When summer is in full swing, and the surface water temperatures begin to soar into the upper 80’s and 90’s, gamefish are going to do what we do…look for a place that’s comfortable and cool. Stripers especially, prefer flowing cold water, over hot stagnant water. And as anglers, our challenge is to find those areas where there is a combination of cool, oxygen-rich water…AND, plenty of food.
As the days get longer and hotter, most larger lakes will stratify… developing layers of cold water down deep and sun-heated warm water at the surface. The surface water has oxygen, but it’s too hot to be comfortable. Down deep, the water is cold, but has very little dissolved oxygen. Finding the sweet spot is the key. That’s the place where these layers merge, and it’s called the thermocline. Water that’s cool enough to be comfortable and still has plenty of oxygen. It’s like Goldilocks finding the perfect bowl of porridge…not to hot, not too cold…just right.
On most large lakes and impoundments, the thermocline sets up around 25 to 35 feet down. You will see it as a band of “fuzz” on your sonar… and it’s especially easy to see it at night. It can be anywhere from 5 to 15 feet thick. And for the most part, the fish will sit right in the upper part of the band. That’s the place you want to put your baits.
The challenge is getting your baits in the strike zone. Trolling live baits at that depth can be tricky, because you’re always guessing how deep your bait is getting. Trolling big-lipped plugs can also present the same issues. That’s when I bring out the umbrella rigs.
Umbrella rigs come in a variety of configurations, weights, and sizes. The beast that can get really deep is a four-arm rig that carries nine baits with a combined weight of nearly a pound. There’s the lighter three-arm that sports four to seven jigs. These work great for shallower trolling. And finally, there are the mini umbrellas like the Project-X X-Rig and Capt. Mack’s Mini-Mack. The smaller umbrellas are castable, but work great when slow-trolled as well.
There’s a lot of hardware on these contraptions. And you’d think all this would spook the fish. In fact, what all these jigs are doing is presenting what appears to be a school of bait moving through the water, and fish will naturally come close to check it out. They will literally chase these jigs for hundreds of feet, and then slam it.
Just like any other trolled bait, the key with umbrella rigs is getting them at the right depth. To take out the guesswork, each Capt Mack’s umbrella rig comes with a chart on the packaging that tells you the amount of line to let out behind the boat, and the speed to troll to get the rig at specific depths. These calculations have been tested over time, and they are really, really close.
So, here’s how to deploy them. You ‘can’ do this by yourself, but it’s better to have a buddy. Someone to run the boat, and someone to deploy the rigs.
I typically start with the boat barely in gear, moving just enough to let the rig track in the water.
Drop the rig just below the surface and visually check to make sure all the jigs are running true… no fouls…nothing crossing over each other.
Increase your speed to 3 or 4 miles per hour.
Then start deploying the rig. Leave your clicker on, or keep a really good thumb on the spool, so you don’t have an over-run. Let out the amount of line, based on the size of the umbrella you have , and the depth you want to reach. Reduce your speed to around 2 miles per hour…And you’re fishing.
If you are running two rigs, put them on opposite sides, and stagger them behind the boat, so when you make turns, they don’t get tangled.
There are a few things to remember when you are trolling umbrellas…
There’s a lot of weight and resistance back there, so you need a rod that has enough backbone to pull it. I use 30 pound test mono or 80 pound class braid. And you need a reel with a really smooth drag. Set the drag just past the point where it won’t let line out at your trolling speed.
You can also adjust the depth of the rig while you’re trolling…simply by varying the boat speed. A lot of our impoundments have standing timber. If you notice timber coming up on you sonar, you can speed up the boat, and that will lift the umbrella rig in the water column. When you’re past the trees, you can slow back down. And by the way, that simple change in speed and depth will often draw a strike. So don’t be afraid to vary your speed occasionally.
If you are pulling more than one rig…when you catch a fish, you have a choice…either continue trolling…and possibly catch another fish on the second rig…OR stop the boat and get the first fish in. If you decide to stop the boat, it’s imperative to get the other rig in. Otherwise, THAT rig is going straight to the bottom and is highly likely to get hung up.
And yes… you are going to get hung up once in a while. So I strongly recommend getting a U-Rig Retriever. Umbrella rigs can be a little pricey…and this little gizmo will save at least 90% of your rigs. When you hang up, just drop the retriever down the main line, give it a few jerks and you will usually get your rig back. Sometimes you’ll have a bent hook , or you might even lose a jig and leader, but that’s easy and quick to replace. So be sure to have a few extra jigs and leaders on board too.
And finally, don’t think umbrella rigs are just for freshwater striper fishing. These are super deadly on saltwater fish too. Spanish Mackerel, mahi, blackfin tuna, snapper and grouper will all attack an umbrella. For Spanish and mahi, I’ll load up the rig with Clark Spoons instead of bucktail jigs. And for bottom species, I’ll increase the size of the jigs and soft plastics, and adjust my speed to get them deeper.
So if you’re plagued by the summertime, “Can’t Catch Fish” blues… tie on an umbrella rig and see what a difference it makes.