The Only Bass Lure Ever Banned Because It Was Too Good

With a single cast during a Feb. 22, 2014, tournament on Lake Austin (Texas), two brothers boated more than 20 pounds of bass, including one fish that weighed more than 7 pounds and two that were over 6. Furthermore, they went on to cull all three of those fish with bigger ones in claiming victory with a better-than-40-pound sack. The nearest competitors in the field of 137 other teams finished more than 14 pounds behind them.

Their winning lure? A YUM Flash Mob Jr. or FMJ. In other words, an umbrella rig--the only bass lure in history to ever be banned from top-level tournament fishing.

And for the benefit of anyone who hasn't bothered to read the Dewey Mullins Memorial Bass Tourney Series rules, please know it also is banned from our tournaments.

As published in a Dec. 2, 2014, New York Times article, B.A.S.S. spokesman David Precht made it clear that it was the vote of the pro anglers that had led to the ban. "They feel it sometimes can be too effective and takes away some of the skill," he said.

While the umbrella rig has been banned from top-level tournaments, anglers across the country have learned that, just like other lures, there's a right time and a wrong time to fish one.  It's most effective during colder-water periods, from late fall until prespawn bass invade the shallows during the spring.

The larger, original YUMbrella rig can weigh up to 4 ounces when rigged with jigheads and swimbaits and is preferred when fishing for big bass late in the season when baitfish are at their largest. The main issue anglers have expressed about the YUMbrella is its weight. Often requiring longer, stronger rods, braided line, and the strength to heave it all day long, the full-size YUMbrella truly is a big-fish bait.

The lighter-weight FMJ is much easier to cast and fish throughout the day and is capable of fishing in water as shallow as a few feet. This feature, combined with willowleaf blades positioned at the halfway point of each outer arm, makes it more versatile, effective and appealing to anglers almost year-round. The FMJ can be rigged with 3- or 4-inch curly-tail grubs on 1/4-ounce jigheads, or with smaller swimbaits, such as the 2.5-inch Money Minnows.

One tip most FMJ anglers suggest is to use a swimbait that is slightly longer for the middle bait. It lags a little behind the rest of the school, and it or the bottom-riding bait is the one that will catch 80 percent of the fish. Some anglers suggest using four of the same color swimbaits around the outer wires and using a slightly different colored one for the middle wire to call out more attention.

Plus, there is no other bait better at taking advantage of any fish-schooling situation than the FMJ. Try it rigged with white grubs in the spring, and you'll out-catch everyone else 10 to 1. Or go after big striped bass, if you dare. Beasts weighing more than 40 pounds have been reported caught on both the YUMbrella and FMJ.