Carolina Rig Fishing

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by cody hampton on July 18, 2010 at 11:31pm

I have been using it alot the past 2 years. I use it on Banks, Chelan and potholes. I throw it on my Abu Garcia Vendetta 7ft Medium Spinnin rod. I use 8lb P-line flouroclear for it. Usually i throw lizards, reapers, grubs, and small craw baits on it. It works well on Banks and Chelan from spring to fall for Smallies. It works really good on points just covering water over rocky bottoms. Hope this helps some.

Permalink Reply by David Parnicky on July 19, 2010 at 1:10am

I used to Carolina Rig all the time back in the day. I haven't so much in recent years but the Carolina Rig is a bass catching machine. I wouldn't say it is one of the better techniques for consistently catching large bass but it will catch a feeding bass of any size if you drag it in front of its face. It is a great tool for catching a quick limit on deeper offshore structure during summer through fall. It also works very well drifting downstream in current.

The key with the Carolina Rig is to understand that you are catching bass that are feeding with it. This makes it a great tool to quickly search for schools of bass offshore that are actively feeding. Also, since you are fishing relatively close to the bottom with it, if you are only catching small bass on it, you might want to try working something further up in the water column for larger fish or vice versa.

As far as tackle goes, its hard to go wrong with a 10-15lb. main line, 1/2 oz. - 3/4 oz. sinker, and glass bead tied to a swivel followed by an 8 lb. fluorocarbon leader that runs down to your hook. This is one of the few rigs though where I prefer running a braid main line and then the same 8 lb. fluorocarbon leader. The braid main line allows for longer casts and increased sensitivity. It really helps you feel the bottom composition and strikes better. Even though it makes it harder to cast, I prefer to use the longest leader I can get away with to help float my bait off the bottom and get the lure away from the weight. Usually I think I run somewhere around a 3' leader. A 7' plus rod is a must for Carolina Rigging to help with the casting distance.

As far as lures go, I really think that a hungry bass on the prowl for a meal will eat anything that looks halfway decent. It is hard to beat a 5" Lizard or a Baby Brush Hog for smallmouth though. That being said, your imagination should be your only limit. For example, a super fluke on a Carolina Rig can sometimes catch a kicker smallmouth. Really, you could Carolina Rig anything from a small tube to a 12" worm based on the situation you are faced with.

The technique is simple. Cast it out, let it sink to the bottom and drag it back to the boat. The sinker will root up the bottom drawing attention to the rig and a hungry bass will come investigate and then eat your lure. One of those idiot proof rigs that I love :). I think the key with the Carolina Rig has much more to do with where you throw it rather than how.

As far as your weedy ditch pattern goes Joel, I wouldn't be the person to ask but I bet it would work real well if there was sparse isolated weed growth in these ditches. My guess is that you won't have a lot of fun trying to drag a heavy carolina rig through any kind of substantial matted grass though. Dragging it through sparse isolated weed patches on flats definately works so I am sure your idea would too!

Permalink Reply by P.J. Koshi on July 19, 2010 at 8:26am

I have been Carolina rigging since I started bass fishing and I do it on a 3 or 4 pwr 7ft spinning rod. I use 12lb braid as a main line and a 8 or 10 lb mono or floro leader and it casts great. This can be a very effective way to fish around weeds, but if they are anywhere near the surface or are very dense I would go with a Texas rig even for the ditches. I feel like the Carolina rig shines on sandy points and on rock with sparse cover. A gravel flat with boulders or stumps or rock piles is a place where I would fish this setup for sure. My favorite two baits to rig on it are Lizards and 4in Senkos. Like David said it's simple to fish it traditionally just cast and drag putting up dust and silt and muck with the weight, but I have caught a lot of fish with an unconventional retrieve. A hop and drop or a slow drag and then a pop...

Permalink Reply by Scott Sevigny on July 19, 2010 at 8:29am

I don't use the Carolina rig too often, but I've found it very effective for Fall fishing on the Columbia around Tri-Cities. I started with 8 lb fluoro, but found 10 or 12 works a little better. I usually prefer dragging the Baby Brush Hogs behind the rig.

Permalink Reply by Ronald Hobbs, Jr. on July 19, 2010 at 9:43pm

The only baits that "float" with a carolina rig are floating baits. People think the baits float, but they don't they are usually dragging over the bottom too along with the sinker. A couple ideas for floating baits are the 3X super plastics with light wire hooks will float, stuffing a styrofoam peanut or corky stuffed into a tube or pegged in front of the bait will also make your bait "float" The carolina rig just gives your bait more freedom to move in more of a non linear pattern instead of linear like a jig.
I have found carolina rigs work well in sparse weeds not thick weeds, the sinker pulls the bait down to the bases of the weeds, the bait will not stay above the weeds unless the weeds are very short. I have found a 6" 3X lizard works very well to float the lizard back upwards when the bait is at rest. It goes down to the bottom when pulled and then floats up very slowly at rest.

Permalink Reply by David Parnicky on July 19, 2010 at 11:49pm

Very interesting! This is some great insight Ron! I had it stuck in my head for some reason that my bait was always floating when I was fishing a Carolina Rig. I have no idea why. That makes perfect sense though. If you are fishing with a lure that sinks, it probably isn't going to magically float just because you are Carolina Rigging it.

Ronald Hobbs, Jr. said:

The only baits that "float" with a carolina rig are floating baits. People think the baits float, but they don't they are usually dragging over the bottom too along with the sinker. A couple ideas for floating baits are the 3X super plastics with light wire hooks will float, stuffing a styrofoam peanut or corky stuffed into a tube or pegged in front of the bait will also make your bait "float" The carolina rig just gives your bait more freedom to move in more of a non linear pattern instead of linear like a jig.
I have found carolina rigs work well in sparse weeds not thick weeds, the sinker pulls the bait down to the bases of the weeds, the bait will not stay above the weeds unless the weeds are very short. I have found a 6" 3X lizard works very well to float the lizard back upwards when the bait is at rest. It goes down to the bottom when pulled and then floats up very slowly at rest.