Guide To Set Up A Carolina Rig For Bass Fishing

ByRosalie

Fishers have begun to appreciate a multitude of baits and fishing techniques in a never-ending search to catch more and larger fish. The Carolina rig is one of the most popular ways of displaying and fishing a lure to catch a boatload of big bass. The rig itself is an easy one to bring together.

Where one can use the Carolina Rig?

One can use this rig almost anywhere they feel sure there’s bass to catch. Heavy areas of cover are the only places one has to stay away from and sites where a lot of trees or other big, tough vegetation exist that can catch hold of the rig’s components and snag one up. Other than that, one’s Carolina Rig playground is their river. One should make sure to drag the points up and down and around it. Strike those humps and grassy underwater areas.

When one senses that the arrangement is altering, they should pay special attention. One should stop moving their rig if they feel this and let it rest in the area for a little while. One might just be above a mine of gold. Bass is going to hold in one place that is separate from everything around it. Work again in this field, and it should prove fruitful.

Fishing a Carolina Rig is often referred to as dragging “Old Ball and Chain;” due to the strong love-hate relationship, many bass anglers have developed this strategy. They hate it because carrying around a heavyweight all day isn’t as fun as flipping a jig or working a top-water frog. They love it, though, because it’s flat out catching fish when other methods don’t or can’t.

Carolina rig fishing is difficult to beat in terms of flexibility. It operates north to south in all forms of lakes, clear to stained, and in all the seasons of the year. Yet many new bass anglers, perhaps because of the more involved rigging required, are reluctant to learn the Carolina Rig setup. This guide will take the interested ones through each part of the C-Rig step by step, and the next time they reach the lake, they will be ready to throw it.

Components of Carolina Rig Setup

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The basic Carolina Rig framework comprises of a few simple components that, when combined, create a subtle appearance that the bottom bass has a hard time resisting. To understand how and why it operates, let’s break down the Carolina Rig into 3 easily comprehensible parts.

Rod and Reel

The best rod for Carolina rig fishing is a Medium Strong, Fast Action casting rod, and a decent 6.3:1 or 7.1:1 gear ratio baitcasting reel. The longer rod allows you to make a long sweeping hook set that can easily pick up any slack line, and the fast action lets you penetrate the hook into the mouth of the fish. When making the sweep hook setup, the higher gear ratios allow you to reel line up quickly. Here are a few nice and inexpensive Carolina Rig combos, which can be used for many other applications as well.

7’1” MH St. Croix Mojo Jigs/Baits Rod + Shimano Curado Reel

7’ MH Abu Garcia Veracity Rod + Abu Garcia Revo STX Reel

Main Line

For other baits, the line can be just about anything, or whatever one usually uses. Usually, the best fishing line for a Carolina Rig is 15-20 lb of fluorocarbon or 20-30 lb of braided line for the mainline. Since one is going to make long casts, while setting the hook, the low stretch design of these lines will help. Bear in mind, though, that a larger diameter line tends to get more stuck in the current and can place a bow in the line that makes hook sets difficult.

15-20lb Seaguar InvizX Fluorocarbon

20-30lb Sufix 832 Advanced Braid

Weights, Bead, & Swivel

Brass: A 1/2 to 3?4 oz brass bullet weight is the most common Carolina Rig weight. More noise than the lead is produced by brass. However, there are several variants you can try, such as a cylindrical Mojo type weight that can maneuver through grass a little easier.

Bullet Weights Brass Carolina Weights

Tungsten- In fishing a Carolina rig, tungsten weights have many advantages. First off, tungsten is much tougher than lead, however when they reach the bead, it makes a louder noise, and you can feel the bottom composition more quickly. Tungsten weights are much smaller than lead and, without snagging as much, can come through the cover.

Eco Pro Tungsten Weights

Bead- A red or black glass bead can do the trick by using a brass weight. The bead protects your knot as well as making a noise of clicking against the weight that can draw your bait to inquisitive fish. A standard glass bead can be broken by a tungsten weight, so choose a bead that won’t break, like the Eco Pro or Vike Force Beads.

Eco Pro Tungsten Pro Beads

Swivel- The Swivel is easy. Only pick a barrel swivel size 6 or 8, or a ball bearing swivel size 2. These sizes are broad enough to deal with large bass and not get snagged in grass or cover. 

  • Owner Micro Hyper Barrel Swivel
  • Owner Hyper Ball Bearing Swivel

Leader 

For most of your Carolina Rigs, stick to Monofilament. You may be tempted to use fluorocarbon because it’s almost invisible, but note that it sinks and defeats the C-Rig ‘s entire purpose: floating and gliding off the bottom of your bait.

  • 10-15lb Trilene XT Monofilament
  • 10-14lb Sufix Elite Monofilament

Hook

The best hook for Carolina Rig fishing is a big gap hook with an offset shank. Pick the right size for the bait that you are fishing for. Some people like their plastics to have an EWG hook, and that will work fine as well, just use what you trust.

  • Owner Extra Offset Worm Hook
  • Owner EWG

Best Baits for Carolina Rig

One must have previously heard the expression “match the hatch.” It applies as much as anything else to Carolina Rig fishing. The lizard, creature, beaver, and finesse worms are excellent to start with all-around baits, but a tube or super fluke would be a better option if one sees a lot of shad in the region. Then turn to a green pumpkin brush hog or beaver type bait if one assumes the fish are on a crayfish diet. Things can be easy by sticking to some colors: Green Pumpkin and Black / Blue for stained or dirty water, and a Shad color for clear water or when bass are chasing bait.

  • Lizard
  • Creature
  • Trick Worm/Finesse Worm
  • Big Worm
  • Tube
  • Fluke
  • Beaver

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