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LAST KITE FLYING
By Captain Matt Tambor
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Have you ever run down the rip and seen beautiful
spreads of kites behind the boats of old pros?
The ones that come to mind for me are by Alex
Castellanos, captain of the Miss Britt, Capt. Neal Orange, Jr. on
the L & H, and captains Jimbo and Rick Thomas on the Thomas
Flyer. Helium balloons usually
want to fly together, just higher and
higher, or sometimes not at all. Your
first thought: How are kites spread
like that, especially when helium
balloons are involved? [Editor’s Note:
For the novice, the “rip” is the area
where changes in current and water
temperatures occur. It’s also where
water of one color meets water of
another color. Kites are used to present
baits on the surface while suspending
leaders and lines in the air. They are
connected to a kite-line with release
clips.]
About seven years ago, I was
fishing aboard the J Hook with Capt.
Rick Morell. The conditions – no
wind factor – called for helium. I was
familiar with kite fishing and thought I knew how to fly helium
balloons. I did my normal rigging by filling a balloon with
helium as much as it would allow. I tied the nipple of the balloon
to the centerpiece of the kite and used floss to tie the balloon to
the middle of the two top spars. [A “spar” is one of four sticks
that are attached to the centerpiece of the kite.] Next, I attached
massive amounts of lead to make the kites lean left or right, which
defeated the purpose of using the helium to hold up the kite.
This worked fine in very light wind conditions; and as the breeze
picked up, the kites normally spread to
perfection with little work needed for
adjusting baits. When the wind speed
dropped, however, so did the kites.
This same day, one of the kites broke
a floss bridle. Before the kite could
crash, it took off hard to the left and
was hanging almost perfect. Ultimately,
however, it crashed. A few adjustments
using a half a spool of floss and a half
a roll of tape gave birth to “Frankenkite.”
Guys take note: Franken-kite
worked and it worked well.
Here’s what I have learned:
First, blow up a 36-inch (91
centimeter) balloon with helium as
big as it will go. Using a piece of
monofilament or floss, tie the nipple
to the centerpiece on the back of the
kite. Be careful not to let the kite go, even though the balloon
is attached. You will pop a few while learning, so use air in the
beginning. (See Diagram 1)
Second, when rigging a left kite, lay the kite and balloon
down flat or have someone help you hold it. This ensures you are
lining the balloon up correctly. Push the balloon down directly
on spar No. 1. (See Diagram 2)
Next, tie the floss from the top corner of spar No. 1 around the
top of the balloon just shy of spar No. 4’s corner. (See Diagram
3) Use a piece of tape to fasten the floss to the top of the
balloon to prevent it from falling. Once the tape is down, don’t
try to lift it up because the balloon will burst. If you make a
mistake, then use another piece of tape. Now, your kite should
look like Diagram No. 4.
Third, the next piece of floss is your main (highlighted in
red) bridle. This piece goes from the top corner of spar No. 1
and again around the top of the balloon to the corner of spar
No. 3. Another piece of tape is needed to prevent the floss from
falling. (See Diagram 5) Remember not to make the bridles too
tight because it will bend the spars and the kite won’t fly right;
it will act a little “squirrelly” and fly side to side. When both
bridles are on and taped, you can make small adjustments by
loosening or tightening the floss.
Please note that the main bridle on No. 2 and No. 3 is used
to roll the balloon from side to side. Do this carefully by pushing
the balloon and pulling the floss to move the balloon on the
spar. (See Diagram 5) By moving the balloon away from the
top, toward No. 3, it will tweak the kite to the maximum. (See
Diagram 6)
This is good with a very light breeze. As the breeze starts,
you will need to bring the balloon back to the main setting in the
center of spar No. 2. (See Diagram 7)
As the wind reaches light wind, you are going tomove the
balloon the opposite direction past the center positionfavoring
the top of the kite. Another option is to take the ballooon off.
This is not as complicated as it sounds. Try it a few times
with a balloon and a kite in front of you. It’s even better if
you’re outside with a little wind to work with. Play with the
bridle strings. You will find your own methods eventually, but
hopefully this guide helps you get started. It works extremely
well for me. Sometimes it’s nice to have the last kite flying.
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