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| The Billy Bar works, period. |
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| My Buddy Billy: Abaco Billy Bars
Do you hate dragging those heavy umbrella rigs behind your boat? Me, too—but they sure are effective. Too bad those wire frames, multiple shad bodies, and heavy parachutes attached to them feel like a ton of bricks moving through the water. Billy Bars’ aim is to keep those teasers and lures in the water, with half as much drag as the standard umbrella rig produces. Instead of the X frame an umbrella rig has, Billy Bars (named after their inventor, charter captain Billy Williams of the Megabite,) feature a pair of parachutes pulled behind either end of a single piece V frame. Instead of running eight shad bodies and one hooked lure down the middle, there are three teaser bodies in the middle.
To find out if the V is as effective as a traditional umbrella, I tried trolling two umbrellas and two Billy Bars side by side, one each in white and one in chartreuse, during the spring trophy striper season on the Chesapeake Bay (a fishery ready-made for umbrella rigs.) Surprisingly, the Billy Bars actually out-fished the umbrellas by a slight margin. No as surprisingly, although it is reduced there’s still a lot of drag, particularly when there’s no fish on the end. As the V drags through the water it remains perpendicular to the boat, causing that ton-of-bricks sensation. There is an advantage, however that comes once you get a hook-up. As he fish pulls on the lure attached to one end of the bar, the bar shifts so it’s parallel to the boat. With no fish on I’d say drag is reduced 30-percent, and when a fish is one the line, maybe 40-percent. That’s still a lot of drag, but a notable improvement over the old umbrella rigs.
Price: $35.
The Highs: Less drag than an umbrella, and as or more effective.
The Lows: Still a lot of drag on the line.
Who Wants It: Trollers looking to reduce the weight on the end of their lines.
Contact: www.alltackle.com NOTE: last time we checked Alltackle didn't have the Billy Bar listed on the site, but they do have them in stock. Give 'em a call if you're interested in ordering one.
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