the sinker, shorten the leader to position the bait closer to the sinker.
Yamamoto grubs, zoom lizards, and robo 4-7” worms, are great for the bigger Carolina rig.
With that heavy weight, you can make long casts and cover water, but to handle the rig and get a solid hook set, you’ll need a long stiff rod and a fast reel. a 6’7” or a 7’ medium heavy daiwa rod is perfect, especially with a high-speed 7:1 daiwa reel. For my lighter rig, i use a 6 1/2 foot medium action daiwa spinning rod and reel spooled with 6 or 8 lb Seaguar. When i use this miniature version instead of a split shot rig, the sliding weight gives the bait a different action than when you just pinch a split shot on the line. Plus the fish don’t feel the weight when they pick up the bait. it’s ideal for fishing shallow or clear water or when the bite is really tough. Start with a 3/16 weight and go up or down from there.
in 20 feet of water or less a 4” roboworm or reaper is a good choice on this lighter rig. i also use a lot of Yamamoto grubs on my Carolina rigs. Normally the 5” grub is good but if the fish are really touchy like they are on post frontal conditions, dropping down to the 4” grub will often improve your catch. robo reapers also come in 3” and 4” versions. This scaled down size will get you more bites when the fish aren’t cooperating.
one of the keys to successful Carolina rigging is for the bait to sink slowly. So, use the smallest and lightest hook, plus the lightest leader that you can get away with. When you pull the bait along, the fish see and hear it, but when you stop the bait should slowly drift down. That’s why i don’t like using a floating bait. i want it to sink and by using light fine wire hooks and light line, i can get it to drift down very naturally. The one time, i use a floater is when i need the bait to stay above thick weeds.
Thebesthook, i’ve found for any Carolinarigisa roborebarb hook. Becauseofthe little plastic barb bytheeye,these hookshold the baitverywell. istickto#1 hook forwormsand reapersand 1/ohooksforgrubs and lizards. i feel thatgoinganybigger than 1/o
Issue 4 October 2011
isamistake. itcanbevery hardtosetthehookforlong distances,butasmallerfinewirehook willslipineasily.
to set the hook on a Carolina rig, just reel down to take up the slack then give it your best set. Keep reeling the whole time, and when you get some tension on it, set the hook again just to make sure. With the lighter rig, just sweep set and keep reeling.
Withthelightercaroling rig, i’musuallyfishing shallowandjustrunningtheshore. Withtheheavierrig, i’mgenerally probing secondary points,outsidehumps, andsteepwalls. Thelighterrig pendulumsawayfrom thedroptoomuch,buttheheavieronefallsrightdown thewall. agoodruleofthumbistousetheheavierrigin waterover20feetdeeporalong verysteepstructures.
Working either size rig is fairly simple; i don’t raise the rod tip while i’m fishing. i just pull it to the side keeping the rod tip low and close to the water. What’s also important is when the bait starts to fall, stop pulling and shove the rod toward the bait while feeding line so it can fall straight down. While it’s falling, keep an eye on the line so you can see the tick when a fish hits. The fish will hold on long enough for you to engage the reel and set the hook.
The key to this whole presentation is to give it enough slack that it falls straight down. if the line is taught the bait will swing away from the object as it falls. The higher the object the further away the bait
will land from the object. Since
fish most often position close
to the base of structure, you’ll
Photo by Jody Only
land too far away from the bass
and your Carolina rig won’t be as
effective. The Carolina rig has
been around for a long time and
for good reason. it works, but like
any other fishing tool, practice
breeds proficiency and fine-
tuning delivers success. Make
sure you do both and your fishing
will improve dramatically.
See you on the water!
Sponsored by Ranger boats, Daiwa, Mercury, Roboworm, Anglers Marine, Seaguar, Reactor Watches, and Motorguide. To learn more you can visit me at MikeFolkestad.net or TCsportsReport.com
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