by Brett Carlson
23.Oct.2011 by Brett Carlson
GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. – As a noted structure fisherman, Paul Elias has always had a special connection with Lake Guntersville. But this week he discovered a new technique to ignite its plentiful, yet largely dormant population of largemouth bass. And in doing so, he completely dominated the final Walmart FLW Tour event of the season in wire-to-wire fashion.
After three days of practice, most pros felt like this would be one of the toughest Guntersville tournaments ever. Winning weight predictions hovered anywhere from 50 pounds on the low end to 70 pounds on the high end. Thanks entirely to the Alabama rig, that all changed.
When a new presentation dominates in such a fashion it causes the entire bass fishing community to respond. In short, the demand for the Alabama rig is sky high, mostly due to Elias. For those new to the mayhem, the Alabama rig consists of a hard-bait body that trails five wires that have a swivel attached to the end of each wire.
Elias started the tournament tipping his rig with Mann’s HardNose Swimshads but ran out and had to use several swimbaits. With heavier 3/4-ounce jigheads, he’d use 6 1/2-inch swimbaits and with 3/8-ounce jigheads he’d use 5-inch swimbaits. The chandelier-looking concoction was heaved on a 7-foot, 11-inch Pinnacle flipping rod, a Pinnacle reel and 65-pound-test Spiderwire Ultracast FluoroBraid line.
The idea behind the presentation, which mirrors a smaller version of the saltwater umbrella rig, is to mimic a school of shad. In the fall, that’s precisely what the Guntersville giants prey on.
“The majority of the fish in this lake are suspended right now and that’s why everybody was struggling early on,” Elias explained. “I’ve been an offshore fisherman my whole career and I’ve always struggled when they suspend too. But this new rig is just incredible.”
The Laurel, Miss., pro said that most of the fish were positioned 5 to 10 feet off the bottom.
“They absolutely would not bite it on the bottom. The whole key to this tournament was knowing how to count it down to keep it in the zone.”
While Elias was the most effective angler, his win wasn’t just about the A-rig. He also found two giant schools of bass, located around causeways and bridges (Spring Creek Bridge). While he caught some fish near the pilings the key areas were ridges and quick-dropping points around current that was causing the fish to stage to ambush shad. Elias positioned his boat in 25 to 40 feet of water and was catching fish in 20 to 30 feet.
On the tournament’s first day, Elias caught all his fish in 15 feet or less. Day two was when he figured out the deep pattern.
On the final day, Elias calmly put the finishing touches on an unforgettable week – catching his fourth consecutive stringer over 20 pounds – this one going 23 pounds even. With a total weight of 102 pounds, 8 ounces, his margin of victory was a staggering 17 pounds. He missed the four-day cumulative FLW Tour weight record by just 4 pounds.
Consider that record was set during the spawn on Lake Okeechobee, while this event was held during perhaps the toughest time of the year.
“It was crazy. I would throw everything a bass pro would normally throw at these fish and I wouldn’t get a bite. Then I’d throw that Alabama rig and I’d catch one immediately. Those fish were there the entire time and that rig absolutely transformed this fishery.”
For his second FLW Tour win, the 60-year-old Elias earned $100,000. But more importantly, he got his long-coveted Guntersville victory.
“This is one awesome lake. I’ve had some great Octobers on this lake and I had been wanting a win on it for a very long time.”
23.Oct.2011 by Brett Carlson, Courtesy of FLWoutdoors.com