FLW Outdoors clarifies use of Alabama rigs

Following Paul Elias’ dominating win at the Walmart FLW Tour stop on Lake Guntersville, there is understandably a great deal of interest in using Alabama rigs during the EverStart Series Championship starting Thursday on Kentucky Lake. The rigs are commonly identified as umbrella rigs and are subject to restrictions in some states. Tennessee is one of them.

The Tennessee regulation covering Umbrella rigs reads as follows: “Umbrella rigs are defined as an array of more than 3 artificial lures or baits (with or without hooks) used by a single rod and reel combination. If the hook size is 6 or larger, then only one lure or bait may have a hook and that hook must be a single hook.”

This means that in its current configuration, only one of the five jigheads used in the Alabama rig may have a hook (unless all the hooks are smaller than size 6). A modified Alabama rig using three or fewer jigheads may also be used in Tennessee regardless of hook size.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency confirmed this interpretation of the regulation for FLW Outdoors.

FLW Outdoors also confirmed with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources that there are no restrictions on the configuration of Alabama rigs used in Kentucky waters.

For clarification of rule No. 12 “Permitted Fishing Methods,” FLW Outdoors classifies the Alabama rig as a lure (no different than a double fluke rig) and the method of fishing it (casting with a rod and reel) as a conventional sporting manner.

Therefore Alabama rigs may be used during the EverStart Series Championship on Kentucky Lake, but when fished in Tennessee waters they are subject to the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency restrictions outlined above.