The Whole Truth: Outdoor Product Review
Hyper Umbrella Rig…Explore the Possibilities
by Mike Walker of Fishing 24-7 Guide Service
This review continues a look at some of the top products from different sections of an up and coming striped bass article. One section of the article focuses on umbrella rigs. It covers everything from size, style, weight, lure options, and performance. I've used big, heavy duty umbrella rigs for years, but just recently gave a different model a try... the hyper umbrella rig.
This umbrella rig is a little different than most. The company KG Enterprise, Inc. describes it as a tenser rig built on an umbrella-like frame with stainless steel arms. It is a three arm unit; they advertize it with three teasers called hyper tails and one hyper striper jig. After speaking with the folks at KG Enterprise, Inc., and letting them know what I had in mind, they said they would send several umbrella rigs and jigs to test and try. I fish very clear water and believe that downsizing tackle whenever possible helps. That's what made this umbrella rig attractive to me. Plus, I already had visions of running seven lures instead of one. The only question I had: Is the unit strong enough to handle what I want it to do?
Upon opening the package, the first thing I noticed was that it's a collapsible umbrella rig. This was the only umbrella rig tested like this and is the only one I am aware of being made like this. The umbrella rig has a lead head with a threaded bolt extension and a spacer cylinder with three different notches in it. There is a wing nut under the spacer which allows it to be loosened or tightened. Loosen the wing nut and put one arm in each slot, and then tighten the nut and it's ready to go. One thing that did scare me was the thin stainless steel arms. Right away I started to wonder if seven jigs would be too many for this unit and couldn't imagine this rig with three striped bass on it. The arms just looked a little small to handle it... not that I would ever judge a book by its cover.
The first thing to find out was: How would it hold up with seven lures? After rigging the first one up, I had a much better feeling about the setup and rig. I found out really quick what it could take, as I boated fish ranging from 3-21 pounds on my first couple of trips using it. On one trip, we caught three stripe with one umbrella rig and landed them all. I tasted my own shoe leather that day. Over the past month I have used several different setups with everything from bucktail jigs, swimbaits, spoons, and hard body lures. They have two different weights to choose from: 2 and 6 ounces. I used them with 4-7 lures, with seven being my favorite. Neither clients nor friends have had problems with tangling when setting out in the water. As for its durability, I've had several doubles and one triple while using this rig over the last month. The three striped bass had it tied in a knot, but after untangling it and a little straightening, it was ready to go again. I did choose to re-tie because the 40 pound test line was beat up. Its drag resistance is a lot lighter than most umbrella rigs, which give it a good feel.
The Verdict: I have found a place in my boat for these hyper umbrella rigs and have several ready to go when I need them.
