Umbrella Rigs

A little about umbrella rigs and how to use them.....first of all there are
laws in some states (like Tennessee) that quantify the number of hooks on
"an array of baits" and most urigs are either 3 arm or 4 arm. A 3 arm rig
can have either 4 "baits" or 7 "baits and a 4 arm rig can have either 5
baits or 9 baits. Which number of baits is up to discretion. In Tennessee I
use urigs but I remove all of the hooks except on the middle bait and I make
the leader going to the middle bait a little longer than the other leaders.
Most of the time I use 45 lb leaders in the 5 inch variety on each leader
except the middle where I use a 9 or 12" leader. Since this one trails
behind the "school" of bait it is the one getting most of the bites. The
colors that seem to work the best are white and chartreuse for trailers and
the sky is the limit on baits. I do use a lot of Captain Mack's jigs and
rigs. Tsunamis, flukes, bass magic and a whole array of swim baits will all work.
The single most important must have item to purchase before all of the other
stuff is a urig retriever.

Of course it is virtually impossible to use the urigs with out a good sonar
and cartography combination unit and this is why I choose the Lowrance HDS
unit with Navionics maps. The safety contour option is a great tool for
targeting the fish at this time of year since they are "pointed up" or on
the points. Try crossing or "clipping" the points where the shallow water
drops off into the deeper water. These fish will be constantly hanging in
15-30 feet of water this time of year and this method of "clipping points"
will produce some big numbers. When you locate fish on a point you can many
times catch more than one fish on the same point by making turns and
revisiting the point from differing angles of approach. Some times the fish
will hang on walls of rock ledges such as those that exist in Lakes
Cumberland and Cherokee. I have had 100+ fish days a number of times on both
of these lakes as well as in rivers below Kentucky and Barkley dams. Urigs
are a great way not only to locate fish but a great and productive way to
catch fish. For some short videos and more information check out
www.nothinbutfish.com. next issue we will explore some tactics for
summertime deep lake striper fishing.

Some of the best fishing and boating times of the year are before us and
please let me remind you of the importance of having up to date insurance
coverage for your boat prior to hitting the waterways. I use www.boatus.com
because they provide some of the best coverage not only on the water but
when the boat is on the trailer too. Tight lines...<")))>< Bill Carson

www.nothinbutfish.com