Field Guide

Alabama Rig

Five-wire umbrella rig that mimics a bait ball. Winter, prespawn, fall — wherever bass group on shad.

Confidence

WinterSpringFall3 hooked + 2 dummy5 hooked (where legal)

Gear

Rod

Cashion CORE Alabama Rig Rod 7'10" Heavy / Moderately Fast — built to lob the heavy rig and load on the sweep set.

Reel

Shimano Curado 300K LH (CU301HGK) — 6.6:1, 300-size spool, cranking power for the heavy rig.

Line

20 lb Sufix Advance Fluorocarbon for clear/open water and controlled depth. 50–65 lb braid over grass.

60-Second Refresher

Knot: Palomar — wet and cinch carefully, the rig is heavy.

Cast: Leave 2–2.5 ft of line out, lob with the whole rod, thumb the spool before splashdown.

Retrieve: Count it down, slow roll, pulse with half-turn reel cranks — not rod jerks.

Hookset: Reel into the fish and sweep. No violent snap-set unless the rig is far out.

When to Throw

Good Water

Winter, prespawn, fall — bass grouped on shad. Wind, clouds, light stain, suspended fish over deep water.

Bad Water

Thick shallow grass, brushy laydowns, heavy wood. Pond situations where a snagged rig can't be recovered.

Rig & Components

The complete Yumbrella build

Yumbrella Flash Mob Jr. frame. Hooked baits ride low/back where bites happen; dummies go high/front. Upgrade snaps to Owner Hyper Wire Size 3 split rings to kill the #1 failure point.

YUM Yumbrella Flash Mob Jr.

Bladed A-Rig Frame

Main guide setup — wind, clouds, stain, baitfish schools

Dirty Jigs Matt Allen Tactical Bassin Swimbait Head

Gizzard Shad — 3/16 oz

Three bottom/rear hooked positions

Picasso Smart Mouth Medium Spring Dummy Head

Shad — 3/16 oz

Two upper/front dummy positions (hook-limit waters)

Keitech Swing Impact FAT 3.3"

Tennessee Shad

Outside hooked + all dummies — clear water natural

Keitech Swing Impact FAT 3.3"

Electric Blue Chartreuse

Center target bait — stain, clouds, low vis

Owner Hyper Wire Split Rings #3

Black

Replace stock snaps on hooked arms

Hog Farmer Tactical Bassin Micro Flex Rig

2-Blade Finesse

Pressured fish, clear water, smaller forage

Layout — 3 Hooked / 2 Dummy

Where the hooks go

Bass usually eat the lower, trailing baits — keep the legal hooks where bites happen. Top-left and top-right ride dummy heads (Tennessee Shad). Bottom-left + bottom-right + center-rear get hooked heads, with the center bait in Electric Blue Chartreuse as the target.

Rigging Diagram

3 hooked / 2 dummy

TS = Tennessee Shad · EBC = Electric Blue Chartreuse

Where to Throw Each

Wind-blown points

Primary target — current, baitfish, oxygen all stack up.

Channel swings & bluff ends

Deep water close to the bank, winter holding zones.

Suspended bass over deep water

Count the rig down and keep it above the fish, not below.

Open water / offshore structure

Rock, humps, schools — let the rig run clean.

Cheat Sheet

Clear water

Tennessee Shad on most or all positions.

Slight stain

Tennessee Shad outside, Electric Blue Chartreuse center.

Cloudy / windy

EBC center as target bait; speed up the pulse.

Dirty water

More bright contrast — EBC on more arms.

Hook-limit water

Hooks on bottom/rear; dummies up front.

Rig blowing up on cast

Leave more line out, lob with the whole rod, thumb before splashdown.