Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Director Robert E. Carter Jr. has signed a temporary rule establishing a limit on the number of hooks allowed on a rig or lure array used for sport fishing, essentially making so-called “umbrella rigs” legal through the remainder of the year.

Until recently, umbrella rigs were a traditional saltwater trolling apparatus used effectively in the northeastern United States to catch striped bass and bluefish, according to Ken Schultz’s Fishing Encyclopedia. The rig is an umbrella-shaped frame of multiple wires from which lures or hooks are attached. It is designed to resemble a school of baitfish.

Professional bass fisherman Paul Elias triggered a frenzy of interest among freshwater anglers when he used a version of the apparatus called the Alabama Rig to win an FLW Series national tournament in October.  Using the bait, Elias caught a 20-fish limit weighing more than 100 pounds, to beat his closest challenger by 17 pounds and win the tournament’s $100,000 first-place prize.

Bass Anglers Sportsmen Society (BASS), the FLW’s rival tour, announced in January the umbrella rigs cannot be used in the Bassmaster Classic or the Bassmaster Elite Series. In the meantime, states have been scrambling to see if umbrella rigs fall inside or outside of their fishing regulations.

Indiana’s existing rules do not adequately describe whether umbrella rigs are legal. Indiana Administrative Code 312 IAC 9-7-2 states: “an individual may take fish with not more than three poles, hand lines or tip-ups at a time … (and) an individual must affix to each line not more than: two hooks, two harnesses for use with live bait or two artificial baits.

“The ambiguity with the umbrella rig is whether it should be defined as one lure with many parts or many lures on single line.”

As DNR officials continue to study the issue, the temporary rule adds a fourth option to the existing regulation allowing “one rig or lure array for use with multiple artificial baits with not more than five hooks.” The temporary rule authorized by Director Carter expires on Jan. 1, 2013.

“This gives Hoosier anglers an opportunity to gain firsthand experience with the use and effectiveness, or drawbacks, of how umbrella rigs actually perform,” Carter said. “It also gives the DNR time to gather information on what, if any, future definitions or restrictions need to be considered.”

The temporary rule does not apply to trout and salmon stream tributaries of Lake Michigan or to the St. Joseph River downstream of the Twin Branch Dam in Mishawaka. The regulations on those particular waters continue to be limited to one single hook, one harness for use with live bait or one artificial lure per line.

Single hooks, including the hooks on artificial baits, must be no larger than 1/2-inch front point to shank. Double and treble hooks on artificial lures may not exceed 3/8-inch from point to shank. All trout and salmon taken in Indiana must be hooked in the mouth (no foul hooking allowed).

Women can choose their own adventures at an outdoor sports workshop, with courses ranging from shotgun shooting to fly-fishing. The 17th annual “Becoming an Outdoors-Woman” (BOW) event is May 4-6 at Ross Camp in West Lafayette.

The workshop is open to women ages 18 and older, but the program is limited to 100 participants. Registration begins March 1 at http://indianabow.com and costs $185.

The program is designed for women to learn outdoor skills in a relaxed, low-pressure environment. Participants will choose four activities from among 27 offerings, including archery, Survival 101, orienteering and learning to hunt small game. New classes for 2012 are seminars on muzzle-loading and driving with a trailer.

The workshop is for women who have never tried the activities, but have hoped for an opportunity to learn; who have tried them but are beginners hoping to improve; or who know how to do some of the activities, but would like to try new ones. Women who enjoy the camaraderie of like-minded individuals and who seek time away to reconnect with nature are also prime candidates for BOW.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Jack Spaulding may contact him by e-mail at jackspaulding@hughes.net or by writing to him in care of this publication.