Gary Engberg Outdoors

The Bait That Won’t Win the Bassmaster Classic 2-21-2012

gengberg February 21st, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The bait that won’t win the Bassmaster Classic

TULSA, Okla. (Feb. 21, 2012) - Not too far from historic Lincoln, N.M., of Billy The Kid fame, and well after the outlaw’s demise, for many years there was a small roadside bar with a path behind it that led to a grave marker. On the marker was the inscription, “This is one of the few places where Billy The Kid is not buried.”

It’s only a relative point because the 2012 Bassmaster Classic being held this week in the Shreveport, La. area just might present a similar scenario as to how something not necessarily in the center of the spotlight will still benefit from its shine.

A bass umbrella rig equipped with Gene Larew’s new Sweet Swimmers is accounting for big bass and big weights in tournaments all around Larew’s manufacturing home in Oklahoma and throughout the southern region during the usually tough fishing winter period. It won’t, however, play a role in this week’s Bassmaster Classic. B.A.S.S. is not allowing use of multi-lure rigs in the Classic and Elite Series tournaments.

Today’s hottest thing in bass fishing is a castable umbrella rig, a multi-armed contraption that resembles the wireframe of an umbrella and makes it possible to present several lures at the same time to look like a real school of baitfish. It’s an adaption from what anglers chasing striped bass have trolled with for years.

The modified-for-bass version is being credited for many amazing tournament catches throughout much of the southern half of the United States during the usually tough fishing times of winter. However, B.A.S.S. has disallowed its use in the Classic and for all of the Elite Series pro events.

“The B.A.S.S. ruling doesn’t mean these kinds of rigs, and the baits for them, won’t be the talk and the hottest selling items of the Outdoor Expo held in conjunction with the Classic,” said Gene Larew Lures owner Chris Lindenberg. “What it does mean is that our new and already highly popular Sweet Swimmer isn’t likely to have a role in winning the Bassmaster Classic, at least not on an umbrella rig. But we understand both sides of the story.”

The Bassmaster Classic is often called fishing’s “Super Bowl,” as it attracts national attention from consumers and media from all across the nation and every other country where bass fishing is followed. History proves that a Classic winning bait typically assures success and longevity of the item, benefitting both its manufacturer and the champion angler. Lindenberg can’t help but wonder if that will be the case again this year.

“A Classic win is a big deal for a bait company, but there are more tournaments allowing use of these rigs than aren’t, so it’s hard to predict what will have a bigger impact this go-round,” he explained. “So far, it’s really more about how state regulations restrict use of a rig like this than what the tournament organizations are doing. Even with all their shiny wires and hardware and being fished on big line, umbrella rigs are working well because of what they represent … a natural school of baitfish.”

The effectiveness of the castable umbrella rig indeed lies in its ability to imitate a school of baitfish better than any other technique. A bait is attached to each arm of the rig, usually five arms including one in the middle, allowing all baits to be retrieved in unison exactly like a school of baitfish. The rig has proven to be especially effective at enticing strikes from suspended bass. Continue Reading »