Carolina Rig Options

by Kevin Patton

Last month's trip to Newton Lake would not have been nearly as successful for bass without a Carolina Rig (See Fishing and Shore Lunch with a Friend ).

A return trip in early November proved it's value again, as Tony Lynn and I caught dozens of bass on the versatile rig.

We did our usual spinnerbait and crankbait thing early in the morning, but as the sun got up and the bite slowed down, the Carolina rig saved the day.

There are several advantages inherent in using a Carolina Rig. You can cover water relatively quickly; it is easy to cast in the wind; and it is can be fished in various depths of water.

Many options are available concerning equipment, baits, line, and terminal tackle when preparing to fish a Carolina Rig.

Rods and Reels

A long rod enables you to more easily cast the rig, especially when you use a lengthy leader. I use a medium-heavy to heavy action, graphite rod between 6 ft. 10 inches and 7 ft. 4 inches that has a long handle for leverage when casting.

The reel that I use has a high-speed retrieve for catching up with those fish that run toward the boat with your bait. It also aids in taking up slack on a long cast.

Line Choices

The main line that I spool up with is green, 30-pound Stren Super Braid. I find it to be strong, yet thin enough to have good castability. Braided line increases your sensitivity, takes a beating when retrieved through brush piles, and helps set the hook on long casts.

Some anglers have problems casting braided line, but stick with it because it is worth the time to have it's advantages.

I base my selection of leader material on the water clarity and the amount of brush in the lake.

I use florocarbon line for it's low visibility, low stretch, and increased sensitivity, but any monofilament line will do. My choice of line size ranges between 12-pound and 17-pound depending on the above factors.

Typical leaders range from two to four feet in length. Most of my fishing is done with one from 2 1/2 to 3-feet. I shorten the leader when fishing in thick brush so that it will not hang up as easily.

Weights and Hooks

Most of my Carolina rig fishing is done with a barrel sinker, but I will change to a bullet weight when fishing vegetation. I find that the barrel shape is easier to bounce through brush than other styles.

Weight size choices for most anglers fall between 1/2-ounce and 1 1/2-ounces. I usually go with a one-ounce weight because it provides good sensitivity in most water depths and is heavy enough for me to get long casts.

To gain every advantage in sensitivity, I would recommend using a tungsten weight, especially in tournament situations. They are expensive, but I feel they make a difference.

Some anglers use brass sinkers because they claim that brass enhances the noise, thus attracting more fish, when the weight hits against the bead used in the rig.

My main goal is to use a heavy enough weight to get long casts and feel the structure as you fish it. Just be careful not to knock your boat partner upside the head when casting, because a one-ounce barrel weight can leave a bump.

Hooks that I use vary in size from 2/0 to 4/0 and in a straight-shanked style or offset worm hook, which better prevents the lizard from sliding down the hook. I use a straight-shank 2/0 size mostly when fishing the "french fry" baits and switch to a 3/0 or 4/0 in either style when fishing lizards.

Swivels and Beads

I don't get too fussy when selecting swivels and beads. I use the simple, chrome barrel swivel, but have used black occasionally. I've tried the faceted, glass beads that some anglers advise to increase the noise factor, but have also caught fish using plain round, plastic beads.

For years, some Carolina rig purists have insisted that using red beads results in more fish, but I use any color available. If you agree that red enhances your presentation, you many want to use a red hook also.

Baits

Anglers try a wide variety of baits, including Senkos, Flukes, creature baits, grubs, french fries, lizards, and even hard plastic stickbaits. Most of my fishing is done with a six-inch lizard in pumpkin/pepper, watermelon seed, black, chartreuse/pepper, and cotton candy. Occasionally I dye the tails chartreuse on the pumpkin and watermelon lizards.

If lizards don't produce, I downsize to a three or four-inch french fry in the above colors.

Rigging Up

The first thing to rigging up is to run your braided line through the barrel sinker and then thread the bead on behind the weight. Tie your braided line to one end of the barrel swivel using a Palomar knot. Some knots tend to slip when used with braided line.

Next, tie your leader to the other end of the barrel swivel using an improved clinch knot or other knot of your choice. You can't use a Palomar at this point. Finally, tie your hook to the end of the leader line, using any knot you prefer.

For diagrams of how to tie the Improved Clinch know, click on Improved Clinch Knot . To see Palomar knots, click on Palomar Knot  or Palomar Knot 2 . Both knots can be seen by clicking and scrolling down at Clinch and Palomar.

To see a video of tying a Palomar, click on Palomar Knot Video and then click on "Tying a Palomar Knot" under Video Clips.

Where to fish it

I prefer to fish a Carolina rig on gradually sloping points and flats. I've not had as much success using it on steep dropoffs. I suspect that the heavy weight of the rig sometimes rolls uncontrollably down a steep bank, thus negatively affecting your presentation.

I move the bait along at a good pace, at least twice as fast as I move a Texas-rigged worm, but some anglers prefer to fish the rig just as slowly as other worm rigs.

Carolina rigs have the image of being a deep-water presentation, but I fish them in water as shallow as three or four feet. Nearly all our bass during the Newton trip were caught in 5 to 10 feet of water, so don't limit yourself to just deep structures.

You will get hung with this rig and sometimes it helps to move your boat to the opposite side of the hang up and use a slow steady pull to retrieve your bait. If you break off, most of the time you will only lose the hook or leader.

Summary

Assemble your Carolina rig to gain every advantage in sensitivity when selecting your rod, line, weight, and leader material. Practice getting used to casting the rig and getting the feel of the retrieve on a variety of points and flats.

A Carolina Rig can be a great addition to your bass fishing arsenal and Newton Lake, with it's great fishery, countless points and flats, varying water depths, and lack of thick vegetation, can be a great place to use it.