Shasta FLW, Umbrella Rig dominates...

[Cooch]

is anyone surprised? Top 5 on pro side, Co-Angler winner and Lord knows who else tossed their 5 Lures against the rest of the field still tossing 1 and dominated. Who'da thunk it.

[biteme]

Yeah I saw that. You know I did not want to throw this thing but its looking like Ill have no choice. I dont want to throw it but I dont want to get beat by it either.

[Marty]

There were a lot more that threw the bama-rig that did not do well – it was still those Top 5 pro’s and 1st place Co-Angler that did it, not the bama-rig! It just other tool!

[biteme]

I agree it's another tool. That's cool and all if they would take off two of the three hooks.

[Oldschool]

My guess is Tom, most had the hooks cut off two of the baits, the rest may have had blades instead.

[Cooch]

I agree it's another tool. That's cool and all if they would take off two of the three hooks.

Yeah, just another tool. Ya know, Saturday morning on the way to Berryessa, Bob Santora and I had this idea we discussed with Gene down at the Hook. Patten is already in place, we've built a contraption that floats with a 3-way spreader, we're gonna sell it thru the guys over at Flippen' The Bird, it'll be called a Flock of Birds Rig! Just another tool. HAR! HAR! HAR!

[Mike Tuck]

Actually, probably more like 80% of the pro side checks had the Alabama rig play a part in their respective finishes.

I could estimate about 40 fish were weighed in over 4 lbs, maybe more....on the pro side only. Normally you will see 5-7 fish this size in a Shasta derby in January or February. I can't even begin to tell you how many of those 8.5-10 lb limits were anchored by a 3.5-6.0 lb A-rig fish. I was one of them.

Maybe the better question is I wonder how many Pro's or Co's broke the state law for creel limits by catching 2 or 3 at once on multiple "baits" after already having their 5 fish maximum limit. Maybe it happened, maybe it didn't I don't know for sure.

If you don't throw it, you are beat. I'm throwing it out of necessity. It's either that or quit. If you disagree, you haven't been involved in enough a-rig only derby's yet.

Maybe someone will offer us a no Alabama rig tournament circuit. If they do I'll be the first to quit all the other tournaments (FLW included) and just fish that one.

BAN IT. I want to fish a bass fishing tournament not an A-Rig only tournament. That is what it's turned into.

Here is how most of my peers see it playing out... each lake will be dominated with it year round for 2-3 years. It will be used differently at each lake and different anglers will figure out how to exploit the A-rig for the given derby. After it is over, or sooner, word will travel how it works at "that lake". Before you know it, we are all in the same places throwing it the same way; jerking their faces off.

Tournaments aren't about making it easy to catch a bunch of big fish as some would suggest. They are about using all the available tools to finish ahead of all others under any condition and variable. Doesn't matter any more, want to win? throw it. want a check? throw it. want to donate to the rest of the A rig throwing guys? don't throw it.

If golf would just make that little hole about 2' in diameter we could all be golf pros.


Mike Tuck

[Marty]

Well Mike I threw for two days and did not get a hit on it. Yes my Pro was on fish. So in my book it does not make you an instant winner.

[whazup]

"If golf would just make that little hole about 2' in diameter we could all be golf pros." Mike Tuck

Best line yet. Good post. Stand by, seine nets are next.

[bryanmc]

Maybe the better question is I wonder how many Pro's or Co's broke the state law for creel limits by catching 2 or 3 at once on multiple "baits" after already having their 5 fish maximum limit. Maybe it happened, maybe it didn't I don't know for sure.

I think DFG considers a fish to be "in possession" when it's in the livewell, not while you're culling. The same would hold true if you have 5 in the box and catch 2 on a spook or a crankbait. None of the guys I talked to that were throwing the A-rig caught a double on it, let alone a triple. I'm not saying it can't happen, but it's not an every cast thing like some would have you believe.

Maybe you should take your case to the tournament organizations. After all, it's their decision. Beyond that, if you don't want to be in a tournament that allows it, there's always the hook tournaments or the elite series

[Oldschool]

is anyone surprised? Top 5 on pro side, Co-Angler winner and Lord knows who else tossed their 5 Lures against the rest of the field still tossing 1 and dominated. Who'da thunk it.

Cooch, my original barb about 5 lures vanished? I fully realize 3 lures with 2 attractors with a 5 wire A-rig is legal and was just pulling pulling your chain. Kind of makes your wonder about cutting off jig hooks; 3 jigs with hook and swimmers and 2 jig with modified cut off hooks and swimmers; it's still 5 jigs with swimmers and who knows if 2 hooks are cut off?? It may come to a time when only 3 wires are allowed in CA, no ?? with 3 swimmers.
It's going to be an interesting year.
Tom

[jloo283]

Maybe someone will offer us a no Alabama rig tournament circuit. If they do I'll be the first to quit all the other tournaments (FLW included) and just fish that one.

BAN IT. I want to fish a bass fishing tournament not an A-Rig only tournament. That is what it's turned into.
Mike Tuck

I've been fishing as a boater in my local club, a few charity and sherif events, and the Hook series. I've won some, placed in a few respectable standings, and lost many, but have absolutely enjoyed every moment. I was even contemplating on moving up to the higher events (BBT, WRL) for a season or 2, then 4th to 5th year plan is to get into the Everstart series, either as a pro or am. And who knows where I'll go from there.

I have no issues competing against guys with better and faster boats with better electronics and other gadgets that cost as much as CA's annual medium income. I've got a 7 year old nitro with 150 opti that gets me around just fine.

I have no issues with their use of better rods, reels, lines, hooks, weights, lures, whatever... I use what I can afford that make sense to me that still catch fish and allow me to compete.

Except this damn rig. I refuse to use it even for recreational purposes, though I have nothing against its use for that, my issue with it is only in tournaments.

At this time, I am having second thoughts. I can't justify participating in what are quickly becoming A-rig events. I feel they're not worth the time, effort, and costs. Donating to these events just won't be the same as before

I guess it's too bad for me because I'm too stubborn and refuse to use it!!! On the plus side, I can think of better things to do with some extra cash and time.

James

[eagle123777]

Maybe someone will offer us a no Alabama rig tournament circuit. If they do I'll be the first to quit all the other tournaments (FLW included) and just fish that one.

BAN IT. I want to fish a bass fishing tournament not an A-Rig only tournament. That is what it's turned into.
Mike Tuck

I've been fishing as a boater in my local club, a few charity and sherif events, and the Hook series. I've won some, placed in a few respectable standings, and lost many, but have absolutely enjoyed every moment. I was even contemplating on moving up to the higher events (BBT, WRL) for a season or 2, then 4th to 5th year plan is to get into the Everstart series, either as a pro or am. And who knows where I'll go from there.

I have no issues competing against guys with better and faster boats with better electronics and other gadgets that cost as much as CA's annual medium income. I've got a 7 year old nitro with 150 opti that gets me around just fine.

I have no issues with their use of better rods, reels, lines, hooks, weights, lures, whatever... I use what I can afford that make sense to me that still catch fish and allow me to compete.

Except this damn rig. I refuse to use it even for recreational purposes, though I have nothing against its use for that, my issue with it is only in tournaments.

At this time, I am having second thoughts. I can't justify participating in what are quickly becoming A-rig events. I feel they're not worth the time, effort, and costs. Donating to these events just won't be the same as before

I guess it's too bad for me because I'm too stubborn and refuse to use it!!! On the plus side, I can think of better things to do with some extra cash and time.

James

u are not alone and think more and more will stop and leave it to the ariggers....then watch the TDs scream about the number of boats...

[Mike Tuck]

Well Mike I threw for two days and did not get a hit on it. Yes my Pro was on fish. So in my book it does not make you an instant winner.

Marty,

your point and mine together make point exactly.

If you figure out how to catch them on an A-rig...you can make the check mark
If you don't figure out how to get them on an A-rig.....well, you can see what happens.

It won't make you an instant winner, but it makes you an instant loser if you want to try and beat it with traditional fishing methods or if you can't figure out how to apply it to the lake you are fishing.

It was an A-Rig only tournament, just like all the rest will be.

7 of the top 10 pro's confirmed, 2 did not (9th and 10th I believe) 1 I am not sure of but he was fishing all around alot of the guys who were and likely caught at least one on it on day 2.


Mike Tuck

[bryanmc]

If you figure out how to catch them on an A-rig...you can make the check mark
If you don't figure out how to get them on an A-rig.....well, you can see what happens.

Mike...
You could substitute any other bait in place of "A-rig" in the above quote. When the Hudd bite was off the hook a few years ago, lots of guys threw them, but only a handful really figured out how to catch them on it. I do see your point though.

[BS'r]

It's gonna get out of control and is there a way to govern. At least we let our fish go, what out the ones who do not.

What if I have a two rod stamp. Can I duct tape two rods together and put out 2 rigs and double down. Then 10 birds 6 with hooks over the weed mats at high tide.

[barse41]

After one weekend with this thing, I only have one thing to say... I hope meat fishermen never get their hands on it or we will have nothing to fish for.

[Terry Battisti]

I have a little bit of a concern with the umbrella rig and it stems from using it in the late 90s and early 2000s. I used to fish a lot with Jerry Rago during that time. Most everyone knows Jerry trolls most of the time and I have spent countless hours with him trolling nearly every lake in SoCal. Back then we used an umbrella rig sold by BPS. To be legal, we would cut off two of the opposing wires and then place three swimbaits on the rig – two on the ends and one in the middle. I cannot tell you how many big fish were caught on that rig at Perris, Casitas, Castaic, and the SD lakes. In fact, the 18 his cousin Will caught at Perris came on the rig and on the same day, Jerry caught a 12 and a 9 at the same time. He and I also had a number of doubles at Casitas in the winters of 2000 through 2002. All using 12-inch baits.

The rig was deadly and we were the only ones throwing (trolling) it. The problem with the rig, at the time, was you had to know exactly where it was at all times and have an unbelievable knowledge of the bottom contour and how deep you were trolling. I can’t tell you how many of these rigs we lost over the course of time with $600 worth of swimbaits attached to them. In fact, around the 2001 timeframe, anglers started pulling up some of our lost rigs at Perris and mentioning it on the boards.

There is no doubt the rig works. In fact, one of the reasons we didn’t want it to get “out of the bag” back then was because of its effectiveness. Jerry was searching for the WR and I had to respect him for that.

Now, one of my concerns with the rig is based on experience from back then. You can absolutely destroy a lake with this bait. In fact, after trolling that rig at a lake for more than two days, you couldn’t get anything else to eat. We could essentially fish a lake out in that time. Now, with the smaller version that everyone can cast, I see this happening even more. Let’s take the recent Shasta event into consideration. How many fish were weighed in on day one with that rig? Then, let’s compare that to days two and three. I would be willing to bet that the numbers dropped off quickly. I would go even further and say you’d be hard pressed to catch fish on the rig today. It’ll be a week or longer before that rig will produce again.

This is why when I’d go down there, we’d travel all over SoCal for a week – driving from San Diego to Temecula to Ventura – all to stay on top of fish that hadn’t been “bitten” by the rig in a while.

Another of my concerns has to do with fish snagging. California law states that only a fish caught in the mouth can be weighed. It has also been shown that these rigs have a penchant for snagging fish. So, if a fish eats a bait on the rig and gets hooked (in the mouth) and then proceeds to get snagged by one or two other hooks, who is to say the fish is legal? Did it get hooked in the mouth first or did it get snagged first? What if the fish spits the mouth hook but then gets snagged? Where is the line drawn?

My last concern has to do with the definition of possession. When is a fish considered to be in possession? Is it when it’s placed in the boat or is it when it’s placed in the livewell or on a stringer? So, let’s say you have 5 fish in the well. You catch 2 or 3 fish on the rig in one cast. Now you have to cull 2 or 3 fish. How do you do this without leaving the fish out of the well? This doesn’t fare well for the fish if we cull them while they’re all on the bottom of the boat.

Personally, I don’t believe the umbrella rig should be allowed in tournaments for the reasons I stated above. Should they be banned from all fishing? No, they’re legal unless a State has deemed them not. Now, people will say, “if it’s legal then why not make them legal in a tournament?” My answer to that is NASCAR has strict rules on restrictor plates used in competition (not to mention other ‘technological’ advances they’ve outlawed). Baseball has explicit rules regarding corked baseball bats and ball configurations. All of these technologies could be considered as moving their respective sports forward but rules have been put in place to level the playing field, keep drivers safe and keep injury down to a minimum. In my eyes, this is what the tournament orgs need to do in order to ensure our fish are healthy and to make it so everyone doesn’t have to throw the rig in order to be competitive.

That’s my opinion and it’s worth what ya paid for it. 

Terry

Patiently waiting for Kramer (and others) to jump my butt…..

[Cooch]

Well Mike I threw for two days and did not get a hit on it. Yes my Pro was on fish. So in my book it does not make you an instant winner.

Yeah, but I've seen you go fishless with a wide open jig bite up until the last cast too! HAR! HAR! HAR!

[Cooch]

After one weekend with this thing, I only have one thing to say... I hope meat fishermen never get their hands on it or we will have nothing to fish for.

It's too late, they are already using em here!

[Oldschool]

Terry we have kicked around the history of spreaders/umbrella rigs a lot on this forum and I for one agree with you.
The tournament anglers are restricted to casting and retrieving lures, which limits how much of the open water sanctuary zone the A rig can cover. However the weekend angler or recreational angler who trolls will target a generally untapped bass population, due in part to trolling areas not normally fished by the tournament angler. A school of bait fish swimming at the depth the bass are holding is enticing to bass at that depth.
That wasn't your 6 rigged Optima swimbait umbrella found at Castaic back in the 90's ??
Tom

[mark poulson]

Terry,
It's people like you, who actually know what they're talking about, that give this forum a bad reputation!

Those are all valid points, and some great insight into the history of the umbrella rig and bass fishing.
Thanks for sharing.
I agree it should probably be banned from any competition, like trolling is banned. And live bait.
I doubt suspended fish will ever get truly turned off by it, because it imitates what they feed on too well.
Like a lot of other garage tinkerers, I made a 3 wire rig right after Elias won the FLW event, and then was given another by a rig seller at the Bass-A-Thon.
I just fun and club fish.
I threw them a couple of trips, just to see if it was "all that", but found it's a lot of work to throw all day. Kinda like throwing a 12" swimbait all day.
But, as soon as it wins one of our club tourneys, I'll have to throw it to be competitive, or just live with losing.
Sucks.

[Terry Battisti]

Terry we have kicked around the history of spreaders/umbrella rigs a lot on this forum and I for one agree with you.
The tournament anglers are restricted to casting and retrieving lures, which limits how much of the open water sanctuary zone the A rig can cover. However the weekend angler or recreational angler who trolls will target a generally untapped bass population, due in part to trolling areas not normally fished by the tournament angler. A school of bait fish swimming at the depth the bass are holding is enticing to bass at that depth.
That wasn't your 6 rigged Optima swimbait umbrella found at Castaic back in the 90's ??
Tom

The the problem Tom. This newer smaller version of the A-rig allows casting anglers to tap those suspended fish like never before. It is exactly how Elias won the Guntersville event and how the FLW event a couple weeks later was won on Kentucky Lake. And no, I've never fished an umbrella rig with 6 baits on it. Only three because with 12" swimbaits the thing was a pain to deal with as it was.

Terry,
It's people like you, who actually know what they're talking about, that give this forum a bad reputation!

Those are all valid points, and some great insight into the history of the umbrella rig and bass fishing.
Thanks for sharing.
I agree it should probably be banned from any competition, like trolling is banned. And live bait.
I doubt suspended fish will ever get truly turned off by it, because it imitates what they feed on too well.
Like a lot of other garage tinkerers, I made a 3 wire rig right after Elias won the FLW event, and then was given another by a rig seller at the Bass-A-Thon.
I just fun and club fish.
I threw them a couple of trips, just to see if it was "all that", but found it's a lot of work to throw all day. Kinda like throwing a 12" swimbait all day.
But, as soon as it wins one of our club tourneys, I'll have to throw it to be competitive, or just live with losing.
Sucks.

Thanks for the vote of confidence Mark. lol The first time I "threw" the rig was a couple months back at Wheeler and Pickwick. It was a prototype 5-rig Yum rig (I was fishing with Jimmy Mason - Yum Staffer, Guide and former Elite angler) and I didn't think it was too difficult to throw all day. Like you said, it was like chuckin' a 12-inch swimbait all day. The fishing sucked that week and it didn't work but then nothing worked because the TN river was at flood stage. But, all one has to do is look at the Shasta standings and a lot of the standings from back east recently to see that it's a game changer.

Terry

[Marty]

Well Mike I threw for two days and did not get a hit on it. Yes my Pro was on fish. So in my book it does not make you an instant winner.

Yeah, but I've seen you go fishless with a wide open jig bite up until the last cast too! HAR! HAR! HAR!

Are you referring to Quart Even when I caught the first bass? LOL

I learned a lot that day - thanks

[mike at robo]

The be all catch all lure has it's first reality check . I'm sure the Kentucky river was tough "under these conditions ." but isnt this lure supposed to as so many "pros" have said "Catch fish no matter what the conditions ." ? The anglers will prove this point moot as time goes by. There are no magic beans ...... Bigfoot ? Maybe ....

[Mike Tuck]

Mike, we obviously disagree on this, but I love your postings. If the worm business doesn't work out because of this A-rig, you for sure have a career in comedy.

Mike Tuck

[Mike Tuck]

FWIW.....It is not "a lure". It is a "rig" or means for attaching a bunch of lures and or attractors.
If you remove all of the "lures" from the "rig", you don't have anything but a fancy looking cooking utensil.

I'm just sayin'

Mike Tuck

[mike at robo]

I did try my hand at comedy .... And that's why I'm here making worms .... And as soon as I make one that catches fish no matter what ! I'm outta here like poop through a goose !!!!! And for the record Mike I am not attacking you or anyone else personally .... Yet ....

[Mike Tuck]

Yeah I know Mike. Thanks for the laughs.

Tuck

[Mike Tuck]

Just invent a remote control A-rig with 15 remote adjustable arms . I'll be your business partner, we'll call it the ROBO School RIG. It will retail for $499.00 each. we could also have ready to sell extra components like ROBO Kevlar fishing line, ROBO RIG retrievers, on-board battery chargers etc. We could release by this fall and retire ourselves and all of our family members by spring. Hey it might actually work. At least until some jerk tries to ban it

Or, we could just get a patent on colorado, willow, and indiana bladed spinnerbaits; or football jigs! You know, since no one has ever came up with those ideas before.

Mike Tuck

[mike at robo]

This must be what the twilight zone feels like ....

[biteme]

Just invent a remote control A-rig with 15 remote adjustable arms . I'll be your business partner, we'll call it the ROBO School RIG. It will retail for $499.00 each. we could also have ready to sell extra components like ROBO Kevlar fishing line, ROBO RIG retrievers, on-board battery chargers etc. We could release by this fall and retire ourselves and all of our family members by spring. Hey it might actually work. At least until some jerk tries to ban it

Or, we could just get a patent on colorado, willow, and indiana bladed spinnerbaits; or football jigs! You know, since no one has ever came up with those ideas before.

Mike Tuck

Man dont try and take my idea. I knew someone would do it before me,lol.I say we just make a rig with a net attached.

[zrtj]

I had to try an umbrella rig just to see what the hype was all about. All I can say is 3 EZ-SHADs look pretty darn enticing swimming in a perfect school

I'd kinda like to see what happens with the umbrella rigs when it's not fall or winter. I haven't won a ton of tournaments, so maybe everyone else is right and I'm wrong, but I don't think it will be the tourney winner year round. I'd like to see it play out for a year before everyone bans it. I remember the first time I tried a Senko many years ago and thinking the thing worked better than live bait. How many of us gut-hooked a few fish on Senkos when the fish wouldn't let em go and felt a little bad about it?

[Andy Giannini]

I think its a spreader rig, and just because it's castable doesn't make it a single lure.

Think it gets away from the idea, of fishing a tournament with a single lure tied on.

And, thought the same thing with muiltiple dropshots...

Now to play the Devil's Advocate, ever look at a spinnerbait?

Looks like a jig with a spreader wire, and one or more flashing blades as an attractor....

A.G.

[Ringer]

Imagine going into BPS and having a single rack with A-rigs and no other lures for sale. This rig will do nothing but hurt the very companies that keep the industry going. Why do I need a box of each bait available when I can just make a dozen A-rigs for a buck apiece in my garage? Lure manufacturers are about marketing and if a three or five bait lure outfishes a one bait lure that is not good for them.

[jrbasspro]

i just bought two of the 3 wire rigs and havent had a chance to throw them.

but look at every passing fade in the sport, on our lakes the fish get conditioned reaally really quick, than it comes down to the angler and how he fishs it, thats the way its always been, i really dont see why it would change now

it will end up on the shelf for many anglers and a tool for others

the same thing was said about the bio sonix unit when it first came out and some tournament orgs made it illegal to use, but look no no one has the ban in effect now its turned into a tool in that anglers boat and for some its on the shelf.

just my two sense; feel free to curcify me now!
walt

[barse41]

After one weekend with this thing, I only have one thing to say... I hope meat fishermen never get their hands on it or we will have nothing to fish for.

It's too late, they are already using em here!

Well then ill be doing my best to educate all th fishies i can.

[ash]

Yeah I saw that. You know I did not want to throw this thing but its looking like Ill have no choice. I dont want to throw it but I dont want to get beat by it either.

I heard this same thing from people that fished the event, i dont want to throw it but i need to in order to be competitive and cash a check - I think that is to the point of Tucks petition.

[zrtj]

I hear people worried about all lures going away and there only being the umbrella rig. That's a valid fear. However, when I look at those rigs, I can see a ton of different lures attached to them from jigs to swimbaits. I think if it works as well as we all think, maybe the industry can come up with a ton of different baits to attach to the rigs. Maybe the tournaments could decrease the number of hours in a tournament day, have a maximum horsepower for boats of 150 (to give creative boat companies like Allison and such a reason to keep innovating better boat hulls) and add different challenges in the mix. Doing something like that would mean Mercury would still sell the same number of outboards and no manufacturer would be hurt by that. It seems like inventing something game-changing should be the goal not what we fear. If you want to eliminate creativity and investment from the business, start punishing companies for making products that work too well. Heck, I have nothing to gain from the umbrella rig since I'll probably sell less rods if everyone only needs one rod, but the core of my philosophy on business, politics and innovation is reward the people that succeed and create game-changing products. This banning successful products that are not live bait or illegal doesn't sound good to me... it just seems wrong.

[lunker punker]

The senko should have been banned when Cooch was winning tourneys and cashing checks years ago. What happens when another dominating technique emerges? Ban it too? Inhibiting innovation and progression leads to regression............ You all should use braided dacron on old school pfluegers with steel rods. That will easily level the playing field. Oh yeah wood surface plugs with gold aberdeen hooks only! There is your communistic level playing field. Complacency and fear perpetuate nothing..........

[mark poulson]

The senko should have been banned when Cooch was winning tourneys and cashing checks years ago. What happens when another dominating technique emerges? Ban it too? Inhibiting innovation and progression leads to regression............ You all should use braided dacron on old school pfluegers with steel rods. That will easily level the playing field. Oh yeah wood surface plugs with gold aberdeen hooks only! There is your communistic level playing field. Complacency and fear perpetuate nothing..........

Next thing you know it will be bail out the bait makers! Hahaha

[Andy Giannini]

I think Lunker Punker, its more of a rule changer.

Not against new stuff that is effective, but it is a rig to fish multiple lures that just happens to be castable.

Cooch wasn't fishing multiple Senkos, probably just one at a time.

There are other tournament rules that can be changed or amended as well depending on market demand.

A long time ago, "Tule dipping" was considered unsporting....

[lunker punker]

Whatever. Guys have been throwin triple dropshots and fluke rigs for years. You will have to ban that too. If an innovater figures out how to tie 5 baits on the line with only 3 hooks, is that a rig? You Tards are opening up a can of vaginal worms that only leads to more rules. More rules = les fun which in turn means less attendance at tournaments and less money for the pros who take the donaters (ME) money. SO fine over govern yourself and lie in the bed you make. Im gonna start an a-rig circuit ,and if you signed the petition you cant enter! HAR HAR HAR!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Oldschool]

Terry we have kicked around the history of spreaders/umbrella rigs a lot on this forum and I for one agree with you.
The tournament anglers are restricted to casting and retrieving lures, which limits how much of the open water sanctuary zone the A rig can cover. However the weekend angler or recreational angler who trolls will target a generally untapped bass population, due in part to trolling areas not normally fished by the tournament angler. A school of bait fish swimming at the depth the bass are holding is enticing to bass at that depth.
That wasn't your 6 rigged Optima swimbait umbrella found at Castaic back in the 90's ??
Tom

The the problem Tom. This newer smaller version of the A-rig allows casting anglers to tap those suspended fish like never before. It is exactly how Elias won the Guntersville event and how the FLW event a couple weeks later was won on Kentucky Lake. And no, I've never fished an umbrella rig with 6 baits on it. Only three because with 12" swimbaits the thing was a pain to deal with as it was.

Terry,
It's people like you, who actually know what they're talking about, that give this forum a bad reputation!

Those are all valid points, and some great insight into the history of the umbrella rig and bass fishing.
Thanks for sharing.
I agree it should probably be banned from any competition, like trolling is banned. And live bait.
I doubt suspended fish will ever get truly turned off by it, because it imitates what they feed on too well.
Like a lot of other garage tinkerers, I made a 3 wire rig right after Elias won the FLW event, and then was given another by a rig seller at the Bass-A-Thon.
I just fun and club fish.
I threw them a couple of trips, just to see if it was "all that", but found it's a lot of work to throw all day. Kinda like throwing a 12" swimbait all day.
But, as soon as it wins one of our club tourneys, I'll have to throw it to be competitive, or just live with losing.
Sucks.

Thanks for the vote of confidence Mark. lol The first time I "threw" the rig was a couple months back at Wheeler and Pickwick. It was a prototype 5-rig Yum rig (I was fishing with Jimmy Mason - Yum Staffer, Guide and former Elite angler) and I didn't think it was too difficult to throw all day. Like you said, it was like chuckin' a 12-inch swimbait all day. The fishing sucked that week and it didn't work but then nothing worked because the TN river was at flood stage. But, all one has to do is look at the Shasta standings and a lot of the standings from back east recently to see that it's a game changer.

Terry

The rig found at Castaic was like an A-rig on steriods with wire learders and you would need a marlin outfit to troll the thing....but someone was and you wonder how many giants the rig caught before it was lost. The rig was on display at J & T tackle; a school of big trout swimbaits, impressive engineering and completely illegal for fresh water.
Good to hear for you and I'm still trying to legally catch that WR bass.
Tom

[NitroSport]

Whatever. Guys have been throwin triple dropshots and fluke rigs for years. You will have to ban that too. If an innovater figures out how to tie 5 baits on the line with only 3 hooks, is that a rig? You Tards are opening up a can of vaginal worms that only leads to more rules. More rules = les fun which in turn means less attendance at tournaments and less money for the pros who take the donaters (ME) money. SO fine over govern yourself and lie in the bed you make. Im gonna start an a-rig circuit ,and if you signed the petition you cant enter! HAR HAR HAR!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."

[mike at robo]

Ba dum bum .....

[froteur]

I hear people worried about all lures going away and there only being the umbrella rig. That's a valid fear. However, when I look at those rigs, I can see a ton of different lures attached to them from jigs to swimbaits. I think if it works as well as we all think, maybe the industry can come up with a ton of different baits to attach to the rigs. Maybe the tournaments could decrease the number of hours in a tournament day, have a maximum horsepower for boats of 150 (to give creative boat companies like Allison and such a reason to keep innovating better boat hulls) and add different challenges in the mix. Doing something like that would mean Mercury would still sell the same number of outboards and no manufacturer would be hurt by that. It seems like inventing something game-changing should be the goal not what we fear. If you want to eliminate creativity and investment from the business, start punishing companies for making products that work too well. Heck, I have nothing to gain from the umbrella rig since I'll probably sell less rods if everyone only needs one rod, but the core of my philosophy on business, politics and innovation is reward the people that succeed and create game-changing products. This banning successful products that are not live bait or illegal doesn't sound good to me... it just seems wrong.

i was throwing my umbrella rig on my 7'10" zombie.

[Marty]

[Andy Giannini]

That is hilarious.

Is it real?

[Oldschool]

Legal rig is some states like N.Carolina.
Like or not if you are a California tournament angler and expect to cash a check; you better start learning to use and refine a legal A-rig....this horse is out of the barn and running hard.
Soon we will be seeing the bed A-rig; stand up model with a school of bluegills.
Tom