Wow - sounds like I've been doing something much different than many of you.
My umbrellas have 4 arms with 2 shads on each arm and then one in the center (with the hook) trailing on an 18" leader. So yeah, 9 shads total adds quite a lot of drag.
In the past (Massachusettes) I've fished umbrellas with 4 arms holding 8 tubes with 8 hooks. Sometimes we'd double or even triple up. But that's not how we do it in the Chesapeake...
I've seen the spreader bars - but never used one. Might hafta' add a few to my arsenal.
Thanks, guys.
Mike
The Miss Adventure