Carolina Rig

There are times even in central and south Florida that I use the Carolina rig for catching bass. The key factor in using this rig is the water depth.

How to Make a Carolina Rig Video

If the water is greater than 10 feet, I will usually use this technique over the Texas rig. Some of the lakes I have successfully used this technique on are Apac Lake and Lake June.

The rig is fairly simple, 1st make a 2 to 3 ft leader from your existing line. Rig as shown above.

Carolina Rig Essentials

The rod and reel combination most popular with the Carolina rig is a 6'6" to 7' stiff graphite rod with a baitcasting reel. Line size varies with clarity of the water, but 14 to 17 pound test is common and will decrease line stretch. Some anglers fish with fluorocarbon to reduce the visibility while others fish with a braided line to reduce stretch. I use conventional mono with small diameter and good "limpness" for maximum action on the lure.

In open water where there is no timber/rocks, etc, throw the rig as far as possible. Let the rig settle to the bottom. Work the rig slowly with a sideways pull on the rig instead of straight up/down. This will give your bait better bottom contact. If you feel any added weight (the bait is being loaded up), see your line moving sideways or even the conventional "bump", reel in any slack and set the hook in a motion opposite the direction of where the line is going to. In a sideways pull, this usually means you are going to set the hook sideways. This is important as you want to optimize the forces going to the hook for a good set!

If there is underwater brush/weeds, try to bump the cover! You will know where it is from the feel in your rod so do repeat casts in the same direction to thoroughly explore the area for non aggressive fish! Fishing the Carolina rig often results in catching more Florida bass!

Some nice Carolina Rig rods can be seen at my fishing store here:

Carolina Rig Rods

Sincerely,

The Largemouth Herald