The Alabama Rig: Legitimate Technique for Bass Fishing?

I've done some reading up on this "new" Alabama Rig and it seems to be a really deadly lure with a fair amount of applications (and controversy). But all this is just reading and I haven't yet tried it for myself. Do any of you guys have first hand experience with the Alabama rig that you could share? Thoughts? Comments?

Thanks,

Article By Ken Duke.

Oct 26, 2011

"Man, this thing's gonna work!"

That's what Bassmaster Elite Series pro and 1982 Bassmaster Classic champion Paul Elias said to himself when he first rigged a few soft plastic swimbaits to an "Alabama rig" and pulled them through the pond behind his Mississippi home.

He was right, too. The Alabama rig worked for Elias on Lake Guntersville to the tune of a $100,000 FLW Tour Open victory in which he lapped the rest of the field, cracking the 100-pound mark with 20 bass and besting second place by more than 17 pounds. . . read the full article.

Official site of the Alabama Rig