The Carolina Rig

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American Bass Anglers, Inc. Draw Tournament Circuit, Virginia Districts

The Carolina Rig

When structure fishing for deep summertime bass, there is no substitute for the Carolina Rig. You can use it for a number of baits, from grubs to 12-inch worms. The point is to use it!

The Carolina rig got its start on the deeper reservoirs of the Carolinas. These lakes are usually void of vegetation, and require you to concentrate on fishing bottom structure. The type of structure and available cover dictate how you build your rig for the varying conditions.

The first step is choosing the correct rod, usually a seven or seven and one half foot medium heavy to heavy rod. Get a rod rated for weights to one and one half ounce and lines to 20 pounds or so. The main line is typically in the twenty pound range, something stout to be able to maneuver large fish confidently. Many people choose braided lines for the main line. They help you feel the bites, but be careful as they make it easy to break your leader during the hook set. To this you feed on your weight and usually a bead or two. The weight should be enough to facilitate you feeling the bottom at all times. Many times ½ ounce is sufficient, but if the wind picks up you might need to go up to ¾ or even one ounce. The cover you fish also dictates the size of the weight. In hydrilla the lighter weights rarely can get down through the hydrilla, so you need to go larger. The beads provide two purposes. First, they cushion the knot from the weight so the weight does not wear the knot out. Secondly, they add an element of a gentle clatter, which sometimes serves to attract nearby fish. Now tie on a swivel. Use a quality barrel swivel, because there is a tendency for some baits to add twist to the line, and the swivel minimizes this.

To the other end of the swivel tie your leader. The line you use for your leader should be lighter than the main line. If your main line is 20 pounds, try 14 or 17 for the leader. Sometimes you need to downsize the leader for ultra clear water. While the Carolina rig was bred for heavy fish, there is no reason you can’t build it with much lighter lines and get the same proven results. Leader length is dictated by the cover and structure available. When fishing hydrilla, I have heard of people using leaders of 6 feet and longer. Typically, you want a leader that allows the weight to be on the bottom and suspends the bait in the strike zone. If you are fishing chunk rock using a short leader places the bait nearer the beads and takes advantage of the clicking noise they make. If the stumps in the lake are all about three feet tall, use a three foot leader. That helps keep the bait at the top of the stumps so it is in the strike zone while the weight is on the bottom.

Finally the bait, and it really doesn’t matter what bait you tie on, if you have confidence in the bait you will probably have success with it. The most popular bait for Carolina rigging is probably the lizard. Bass have seen more six inch lizards presented this way than any other bait. But don’t feel the lizard is the only bait to use on a Carolina rig. Finesse worms, french fries, grubs and virtually any plastic bait will work well. I’ve known people to use the Carolina Rig to get floating crankbaits down to deeper summer fish, so the uses are only limited by your imagination.

If you maintain constant contact with your bait you will feel the bite much like you do with a Texas rigged worm. Sometimes the bite is aggressive and the fish hammer the bait. At other times they merely pick it up and you feel a heaviness. In any case what you do next will have a great measure on your success.

The last thing you want to do is rear back and put a snap style hook set on the fish. With the Carolina rig you usually have a lot of play in your line, and the fish could be anywhere in a circle around the weight. Snapping the rod usually results in broken leaders and lost fish. Rather, use a sweeping motion. Assuming you have kept contact with the bait, when you feel the bite sweep the rod parallel to the water. This is why you use the seven foot rod. Sweeping the rod tip in an arc of about four feet will usually result in a great hookup and landed fish.

The Carolina rig is a mainstay in most professional bass angler’s arsenals. It helps get the bait down to the fish easier and presents a relatively free-floating bait to a great number of fish. It is a great prefishing tool, in that it lets you cover a lot of water in a relatively short period of time. While you can fish the Carolina rig quickly, it stills presents the bait in a slow, methodical manner.

The next time the dog days of summer have you wondering where the fish are, grab a Carolina rig and hook up your favorite plastic bait. Then drag it down the down-current side of a tapering point and see what happens. But just a word of caution – brace your feet!

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