GEARING UP
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Neal believes the umbrella rig rose to popularity so fast because it exposed a segment of fish that most anglers were not targeting – namely , suspended bass staging to spawn .
“ When I ’ m fishing a rig , I ’ m looking for staging areas that are close to deep water ,” Neal says . “ During spring , bass tend to suspend more in open water and might be in 25 or 30 feet of water but down only 7 or 8 feet .”
With this in mind , he ’ ll make a cast and begin his retrieve instead of counting down his bait to specific depths .
“ I ’ ll make a cast and start reeling it slowly ,” Neal explains . “ I fish it just like I ’ m slow-rolling a spinnerbait . I think there ’ s a misconception among some anglers who use heavier jig heads – they tend to fish below where most of the fish are , especially this time of year .”
For big prespawn bass , Neal looks for the high-percentage staging areas before bass head to the bank .
“ Points are always going to be good for big pre-spawn bass ,” he says . “ I also look for channel turns , and if I ’ m going to be on the bank , the ends of bluffs are good places to start .”
As the popularity of the technique has increased , anglers have found more applications for the umbrella rig . It ’ s still useful in deep water and around bridge pilings and mainlake points , but it works well in many other locations .
Along with changing rig styles and adjusting his retrieve , Davis says where he fishes it has also changed over the years . “ Here on Guntersville in the summer , it still works great out on the ledges ,” Davis says . “ During the prespawn , I ’ ll fish it in many of the same places that I fish a jerkbait or a lipless crankbait . Basically , anything that looks a little different down the bank . It could be points in the grass or little pockets inside of them . I ’ ll also fish the rig down riprap banks .”
Davis encourages anglers to give umbrella rigs a shot during the pre-spawn , as he feels that some of the shine has worn off as other techniques have begun to dominate the attention early in the year .
“ I think the rig has started to become forgotten about a little ,” he posits . “ It ’ s more work to fish and cast than just going down the bank and throwing a ChatterBait or a crankbait . That ’ s what everyone else is throwing , and you don ’ t see the rigs flying around near as much as they used to .”
Michigan pro Scott Dobson says that fall is the best time to throw an A-rig for smallmouth .
FROM NORTH TO SOUTH
Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit veteran Scott Dobson , who hails from Clarkston , Michigan , is an umbrella rig fanatic . He says it ’ s a must-have tool for Great Lakes smallmouth bass , though for him , it ’ s more of a summer and fall pattern ( during the spring months he ’ s traveling the country on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit ).
“ It ’ s primarily a fall smallmouth application for me ,” he says . “ I find that it shines when the water is between 50 and 60 degrees . It ’ s a technique I use late in the year .
“ At least for me , it doesn ’ t work as well during the spring around home when the water is in that temperature range . I ’ ve tried it , but it doesn ’ t do that great in the spring , and I don ’ t know why .”
Around his Michigan home , Dobson will utilize umbrella rigs on the Detroit River and Lake St . Clair but says it ’ s just as good a little further away from home on New York ’ s St . Lawrence River .
“ It ’ s pretty straightforward when they ’ re on the bite ,” he says . “ You bomb it out and let if fall and start reeling . They ’ ll either crush it as soon as the bait moves towards you or when the rig changes trajectory and starts moving up towards the boat at the end of the cast .” n
PHOTO BY JODY WHITE
86 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | APRIL-MAY 2021