Compiled by Dave Hurley and edited by Roger George, a central San Joaquin Valley native and local fishing expert.

BEST BETS

Monterey rockfish and crab counts are good, Sonny Arcaleo said. New Melones rainbows are providing solid action, Monte Smith said. McSwain trout are hitting, Stephanie Powell said. Millerton bass bite has improved greatly, Merritt Gilbert said. McClure bass are cooperating, Jay Graham said. Pine Flat trout are on the rebound, Patrick Movey said.

ROGER'S REMARKS

In the world of bass fishing there have been few real game-changers over the past few decades in the world of bass fishing. Going back, lures like the first Rapalas, black rubber worms, the spinnerbait, swimbaits and the Senko are examples of how a new lure or idea can change the way we fish — as well as how we think about fishing. Well, just like those, there is a huge new set-up sensation — called the “Alabama rig” — sweeping the country that may change the landscape of the fishing world as we know it very quickly.

Based on the effective striped bass fishing tool of trolling a large umbrella wire rig to present multiple lures as a single swimming-bait ball school, some enterprising backyard lure designers put together a much smaller but castable-sized umbrella rig about 7 inches long that can hold several lures.

The first prototype rigs are made of a one-fourth-ounce-plus plastic or lead head that has five wires about 6 inches long coming out the back of the head. Each wire end is looped and attached to a swivel that’s hooked to a one-fourth-ounce lead-headed jig tipped with a plastic swimbait. The individual wires can be bent into different configurations to keep the baits in position — one that looks like a draped umbrella with five wires hanging from the head with lures attached. The rig isn’t easy to toss, but once it’s in the water the five baits look like they are all swimming together as a school. Being able to cast toward shore or into structure makes the school look like it’s trying to stay safe to cover-triggering strikes.

This concept was first put to the test about three months ago during a bass tournament back East by pro Paul Elias. After a poor start with conventional baits, he finally decided to try the seemingly outlandish outfit, started landing fish like crazy and ended up winning the contest with a huge weight. This set off a firestorm among anglers to get one of these new setups - turning the world of bass fishing upside down!

These rigs have several advantages. First, most fish are used to feeding on bait balls and this outfit gives them a presentation that looks like a tightly schooled bunch of minnows swimming in unison for protection. Since most fish are not used to seeing a school of baits, this also gives the angler a new look that plays to the fishes’ instincts to ambush a bait ball. This technique has also been especially effective in getting tough-to-entice suspending bass to bite. Lastly, it’s possible to catch multiple fish on a single cast, but the majority of anglers are saying they are usually getting one fish — but the size is larger! Maybe the set-up looks like a Big Mac meal to the oversized fish. There is an incredible demand for these rigs — but supply is still lagging far behind so getting one can be tough. Many are generally priced in the mid-$20s range and pre-ordering is rampant.

A caution: In each state, there are different laws concerning how many baits/bodies and hooks you can have on any kind of umbrella rig. In California, my understanding — not official! — is that the regulations say you can only have three bodies on the rig that have hooks in them. The rest of them have to be dummy bodies only. So set-ups from out of state may not be legal here as packaged. The wardens have said they will be especially looking, so be sure your set-up is compliant.