GEAR
UMBRELLA RIGS
FINE-TUNING UMBRELLA RIGS
TAKE YOUR RIG GAME TO NEW HEIGHTS WITH
ADVICE FROM FLW SERIES PRO CASEY SMITH
T
By Curtis Niedermier
56
he luster has finally faded on the umbrella rig. It’s still a
good option in certain scenarios, but it seems as if the just-toss-
it-and-catch-20-pounds effectiveness has worn off as bass have
gotten wise to the five-wire rig.
Regardless, the key to success with an umbrella rig nowadays is in
fine-tuning the rig for a specific scenario. no longer will just any rig do.
new york pro Casey Smith is an expert at umbrella rig adjustments.
he finished runner-up at the 2016 Costa FLW Series northern Division
event on Lake oneida with a rig, and he says he at least experiments
with one at every lake he fishes. often, Smith has as many as five
slightly different umbrella rigs on the deck ready to go.
“I look at an umbrella rig like Jason Lambert probably looks at a
crankbait, where the bill has its own purpose and there are different
bills for different situations and different hooks, rattles and colors,”
says Smith. “to me, the umbrella rig is the same, where it’s got all those
different parts. hook size, jighead size, the size of the blades you’re
using and the size of the wire all have an effect. I change in and out and
tweak and adapt in each situation, just like someone would do with a
crankbait on a ledge.”
Smith’s adjustments can help any angler dial in an umbrella rig for
potential year-round success.
The Base Rig
Smith’s favorite rig is the D&W Customs
Schooler Rig (shown above), which is avail-
able at Facebook.com/DandWCUSTOMS
and costs $12.99. It’s also sold by Green
Top Hunting and Fishing in Virginia (green-
tophuntfish.com). The rig’s head is made
of layers of acrylic so that it’s light but
durable, but that’s not why Smith likes it.
Dean Gibbs, owner of D&W, can custom
build just about any type of rig Smith
wants, and will do so for any consumer.
Smith performs some customizations him-
self; others, he leaves up to Gibbs.
FLWFISHING.COM I FEBRUARY-MARCH 2017