Mini Umbrella Rigs

[STRIPER LOU]

With a lot of small bait around this year these Mini Umbrella Rigs are killer after the sun is up for an hour or two. Being 12" they're not as cumbersome to troll as they have a lot less drag than the full size ones. We've caught fish up to 45lbs and some double headers so they seem to stand up pretty well.
Capt. Paul of the SantaMaria  wanted a bunch so I set these up for him. Material is dyed Tygon which works out better if the toothy critters are around. I also do them in Latex which to me seems to work a bit better on Stripers.
One of the pics shows them with wrenches hanging on them and I like to do this for a few days to take the line set out. It really helps to minimize tangles. 80lb Berkley Big Game is used with glued clinch knots for extra strength. Quality swivels with at least a 220lb rating is the right way to go.
The Sears Handi-Cut tool is the only way to fly and makes cutting the tails a snap. Some of the colors that have been working well this year are Red/purple, blue/purple, Dk green/silver, Dk green, and one of my fav's is wine/natural. I don't think you save that much rolling your own but it lets you experiment with different color combinations.
The other plus is its always better catching on something you make yourself!
................Lou

[STRIPER LOU]

Final product.

[David Hall]

Very nice, do you make your umbrella rigs too?

[STRIPER LOU]

I don't David. Its on the list of things to do but it just isn't happening. They are Seven and change a piece, a bit pricey, so its another winter project. Got some goodies coming from woodturningz so that's another one on the list. Appreciate the tip!
Going to make some Abalone knobs plus a few other colors I picked out.
Is your boat fixed yet?

[bluefish69]

I started using the Handy Cuts & switched to Tailor Scissors. I make the tubes in Latex 3/16 id tube. Instead of swivels I use 175# Bead Chain & 7/0 Limerick Hooks that doesn't bend.

Mike

[STRIPER LOU]

Mike, you are correct. The bead chain is the best but expensive. Do you have a good source at a decent price?
Thanks,  ..  Lou

[bluefish69]

The last time I bought any it was $100 for a gross #175  4 beads. I never bought the lighter one.

Mike

[STRIPER LOU]

Thanks Mike, the guys wont go for the extra money unfortunately. I also use the 3/16 id/ 5/16 od latex and have been buying it on ebay. Not cheap either. Are you buying it at a reasonable cost? and if so, from where?
.....................Lou

[bluefish69]

Check your PM's

Mike

[David Hall]

I don't David. Its on the list of things to do but it just isn't happening. They are Seven and change a piece, a bit pricey, so its another winter project. Got some goodies coming from woodturningz so that's another one on the list. Appreciate the tip!
Going to make some Abalone knobs plus a few other colors I picked out.
Is your boat fixed yet?

They are a good supplier, lots of goodies, Im looking into a bigger chuck for my shopsmith and might try turning a handle or two from that material.
I just got the boat into the shop yesterday so wont hear any bad news about the stern drive for a few more days yet.  In the meantime Im catching up on chores around the yard, tying them flys you sent me on some dropper leaders.  Building harpoons and hook removers, Im just having a ball.

[David Hall]

So over the last couple days I have spent working part time and hanging out at the shop in Santa Cruz, searching online for the best deal on a new stern drive, due to mostly ignorance on my part I managed to toast my Bravo III totally, so after exhausting research online reading reading and more reading I decided which way to go, turned out the mechanic came to the exact same conclusion but only after consulting with a few other Merc technicians and Mercury marine engineers.  I decided I needed as near bullet proof drive as possible.  Also happens to be the most expensive drive they make. 2016 Bravo III XR
The issue started in the boatyard back in 2004 when the builder decided to pair the Yanmar 6LPA tdi to the mercruiser Bravo III X.  It all looked good on paper except that this motor puts out a whopping 550 ft. Lbs torque at 315hp, the BIIIX is rated up to 350hp but no torque rating and people started breaking them. The builder clearly labeled the helm with a warning sign which reads, DO NOT EXCEED 3800 RPM,  and what happens when you do?  More on that question later.  So there's this chrome tube that wraps around the drive and it looks like a cute piece of trim that doesn't actually do anything except hang there looking shiny,  last year I noticed some cracks in it and since I figured it wasn't doing anything anyway, might as well throw it away since it's got all theses cracks in it anyway.  Go ahead laugh, you probably knew what this piece was before I did.

[David Hall]

And then there's the issue of maintenance.  Okay I'm not the sharpest tack in the box, but in my defence the stern drive is outside the boat and under water nearly 100% of the time, Out of sight out of mind.  I never gave it much though, I bought the boat used 4yrs old with 650hrs back in 2008, I've put 1200hrs on it since and only changed the drive oil once, last September after the upper shaft seal went and oil started dumping through the bellows into the transom, had the gimbal bearing, shift cables, seals and upper shaft and ujoint all rrreplaced.
So I have close to 1800 hrs and basically totally ignored (except for new zincs every three months) the drive.
When trolling the drive stayed under water and temperatures stayed tolerable.  This year I started fishing 35 miles from my Harbor and I would run at speed 23-25knts for 90 minutes to get there and back, now the upper unit is out of the water and running hard after 4 consecutive trips down and back and the fourth time oil overheated.  On my way home 6 miles from the Harbor on a clear blue day with FAC seas, something went BANG and she went dead in the water,   bearings spun in there races and seized, upper gears exploded, through the vertical shaft taking out the lower unit at the same time.  THIS IS ONE EXPENSIVE LESSON.  I'm gonna have to do a tutorial on how not to let this happen. 

[Fish-aholic]

With a lot of small bait around this year these Mini Umbrella Rigs are killer after the sun is up for an hour or two. Being 12" they're not as cumbersome to troll as they have a lot less drag than the full size ones. We've caught fish up to 45lbs and some double headers so they seem to stand up pretty well.
Capt. Paul of the SantaMaria  wanted a bunch so I set these up for him. Material is dyed Tygon which works out better if the toothy critters are around. I also do them in Latex which to me seems to work a bit better on Stripers.
One of the pics shows them with wrenches hanging on them and I like to do this for a few days to take the line set out. It really helps to minimize tangles. 80lb Berkley Big Game is used with glued clinch knots for extra strength. Quality swivels with at least a 220lb rating is the right way to go.
The Sears Handi-Cut tool is the only way to fly and makes cutting the tails a snap. Some of the colors that have been working well this year are Red/purple, blue/purple, Dk green/silver, Dk green, and one of my fav's is wine/natural. I don't think you save that much rolling your own but it lets you experiment with different color combinations.
The other plus is its always better catching on something you make yourself!
................Lou

What helps to remove line memory and knot tying kinks in mono is the use of a hair dryer. Apply tension to the line as you have done with the use of spanners, heat up an area of kinked line for about 10 seconds and then apply heat to the other lengths of mono you want to straighten. Keep tension as the line cools and you will find any imperfections in the mono will have been minimised. This will help speed up your current line straightening process from days to achieving far better results in minutes with a hair dryer.