# Umbrella rig



## Oakley (May 19, 2003)

The fishing regulations state that all hooks attached to an artificial bait are considered one hook. I saw a program where these guys were fishing with a ting called an umbrella rig (not in Michigan). Does anyone know if this would be considered an artifical bait? I'm not ready to start using one yet but it looked interesting.


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

I can't answer without seeing it.


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## Oakley (May 19, 2003)

Here's a link to a picture.
http://www.nefishingtackle.com/umbrella_rigs.htm


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## Sixshooter (Mar 16, 2003)

Holy Smokes. Do you plan to put those behind a fishcatcher on a dipsey rod?

Think of the storage issues you will encounter with that stuff....HAHAHAHA


COME ON SOFT WATER!!!!!!


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## Oakley (May 19, 2003)

Hey Jim - How goes it?

I saw some guys using one of these on a show and wondered what our great lakes fish would do if they saw a school of baitfish like that going through the water. I'm guessing it would definatley be legal if only two of the "baitfish" had hooks but the rigs as sold have several hooks. It's just one of those things I saw and it got me to wondering. People probably had the same reaction to the first cow bell rigs when they came out for Lakers as I did when I saw that umbrella rig. How can that contraption catch any fish?


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

I'd say it would be illegal but I will check with Lansing to make sure.


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## Adam Waszak (Apr 12, 2004)

Bet you could really get into the walleye, or crappie etc with those things man what a fight that could be but I doubt it is legal being that size and all with all of those hooks.

AW


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

Usually on the umbrella rigs I have seen have the "school" fish don't have hooks,and are simply attractors, the trailing bait is the only one with a hook, and is the one that generally gets hit.


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

AHHH I just looked at the link posted. IMHO that rig has seven hookless attractors and seven distinct baits(with hooks). They are all on separate leaders, so each bait should count individually as multiple fish can be hooked at once. Not much different than tying on 7 droppers on a flyline, or seven separate droppers and hooks on a perch rig.


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## Butch (Aug 29, 2001)

I actually looked at buying salt water 'spreader bars', which are basicly the same concept except they are linear instead of 3-D. As I understand it, when big lake trolling for salmon, you can use 'no more than 6 hooks' on 'no more than 3 rods'. Thus, you could presumeably use the umbrella rig if you cut off 1 hook(leaving 6 lures with hooks). Alternatively, it seems like you could cut it down to 4 lures with hooks and still use 2 other rods(but without sliders), giving you 6 "hooks"(lures with hooks) on 3 rods.

I don't think it's reasonable to argue that the umbrella rig is 1 "hook"/lure, unless you cut it down to 1 minnow/squid with hook(s) like Esox described.

Butch


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## Oakley (May 19, 2003)

Thanks for the replies. I agree that for big lake fishing, you could run that rig with 6 hooks and no other rods out, or run three of those rigs with only two of the fish in each rig with a hook. I'm not going to run out to purchase one but it will be interesting to see what the guys from lansing come up with for an answer. Is that thing considered one big lure? My feeling is you can drag as much stuff through the water as you want (without hooks) but you can only run 6 lures (for salmonids)


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

I don't see how it could possibly qualify as one big lure, each of the squids of whatever is on a separate leader, just because the leaders are all tied to a common spreader bar doesn't make them a single lure. No more so than if one tied 7 dropper loops on a line and tied a squid to each dropper loop. They are each a separate lure that are being fished on one rod. JMHO


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

boehr said:


> I'd say it would be illegal but I will check with Lansing to make sure.


Legislative and Policy Section in Lansing confirmed my answer, illegal if it has more the the total number of hooks allowed (four or six hooks on a total of two or three lines maximum dependant upon salmon and trout trolling or other trolling).


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## Gone Fishing (Jul 31, 2001)

Thaks Boehr, you just saved me a few bucks!


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## cireofmi (Feb 13, 2001)

Would be it be legal as long as you limited the number of hooks on it?


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

Yes, if, for example, you were running only one line and four of the baits only had hooks then it would be legal. It would be my luck the fish would take the baits without hooks though.


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## Oakley (May 19, 2003)

boehr - Thanks for taking the time to look into the issue.


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## Fishfoote (Jan 2, 2001)

I can hardly manage to get one spoon untangled from the landing net - that thing would be a week long project ending in scissors :tdo12:


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## mallardtone-man (Nov 20, 2002)

Fishfoote said:


> I can hardly manage to get one spoon untangled from the landing net - that thing would be a week long project ending in scissors :tdo12:



Lmao!!

I have seen them using those on tv before, but I think they were using it strictly as an attractor w/ one much longer leader, 10' or so. They were catching mahi mahi on them.


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