Since the Elites have banned it, we can't really see if this has been a year round silver bullet. I'd like to hear from guys in local clubs what kind of results, if any, you are seeing with this bait.

To date for the NY trails I follow, I have not heard of a single event won or even a top 10 finisher utilizing the umbrella rig.

Curious what everybody else is witnessing/hearing at their local weigh-ins or via dock talk so far regarding the umbrella... is it the be all end all lure that people thought it would be... or is it just another tool that has a time and place?

If you watched some FLW events it has done quite well......but I still think its cheating throwing five as opposed to one and I havent been able to find any Shadalicious swimbaits anywhere thanks to it and thats been my go to lure the last couple of years.

On Pickwick you couldn't compete last winter and spring without The Rig.

This summer it has been slow on bass, but still hot for stripes. I suspect

The Rig comes back into play as the water cools and the yellowfin bunch

up into bigger schools.

I don't tournament fish but I don't think it's cheating at all. If it's legal, enjoyable and productive I don't see any reason not to use it.

Guys, this isn't about whether you like the rig, or if you think it's cheating. I only want to know about dock talk at tournaments or any documented tournament results with the rig. Up here in NY, I haven't heard ANYTHING about it since last fall, when my friends Burnie and Mike were tearing it up with one on Oneida. I don't think it's the gill net that the Elites painted it to be. I think it's a spring/fall tool.

The guy I fish with in Fire Fighter tourneys will whip that thing out once in a while to see if it will do any good. So far, Ive caught more fish on a single Gambler EZ than he has fishing 5 baits on this 1 rig. He could be fishing the rig in the same spot, and I will pull the fish before he does. If you ask me, I think it was a waste of $, but thats just my opinion.

If any one is catching fish on it in the tournaments I fish they are not talking about it. My various partners and I have not been using it, and we have had a win, three 2nd's, a 3rd, a 4th, a 6th, and one stinker,just doing what we usually do. I suspect the other guys are doing the same things they usually do too, I know most of them claim to not have even used it all. I have caught way more fish on single hard bodied or single soft swimbaits. Personaly I have caught one 4lb smallie on it back in may, and that was it...it wore me out throwing it for more than a few hours too,more so than a full day of deep cranking or walking frogs, but at least at the end of a long day of doing those things I usually have a good sack of fish to show for it. I will continue to play with it here and there, but as of now it's a non producer for me.

I haven't seen or heard of any talk of guys using it at any of the events I have fished either. I do have one and on most waters here you can only have lures on 2 of the 5 attachment points.I tossed it a couple of times at one event and agree it can wear you out tossing it all day as from just my limited experience it was a workout. I ended up putting it down after a backlash so bad I had to cut line and it wasn't productive but again it was very limited usage with it for me.

Fish BFLs and i know the first two tournaments were won and most of top ten were using it. Last two I haven't even tied it on a rod.

I've not heard about anyone using. I have not even tied mine on in several months.