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Yachting Monthly

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Troubleshooting problems with your yacht rigging

• Bruce Jacobs
• February 18, 2022

Do you know how to prevent problems with your yacht rigging and sails, and what to do when things go wrong? Bruce Jacobs looks at the six most common problems...

Yacht rigging is a dark art and no one will ever convince me otherwise. I have yet to meet two riggers who agree on anything – and there is no manual to read up on. It is a world of angles, tension, loads, corrosion, metal fatigue and, most of all, opinions.

Ask your surveyor , rigger and insurance company a question about a rig and you’ll see what I mean. It is perhaps no surprise therefore that the rig ends up being one of the most commonly overlooked areas on a yacht with regard to maintenance, even though it should be near the top.

With Rubicon 3 yachts sailing high up in the Arctic or far out on the oceans, rig condition is something we obsess about. For many sailors, however, the first time they really think about their rig issue will be when they are at sea and things start to go wrong.

Many years ago, I was delivering a 50ft Beneteau across the Tyrrhenian Sea from Corsica to Sicily. With only two of us on board, we were short-handed but expecting no more than a Force 6.

As is not uncommon in this area in early autumn, a mini weather system came through and things quickly got difficult. As we tried to reduce sail, the roller furler jammed. A nasty situation was made worse as the autopilot was overwhelmed by the now 40-knot winds and big sea state.

Devise an emergency plan

The decision was made to drop the sail, so we fully unfurled it (quite something in these winds) and began to lower the halyard. It jammed halfway down. Unable now to get it up or down, or furl it away, we were left with a full genoa, halfway up the forestay and completely out of control, doing its best to shake the rig to destruction.

Furling sails make life easy, but a jam can be serious

It was now a severe gale, with lightning visibly striking the water and hail lashing the deck. A 50-knot-plus gust proved to be our saving grace. Its force was enough to free the jammed swivel and the sail came crashing down onto the foredeck and was quickly bundled down the hatch.

A later inspection in Sicily showed that two rivets had come loose in the foil causing all the problems. It was a lesson well learnt about the need for proper maintenance.

It is worth considering what could go wrong with your sails and rig and how you would cope if it does. This article covers six of the most common issues you may face and how to prevent them happening.

A word of caution. Even in light winds, sails, ropes and wire rigging can cause serious injury. Be extremely careful and get professional assistance wherever possible.

Roller Furler Problems

The development of the roller reefing furler was undoubtedly one of the biggest aids to cruising. At a stroke it removed the need to head out onto the foredeck in strong winds and haul-down sails, lash them to the deck, hank on a new sail and hoist it up. Instead we can now control the headsail area from the comfort and safety of our cockpit.

Remember, however, that the typical genoa for a 40ft boat will be over 40m2 (430sq ft) of sail. You can be sailing along in a fresh breeze and suddenly have all that sail open up.

Roller furlers can also jam fully open, fully closed or somewhere in between. In any of these situations, you could have a serious situation on your hands.

There should still be some turns on the drum when furled, but too many could cause a jam

Sail jammed closed

Likely more of a frustration than a serious issue. Check to see the furling line is not jammed in the furling unit. If the rope is too thick or too much is left on the drum, it’s possible for a jam to occur. Ideally, look to have three turns left on the drum when fully stored.

If the line is not jammed, you likely have other issues such as seized swivel drum unit bearings or a halyard wrap. You will need to wait for the wind to drop, remove the sheets, manually unwind the sail, drop it and find the cause of the issue.

Sail jammed open

A dangerous situation and one you need to rectify quickly. Have a quick check with the binoculars that it is not a halyard wrap. If it’s not, the most likely scenario is that the sail opened too fast, or with not enough sheet tension, and the furling line is now jammed in the drum.

If it is safe to do so, open the drum and manually unwind the line, before re winding it. If this doesn’t help, you likely have a problem with the bearings in the swivel or drum.

Bring the sail under control, unattach it from the furler drum and lower it. Then inspect and repair it, but only if it is safe to do so.

Halyard wrap

If the halyard wraps around the forestay when furling, try opening up the sail again, depower it and let it luff a little to shake things loose. Then try refurling. If the wrap isn’t too bad, this can free it. You may need to do this multiple times to get the sail fully furled.

The halyard and foil should not be parallel at the masthead

If this doesn’t work, your only choice is to unfurl the sail fully, unattach the tack from the furling drum and lower the sail, pulling it out of the foil as you do so. You’ll need to try and work out why the wrap is happening (usually it’s because of an issue with the length of halyard or its lead angle to the swivel).

Sail jammed half open

This is probably your worst case scenario, as now you can neither furl the sail nor open it and drop it. Probably your only option, and you really need to be careful that the wind is not too strong, is to remove the sheets and try to pass the sail around the forestay and gradually get it under control, lashing it with sail ties or rope where possible.

If this is impossible and you’re in trouble, you may ultimately have to cut the sail off, in itself a hazardous operation.

Never force a roller furler

When a sail won’t open or close it can be hugely tempting to put the line on the winch and try and force it open. This is a recipe for disaster. If the swivel is jammed, the furling line has riding turns or the bearings are gone, putting more force on the system will likely increase your problems. Wherever you can, try to solve the issue, not force it.

Keep an eye on the furling drum, and on the masthead swivel to avoid halyard wraps or other problems. Avoid using the winch to furl the sail away

In-mast mainsail furling issues

To prevent your mainsail jamming, it’s important to understand that it works in a similar way to your genoa furler. The luff of the sail slides into an aluminium foil which then rolls the sail away, usually in an anti- clockwise direction.

The big issue is that all the sail has to fit into the mast, and unless you furl it away carefully, it will jam. Try to furl on starboard tack, to reduce friction where the sail enters the mast.

Ease the mainsheet and outhaul a little. Too much outhaul and you can bend the furler. Too little and the foot will be too loose and jam. This will also happen more as your sail ages and gets baggy, hence why mast furled sails need to be replaced more often.

Even if you do get the sail furled away, if it went in too loose, you can find it hard to get back out. You need a nice tight wrap.

If you’re still jamming, make sure your boom height is keeping the luff straight and check your halyard tension as vertical creases can cause problems. You want to have just lost your horizontal creases.

If you have adjusted your backstay tension, you may find your furling mechanism is jamming inside the mast.

Maintenance Tips

With roller furlers, it really is the case that prevention is better than cure. Follow this guide and hopefully you won’t have to worry about the issues described.

You or your rigger should be conducting an annual full mast-up rig inspection. As part of this, if you haven’t dropped your sail recently and inspected the swivel, drum, foil, sail and halyard, you really should do so before you sail again.

A mast-up rig inspection should be done every year

To prevent halyard wraps, with the sail hoisted, make sure the remaining halyard is not too long. Ideally its lead to the swivel should also not be vertical, but at around 10-15°. A loose forestay can also cause wraps, so check tension.

Make sure the furling line heads into the drum at 90° to prevent riding turns. Wash the furling drum with lots of fresh water to stop salt and dirt deposits building up inside. Open the drum and make sure you can see where and how the furling line attaches in case you ever need to replace it in a crisis. Make sure the line has no chafe.

With the sail lowered, turn the swivel and furling unit. They should turn easily, without any bumps or jams. If not, the bearings may well be worn and you should have the unit repaired.

Still with the sail lowered and using binoculars, or heading up on a bosun’s chair, inspect the joins on the foil. Screws and rivets can begin to push out and jam the unit should you try to lower it next time (which may be an emergency).

Broken or lost halyard

A halyard breaking or coming loose whilst under sail is not a pleasant experience and can be dangerous. It really should not happen, and if it does there has been a fault somewhere. Either the halyard was not strong enough for the job, it has chafed through or the shackle has failed or was not closed properly.

If this spinnaker halyard had chafed through, it could have resulted in the loss of the sail as well as the halyard

Either way, once it has detached from the sail you are left with a nasty situation and you need to try and stop it getting worse. A word of caution. The mainsail is what holds the boom up under sail, so if the main halyard comes loose you have a potentially dangerous situation.

This is why you must always leave the topping lift loosely attached or have a boom strut that can support its weight. It is a key safety device and will stop the boom dropping down onto someone in the cockpit.

As always in a crisis, the first thing to do is stop and take a minute to collect your thoughts. Get the boat hove to as best you can to reduce the motion and minimise speed. If at all possible, you want to stop the halyard disappearing down the mast, so be gentle and don’t haul on any ropes.

Although there are various suggestions and gadgets you will be told about, in most cases the next step is a journey to the top of the mast and this is best done alongside in calm conditions. Not only will it be safer for you, but the halyards will be hanging vertically down rather than flying out to the leeward side.

If the rope has not gone down into the mast, your best bet is to grab hold of it and as you are lowered down, bring the rope with you. If it is still long enough, you can remake your halyard. If it is now too short, you can reeve a new halyard to the end of it and keep pulling through until you are fixed.

Fish out the new halyard with a bent piece of mousing wire

If you are unfortunate enough for the halyard to have disappeared down the mast, life is trickier. First, pull all the other halyards tight, so that they do not get in the way. Next get some thin messenger and firmly attached a weight to the end of it. Some bike chain or a row of bolt nuts can be really good for this.

Leaded rope is also an excellent choice (it’s worth having some on board just for this) and is less likely to get caught up in the internal spreader bar or cross bolts.

Lower your weighted messenger line down from the top of the mast until it is just past the exit gate for the halyard. The weight generally makes enough noise against the mast to hear where it’s currently at.

If you’re using a bike chain, a magnet on a stick can pull it out of the gate. Whether using chain or a leaded rope, it’s also worth having some welding rod or mousing wire shaped into a hook, as this will also grab the line.

Now pull the messenger line out of the gate and down to deck level. Now attach a new halyard to the messenger line and pull it through.

Broken Rigging

Your mast and rigging should be unstepped and have a full ground level inspection every four to five years, looking for corrosion, metal fatigue, damaged fittings, seized parts and more.

Thereafter, every sailor should be carrying out a general check on all their rigging prior to leaving the dock. Standing rigging has a maximum life of 10 years or 40,000 miles, whichever comes first, so you should make sure you know where yours is in its life cycle.

Wire rigging has the advantage that should a strand break you can see it and know that immediate action needs to be taken. Rod rigging however, unless serviced on a regular basis, may fail without warning.

In the Golden Globe Race, Jean-Luc van den Heede’s lower shroud bolt pulled down through the mast wall

Rigging tends to suffer from fatigue due to lack of articulation when the rigging goes slack on the leeward side. If it’s going to break, it is almost certainly going to happen between the swage or mechanical terminal fittings and wire and it will likely be shortly after the previously slack leeward side is brought back under load after a tack or gybe.

However much you care for your rig, it’s possible that failures can still occur. Should a failure occur, you have to act fast. The golden rule is to get the load onto the opposite rigging as fast as possible.

So if your port shroud breaks, get onto starboard tack. If your forestay breaks, head down wind. Immediately use every spare halyard you have, attaching them to strong points near where the rigging was attached and crank them in hard. They will give your mast some added support.

Also, slow your boat right down, reef your mainsail to bring the centre of effort as low as possible and do everything you can to reduce the loads on the rig.

If you spot a wire strand fail while at sea, tack immediately to take the load off that side

It’s often best not to take your mainsail all the way down as it acts as a damper to reduce rolling. If a shroud goes, you will have to see if there is a way to jury rig it to the deck and then tension it to support the mast – but this really depends on what has broken and what you have left to work with.

A really useful back-up to consider is extended mechanical compression terminals, such as Sta-lock. It will mean using a hacksaw to cut off the end of the rigging wire, but they are then relatively easy to fit and will give you a good chance of getting underway again.

When it all goes wrong, it generally happens quickly and dramatically. Whatever the cause, when a mast decides it’s coming down, there is no stopping it.

A real-life dismasting can be a strangely slow-motion affair. Note the port cap shroud fails first, letting the top of the mast fall off to leeward

I have only had the misfortune to be dismasted once, and it was a curiously slow-motion affair, watching the aluminium spar bend and come down onto the deck.

It is obviously a dangerous time and keeping the crew safe is paramount. You will be in shock and as always, your first step has to be to pause, control your emotions and make a quick plan.

There will likely be loose standing and running rigging, and this can be swinging wildly. Put on some heavy-duty gloves (from your flare box, perhaps) and try to grab these and get them under control. Use sail ties or whatever you have to hand. You have to reduce the risk of injury to crew as quickly as you can.

If any spars are in the water, they can quickly act like a battering ram and cause you real problems. You have to do whatever you can to prevent damage to your hull. Try using fenders, bunk mattresses or whatever else you can find. Don’t be too quick to cut it away. You may need to try and make a jury rig and this spar might be your best bet If you can get it safely back on board.

But make no mistake, recovering a spar from the water will likely be very difficult and in tough conditions, almost impossible. What you must not do is end up with a casualty overboard or a crew member injured on deck.

If you can recover it, get it lashed down until you can make a plan. If you have to cut it away if you can’t retrieve it, cut it loose and protect the hull yourselves.

A good fine-toothed hacksaw is very often the best bet, making sure it has a strong metal not plastic frame and that you have a good few spare blades. Although very expensive, a set of hydraulic bolt croppers is also a near fail-safe option.

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Sailboat Rigging Tips from a Pro

• By David Bond
• Updated: May 12, 2021

Clive Strickett is a rugged guy, so it takes strong arms to winch him aloft to the masthead. But that’s exactly where you want him: eyeball to halyard sheave, looking for problems. He’s a veteran rigger with a keen eye and a background in ocean racing on the competitive Maxi circuit. On the island of Lanzarote, where I first encountered Strickett, he has a reputation for detail.

We were on the dock at Marina Lanzarote in a fresh breeze of about 20 knots. It was sunny and warm, the sort of weather you’d expect when you’re about 400 nautical miles off the coast of Morocco. These Canary Islands, of which Lanzarote is the farthest north, are a staging area for boats embarking on a trans-Atlantic crossing.

Strickett had just been lowered to the deck of a Bavaria 41 by the boat’s skipper after checking the spreaders, and was now shaking his head. Problems. There are always problems. This time it was mismatched metals. “It’s rare to find a boat that has nothing wrong with it,” he said.

Never mind the Atlantic—the first leg of the trip from the United Kingdom and Europe to the Canaries can be brutal on gear. And that’s before the 3,800-nautical-mile downwind crossing to the Caribbean. It’s wise to have a guy like Strickett check your rig before you leave. “I’ve been doing this for a few years now,” he said. “I might see a problem that the owner missed. They weren’t looking for it, or weren’t looking where they should have been. 

“You never know what’s going to happen on boats. Even on new boats,” he continued. “A friend of mine had a new catamaran, a big one, with a carbon-fiber mast. One of the genoa clutches ripped right off the mast. Brand new boat, right from the factory. We had to get the OK from the factory in France to make a repair. We fixed it, and he crossed the Atlantic.” 

Minor rig problems compound quickly under pressure. Strong winds funneling through these volcanic islands can mimic trade-wind sailing, but that doesn’t mean that every boat is ready for the crossing. According to Strickett, safety lies in the details, and he points out where to look for potential problems in your rig. Here’s what Strickett is looking for as he inspects a spar, from top to bottom.

Masthead: “Be sure the sheave axles are secure. Sometimes the holes elongate or even crack. And then halyards can get mixed up. One boat that came through here from Tenerife was using the wrong halyard. They were using the spinnaker halyard instead of the genoa halyard. When I went up to look at it, the sheave box was completely gone; the rivets were all loose. The holes had elongated because the halyard was at the wrong angle. They didn’t even realize it. It’s tough to see what’s happening aloft when you’re on deck.” 

Working down the mast on a fractional rig, there might be additional sheave boxes fitted for internal halyards. “Make sure all the rivets are tight. Anything fitted with bolts or rivets should be double-checked.”

Spreaders: “Inspect the spreader tips; make sure they’re OK and there’s no corrosion. Whenever you get stainless steel and aluminum together, there’s corrosion. One fleet of charter boats here had put 8 mm stainless bolts into the aluminum spreaders with no protection. Now the spreaders are corroding—the holes get bigger and bigger. But not only that, the spreader was already weakened by putting big holes in it to begin with.”

Shrouds: Broken or damaged wire rigging is the most common problem. “Most cruising boats use 1-by-19 stainless wire. Inside, one strand can let go, then another. When you get up to four broken strands, the wire gets weaker and weaker, and eventually fails. If you’re underway and that happens, then you have a big problem.”

You also don’t want extra weight aloft. “Some people use Dyform, or compacted wire, which uses triangular-shaped strands around a core. If you compare a 10 mm Dyform wire to a 10 mm 1-by-19 wire, the Dyform is stronger. I once changed a 12 mm 1-by-19 wire to a 10 mm Dyform wire. It’s the same strength, but I saved some weight aloft. 

“You can’t take anything for granted,” he continued. “There was a boat getting ready to head to the Mediterranean from here, which is a long slog to windward. He was all ready to go. Just as an afterthought, the owner had me look over the rig. Good thing. I found some broken wires in the forestay. The whole mast could have come down. So have a close inspection just to make sure there are no broken wires, and that the terminals don’t have any cracks in them.”

Boom: “Once again, closely inspect the rivets. Loose padeyes on the boom get looser and can easily rip right out. The same goes for the gooseneck fittings. Check every bolt, every rivet for the slightest elongation of the holes or any loose rivets. I can’t emphasize that enough. The padeye is usually secured to the boom with 5 mm Monel rivets, but those can pull loose after a sharp pull like a jibe. They can get yanked right out of the boom. Then what? As insurance, I usually remove the 5 mm rivets and replace them with 6.3 mm rivets, which are the largest you can use. If you’ve had a big jibe and the boom hits a V1 (lower shroud), it might break or bend the boom. We fix booms at our engineering shop. They’ll straighten it, put a patch on, weld it and then paint it. That makes it strong enough. New booms delivered to Lanzarote come from France, and the delivery fee alone can cost up to $3,500.”

Read More: Check your Boat’s Rig

Turnbuckles: “Some people don’t like to tape turnbuckles; they like to see what’s going on with them. Fair enough. I wouldn’t tape it all the way closed though. Just a little tape around the split pins so that they don’t grab a sail or your ankle. On one boat that I inspected, the guy had taped up the whole thing. When we untaped it, it was all manky, which means pretty disgusting. The dirt will always get in somehow. If it’s all taped up like that, you can’t oil or lubricate it. I tell people: Now and then, service your turnbuckles. Take some turns off the turnbuckle. Make sure it’s clean and then put a little Teflon gel on it, or some MolyKote grease. Then tighten it back up. 

“When you haven’t done it for some years,” he added, “they seize up and you can’t undo them. Especially a small turnbuckle. They’re chrome-plated over bronze, and when you put a big spanner in there and turn it, it’ll snap. And what you don’t want is for a wire to snap when it’s under load. It’s just preventive maintenance. Do it every six months. It takes only a couple of hours.”  

Headsail Furlers: “On some ProFurl furlers, there are four black bolts that go into the furler: two that hold the cage on and two that hold the plate. On the older ones, the bolts are made of titanium, and they seize into the aluminum. I don’t know how many I have had to drill out. But you have to drill them out properly. If it’s a 6 mm bolt, first you drill straight down the middle of the hole with a 3 mm drill, then with a 4 mm, then a 5 mm, then a 5.5 mm. Hopefully it will come out with the heat and friction. ‘Easy-out’ [screw extractors] don’t work. These things are seized together. Even heat doesn’t work.”

Chain Plates: “I inspected one boat with the chain plates so loose, they were actually moving. You could see where they had scratched the paint around the hull. Down below, look carefully at the chain plates. Make sure there’s no cracking in the hull, no movement on the bolts. You can see where a bolt has bent a little, or if it’s been pulled up or down. You’ll see little scratch marks on the hull or the bulkhead.”

Mast Step: “There’s a fine balance between the shrouds being too tight and too loose. There was a good-size catamaran that left here and got into some rough seas, rolling around. The shrouds were too loose, and on one roll, the mast jumped right out of its mast step. It was just for a moment, but in that moment, the mast went overboard.”

With the inspection on the Bavaria completed, as we walked up the gangway toward the marina office, I had one last question: “If something breaks underway, can a rigger or a boatyard be held responsible?” 

Strickett answered, “Sometimes. We have a basic form that says something like: ‘Rig checked. All found to be in good condition at the time of inspection.’ And I sign it. So as far as I’m concerned, everything was OK when I signed it. But if along the way, say it blows up to 40 knots and the crew still has their spinnaker up and the mast comes down, well, they might try to come back to us. So in my opinion, it boils down to this: If you’re not up to sailing the boat, then you shouldn’t be there. You just never know what’s going to happen.”  

David Bond, a regular contributor to CW, is a writer, teacher and cruising sailor currently based in Germany.

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The 7 Best Perch Rigs (Rigging & Fishing Guide)

UPDATED 03 NOVEMBER 2023

by Robert Ceran

While small perch are usually easy to catch (and abundant in most lakes), bigger perch over 1 to 2 pounds are much harder to target, and require more skill from the angler. 

But no matter if you want to catch your limit of panfish-sized perch, or if you want to hook a trophy perch or two, it’s essential to know what rigs to use for perch fishing, in order to improve your chances of success.

Table of Contents

Here I’ll cover the best perch rigs that you need to know. I’ll also discuss how to tie each of them, how to use them, and what purpose each of them is ideally suited for.

How do you rig for perch fishing?

The best perch fishing rigs are:

Slip bobber rig

• Drop shot rig

Carolina rig

Perch pounder rig.

Each of these perch rigs comes with its own set of strengths and weaknesses, and we’ll walk you through each of them below.

We’ll also give you a recommendation on what these perch fishing setups are best suited for, so you can decide which rig is best for you.

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This is by far the easiest perch rig to tie, and is usually worth trying out first, since it allows you to get a sense of what the fish are keyed into before you try more complex perch fishing setups.

How to tie it : If you’re using fluorocarbon or monofilament as your main line, you don’t need to tie a leader, and can just tie your main line directly to a 1/8 to 1/4 oz jig head (either plain metal, or a colored jig head is fine).

But if you’re using braid as your main line, you’ll need to tie a 2 foot long 6 to 8 lb test fluorocarbon leader. 

Berkley Power Minnow

My favorite soft plastic bait for perch, pre-rigged onto a jig head (2″ size is ideal for perch).

After tying the jig head to your line, thread on a soft plastic lure, such as a grub tail or paddle tail swimbait. Personally, I like to use Berkley power minnows with this rig, since they have the perfect action.

Another great thing about this perch fishing setup is that you can easily switch out the soft plastic lure to test different shapes, sizes, and colors. 

How to use it : As with all yellow perch rigs, you should aim to keep them very close to the bottom during retrieval.

So after casting your jig with a jigging rod , wait for it to reach the bottom before you start retrieving it, and regularly pause during retrieval to let it sink back to the bottom.

Experiment with different retrieval speeds and cadences, until you find something that triggers bites. 

When to use it : The jig rig is a great search bait, which you can use to cover a lot of water in search of feeding perch.

It’s also a great option if you’re not getting any bites on a live bait rig, or if you’re not sure if there are any fish around.

Keep on moving around until your find a school of fish, and then experiment with different baits and presentation techniques. 

This is one of the best perch rigs for live bait , and also one of the best setups to use from shore. I like to set up a deadstick with a  slip bobber rig, while casting a lure with my active rod.

How to tie it : It’s best to start by threading a bobber stopper onto your line, followed by a plastic bead (which prevents the bobber stop from getting stuck inside the bobber), and then the slip bobber.

Since perch don’t respond well to a lot of resistance when they take a bait, it’s best to use a relatively thin finesse bobber when fishing for perch.

Underneath the bobber, pinch on some split shot weights to stop the bobber from sliding down all the way, and then tie the line to a swivel.

Finally, tie a 6 to 8 lb test fluorocarbon leader to the swivel, and a size 2 to 4 bait hook (or micro jig head) to the other end of the leader.

How to use it : When using the slip bobber rig, it’s important to adjust your depth setting to about 6 inches above the bottom, since this is the primary strike zone for perch.

Once you’ve determined the right depth, bait the hook with a minnow or a worm, cast out your perch live bait rig, and wait for bites.

When to use it : This perch float rig is a great option to use from shore, since you can cast it out and wait for fish to pass by and take your bait.

You can also use this perch bait rig from a boat, but keep in mind that if you’re drifting, the depth of the bottom will tend to change all the time, which makes it harder to keep your bait presentation close to the bottom.

Drop shot rig for perch

The drop shot rig was originally developed as a finesse rig for bass, but has now become one of the most popular perch rigs, since it provides anglers with an amazingly sensitive and lightweight presentation that targets exactly the right depth of the water column.

How to tie it : Start by tying a size 2 to 6 drop shot hook to your line ( here’s a great video tutorial on how to do that). Next, clip on a 1/4 to 1/8 oz drop shot weight to the line underneath the hook, and then add a soft plastic bait to the hook, as shown in the image above.

One of the advantages of this perch rig setup is that you can adjust the position of the weight on the line, which allows you to easily change the depth of your bait presentation.

How to use it : Cast out your rig, and wait for the weight to sink to the bottom. Then use subtle movements of your rod tip to twitch the lure without actually lifting the weight off the bottom.

Do this for a couple of minutes in each spot before reeling in a few feet of line and repeating the process. 

When to use it : The drop shot rig is great when you’ve found a location with lots of fish, since it allows you to fish in one spot until you get a bite, without having to continuously retrieve the lure.

It’s also great because you can key in on a very specific depth where perch are active. 

While the ned rig superficially resembles the jig rig, it has a different and very characteristic action in the water, which makes it highly effective for catching perch.

How to tie it : Tie this perch rig the same way that you would tie a jig rig, but using a mushroom jig head instead of a regular round jig head.

Also, when choosing a soft plastic bait to use with the ned rig, it’s essential to choose one that is specifically designed for ned rigging, and that floats in the water. 

How to use it : Cast out the ned rig, and retrieve it slowly, pausing for a few seconds every time the ned rig reaches the bottom.

The distinguishing feature of the this yellow perch fishing rig is that the combination of using a mushroom jig head with a floating plastic bait results in its tail standing up straight every time you let the ned rig sink to the bottom.

Perch seem to find this action irresistible, and you’ll often experience getting bites when your jig is sitting on the bottom. 

When to use it : You can use this perch rig as a search bait setup, or you can use it on finicky fish that don’t respond to other presentations. It’s especially effective when the perch are pressured, and if they’re not used to seeing a ned rig.

The Carolina rig is one of the most versatile bottom fishing rigs in the world, and works well for a variety of species, including perch.

How to tie it : Thread a bullet sinker onto your main line, followed by a plastic bead, and then tie your line to a swivel. The plastic bead prevents the weight from getting stuck on the swivel, or damaging the knot.

Next, tie on a 1 to 2 foot fluoro leader, and they tie that to a size 2 to 4 worm hook , which is designed for weedless rigging of a soft plastic bait. You can choose from a wide variety of soft plastics, including minnow, shad or worm imitations. 

How to use it : Cast this perch rig setup out and wait for the weight to reach the bottom. Then give it another 10 to 20 seconds before reeling in a couple of feet, and pausing again.

Every time you pause this perch rig, the plastic bait (which doesn’t have any weight except the hook) sinks slowly down towards the bottom, and this is usually what triggers bites.

Perch bites on the Carolina rig can be quite subtle, so you really need to pay attention to soft taps or tugs. If you do feel a bite, reel in until you feel resistance, and then set the hook.

Braided line is the best choice as your main line for this perch rig, since it provides the most sensitivity in terms of being able to feel what’s going on with your hook and sinker.

When to use it : the Carolina rig is a great option for fishing from shore or from boat, and I like to use it when yellow perch aren’t responding to other presentations, since this rig can trigger bites from finicky pressured perch.

The perch pounder rig is ideal for vertical fishing from a boat, and works best in relatively deep water.

How to tie it : Use one piece of leader line to tie the entire rig. Since you don’t want the side arms of this perch rig to constantly get tangled up with the main line, it’s best to use a relatively heavy fluorocarbon line of about 15 to 20 lb test, which is quite stiff. 

Tie a loop in the leader line by folding a loop back on itself and then tying several overhand knots.

After pulling this tight, cut one of the arms of the loop, which results in a straight piece of line sticking out from the leader.

Thread one or two beads onto this line, and then tie on a size 4 to 8 bait hook. 

Next, repeat this process by tying a second loop about 8 inches below the first loop, and also add beads and a bait hook to this one.

Then cut off the leader line about 12 inches below the second hook, and tie it to a heavy 1 oz sinker.

In the last step, cut off the leader above the top hook, and tie it to a swivel, which you can use to tie it to your main line.

How to use it : The best way to use this perch rig is for vertical fishing from a boat in deep water of 50 feet or more, and it is one of the best rigs to target big perch in this kind of setting.

Bait the two hooks with live minnows (which is why this perch rig is also known as the ‘double minnow rig’), and lower the rig down to the bottom from your boat.

When you find a big school of yellow perch, it’s not uncommon to get double hook ups with this perch rig. 

When to use it : The perch pounder rig was originally developed for catching perch in deep water in the great lakes, where conventional setups don’t work so well.

However, it works just as well in any lakes that have deep water where big schools of perch like to hold, and since it’s designed for vertical fishing, it makes a great ice fishing rig for perch as well.

What is the best perch rig?

The best perch rig is the drop shot rig, since it is an ideal all-around setup for targeting perch with a lightweight lure or bait presentation close to the bottom.

Unlike bass, perch tend to require more finesse (especially in pressured lakes), which explains why the drop shot rig is so effective for catching them.

Another advantage of using a drop shot setup is that you can use this rig for both vertical fishing from a boat, or for casting from shore. 

With that being said, each of the perch rigs discussed above can be the best option to use in some circumstances. Also, keep in mind that the simplest rigs are the jig rig and the Ned rig, which are therefore great options to use as search baits to find schools of fish.

Once you find a good spot with a school of perch, you should then go on to experiment with the other perch rig setups, in order to find what rig works best for you.

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Closing arguments in espionage trial of wall street journal reporter will be friday, court says.

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Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

A Russian Federal Bailiffs Service officer guards a corridor leading to a courtroom inside the court in Yekaterinburg, Russia, Thursday, July 18, 2024, during a hearing of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich's suspected spying activities. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Closing arguments in the espionage trial of U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich will be held Friday, a court said, as the proceedings in Russia's highly politicized legal system picked up speed in a case that has seen the reporter held behind bars for over a year.

Gershkovich attended a trial session for a second day behind closed doors on Thursday, the court said. The Wall Street Journal reporter faces charges that he, his employer and the U.S. government vehemently deny.

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Unlike previous sessions in which reporters were allowed to see Gershkovich briefly before the proceedings began, there was no access to the courtroom and he was not seen, with no explanation given. Espionage and treason cases are typically shrouded in secrecy.

Gershkovich, 32, was arrested March 29, 2023, while on a reporting trip. Authorities claimed, without offering any evidence, that he was gathering secret information for the U.S. The American-born son of immigrants from the USSR, Gershkovich is the first Western journalist arrested on espionage charges in post-Soviet Russia.

“Evan’s wrongful detention has been an outrage since his unjust arrest 477 days ago, and it must end now," the Journal said Thursday in a statement. "Even as Russia orchestrates its shameful sham trial, we continue to do everything we can to push for Evan’s immediate release and to state unequivocally: Evan was doing his job as a journalist, and journalism is not a crime. Bring him home now.”

The U.S. State Department has declared Gershkovich “wrongfully detained,” committing the government to assertively seek his release.

Gershkovich faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty, which is almost a certainty. Russian courts convict more than 99% of defendants, and prosecutors can appeal sentences that they regard as too lenient. They even can appeal acquittals.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday at the United Nations that Moscow and Washington’s “special services” are discussing an exchange involving Gershkovich. Russia has previously signaled the possibility of a swap, but it says a verdict would have to come first.

He also repeated statements from Kremlin officials that there was “irrefutable evidence” against Gershkovich, although neither he nor any other Russian official has ever disclosed it.

State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel on Thursday declined to discuss negotiations about a possible exchange, but said, “We have been clear from the get-go that Evan did nothing wrong and should not have been detained. To date, Russia has provided no evidence of a crime and has failed to justify Evan’s continued detention.”

On Tuesday, the top U.S. envoy at the U.N. told Lavrov that Russian President Vladimir Putin should release Gershkovich and other Americans detained in the country, accusing Moscow of treating “human beings as bargaining chips.”

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield singled out Gershkovich and ex-Marine Paul Whelan , 53, a corporate security director from Michigan, who was detained in Moscow in 2018, convicted of espionage in 2020 and serving a 16-year sentence. Both he and the U.S. the charge is baseless.

“We will not rest until Paul and Evan come home, and Russia has ceased this barbaric practice of holding human pawns once and for all,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “And that’s a promise.”

Gershkovich's trial began June 26 in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg after he spent about 15 months in in Moscow's notorious Lefortovo Prison.

At the trial’s first day, the court said it was adjourning until mid-August. But Gershkovich’s lawyers asked for the second hearing to be held earlier, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti and independent news site Mediazona reported Tuesday, citing court officials.

The Russian Prosecutor General’s office said last month the journalist is accused of “gathering secret information” on orders from the CIA about Uralvagonzavod, a plant about 150 kilometers (90 miles) north of Yekaterinburg that produces and repairs tanks and other military equipment.

Gershkovich’s employer and U.S. officials have dismissed those charges as fabricated and denounced the trial as illegitimate and a sham.

“Evan has never been employed by the United States government. Evan is not a spy. Journalism is not a crime. And Evan should never have been detained in the first place,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said last month.

Earlier this month, U.N. human rights experts said Russia violated international law by jailing Gershkovich and should release him “immediately.”

The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, made up of independent experts convened by the U.N.’s top human rights body, said there was a “striking lack of any factual or legal substantiation” for spying charges leveled against Gershkovich. It said his U.S. nationality has been a factor in his detention, and as a result the case against him was discriminatory.

In addition, Russia’s interpretation of what constitutes high crimes like espionage and treason is broad , with authorities often going after people who share publicly available information with foreigners and accusing them of divulging state secrets.

Arrests of Americans are increasingly common in Russia, with nine U.S. citizens known to be detained there as tensions between the two countries have escalated over fighting in Ukraine.

On Thursday, Michael Travis Leake, a musician who has lived in Russia for more than a decade, was sentenced by a Moscow court to 13 years in prison for drug trafficking.

Burrows reported from London.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Rumba Escape help

• Thread starter Athleon
• Start date Apr 19, 2021
• Tags parts needed stupid newbie questions
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Long story short; my mothers ex boyfriend was a hoarder, and now there is a rumba escape on my property that is now mine, It sat on my lawn for years and I decided to clean it up, any and all wood is rotten and gone, the mast seems like its missing a small piece at the very top, and there is no sail or rigging anywhere to be seen, but you know the boat itself like the hull, and it's metal pieces are fine. So I'm looking for a sail, rigging, a rudder, and centerboard. Issue is I'm pretty sure rumba went out of business. Is it even possible to fix this thing, or even worth it?  

That looks like it would be worth fixing up.  

Local sailing boats from trusted sellers in Fairfield Connecticut on ListedBuy

Thanks for that I really appreciate it, but it looks like its unavailable  

Sorry.... I was unable to find the Escape brand. You might have to create your own rig. We have people here who can help with that.  

Athleon said: Long story short; my mothers ex boyfriend was a hoarder, and now there is a rumba escape on my property that is now mine, It sat on my lawn for years and I decided to clean it up, any and all wood is rotten and gone, the mast seems like its missing a small piece at the very top, and there is no sail or rigging anywhere to be seen, but you know the boat itself like the hull, and it's metal pieces are fine. So I'm looking for a sail, rigging, a rudder, and centerboard. Issue is I'm pretty sure rumba went out of business. Is it even possible to fix this thing, or even worth it? Click to expand

Athleon said: ........the mast seems like its missing a small piece at the very top, and there is no sail or rigging anywhere to be seen, but you know the boat itself like the hull, and it's metal pieces are fine. So I'm looking for a sail, rigging, a rudder, and centerboard. Issue is I'm pretty sure rumba went out of business............ Click to expand

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