly at a loss.
“I’m having one of those tournaments where you just say, ‘Thank you, Lord,’” Elias said.
Early in practice, the Laurel, Miss., native was struggling to catch anything shallow.
“I said to myself, ‘They’re either dead or they’re deeper.’ So I went deeper.”
Mixed in with his offshore domination is the fascinating revelation that Elias is introducing a new presentation – the Alabama rig, which consists of five baits placed on five separate wires that connect like an umbrella. The baits fan out and mimic a school of baitfish. Although Elias admitted to using the Alabama rig, he wouldn’t say what baits he puts on the back.
“I guess the word is out on what I’m doing,” Elias said. “I’m throwing an Alabama rig. It’s a new-type rig that some guy from near Pickwick came up with. It’s just an amazing deal and I think the main reason it’s so effective is that they haven’t seen it before. It’s kind of like a crankbait sometimes. You can’t always catch them on it unless you’re doing it just right.”
Elias said he fished the same three areas he did on the first day and didn’t receive as many bites. But the ones he caught he described as “a-dults,” which drew raucous laughter from the weigh-in crowd.
Although the wind didn’t blow Friday, Elias said the bite was strong thanks to the presence of current.
“I’ve been very fortunate this week. When I got on that pattern I just stayed on it and found as many places to fish it that I could find. I feel like if I don’t get too crowded out there I can catch them.”
Although continually casting the A-rig is physically exhausting, Elias has no thoughts of slowing down. With a 14-pound lead he can almost taste his first victory on Guntersville, long one of his favorite lakes.
“I’m just going to keep going. I’m going to be chunking and winding for two more days. I’ve thrown that (rig) since about noon Sunday and my 60-year-old butt is worn out.” Complete Story
Paul, Wanted to drop you a line and again thank you for the great time Lance and I had. The time spent with you on the electronics was amazing,but the real deal was when we put that knowledge and applied it out on the water on Friday.We guessed our best 5 would of been in the 42 lb range, with both of us catching our personal best fish of our lifes.We had 2 over 10 and 1 around 9 from your lake. We are getting ready to start into the Everstart series this year and your class will definitely help us out.
Just a quick email to let you know how much I enjoyed my trip to Pachuta. As an avid angler I found In-Depth Fishing to be a master's level course in the sport of bass fishing. I learned a great deal and it was fun to apply the lessons while catching lunker bass (see photos). Lake Eddins is an extraordinary fishery!