®
Spring 2018
reach for the “ball and chain” whenever they are fishing river
systems.
“The Carolina-rig has slowly become a forgotten
technique,” said Neal. “When it came out years ago,
everyone was throwing it; but I have
seen less and less of it. There are
so many options now that not
as many people use it, but it still
works, especially in current.”
There is no magic way to
retrieve the rig and a variety of baits
will work. A simple retrieve where
an angler pulls the rod and then
reels in the slack is all you
need to master.
The key is in how the
weight and plastic are
separated and allow for a
great feel of the bottom and
a flowing soft plastic behind
the weight. Neal prefers a
small soft plastic like a Big Bite Baits Limit Maker and Cifuentes often reaches for a creature bait like the Big Bite
Cifuentes’ C-rig paid off
Baits Fighting Frog. The two
lures are complete opposites
and both excel around
current.
BACK EDDIES
Current can do some strange things and that is especially true when talking about an eddy in a river. The river may be flowing one way and suddenly you have current going in opposite directions due to some type of
current break. Finding these eddies can yield big
results and Neal looks for them on any river he is
fishing, regardless of the time or year or region
he is in.
“Many times, you will have an island and
the current will be going downstream on one
side of it and upstream on the other,” said
Neal. “When grass is present, it
often creates a color line, because
the vegetation filters the water
and you can actually have success
fishing right where the color
changes. The best locations are
where you have three in one;
current, a color change and some
type of vegetation.”
When targeting an eddy with
grass present, Neal starts off with
a fast-moving bait like a swim
jig or ChatterBait and then slows
down with a soft plastic.
“You can usually always get
at least one fish on a moving bait
page
61