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Carolina Rigging

Dave Masterson talks about three techniques to help all bass fisherman with Carolina Rigs
Carolina Rigging

Because I guide on both Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn the Carolina Rig is a main stay for me. You will find two or even three set-ups on my rods if you were to open my rod box at any given time. The reason a CR is so effective on these lakes and others is because if its versatility and presentation of the bait.

I could spend hours going over the different techniques of Carolina Rigs but today I would like to discuss three things One, the rigging itself, two, the weight factor, and three, how I fish a Carolina Rig.

Lets start with the basic rigging. Your leader length can be from 12'' to 7 foot. This should be dictated by what kind of fishing you are doing [ smallmouth, largemouth, spotted bass etc.] and where you will be fishing. On Rayburn, the moss can be from zip to maybe 12-15 foot deep. A scenario to work with... Lets say I am fishing Rayburn and it’s near the end of the summer. The moss will be everywhere and dragging a CR on the deeper edges will be the ticket. I will probably be using around a 3-foot leader on this occasion and fishing a watermelon red zoom lizard or a Reaction Gator Pup in the same color. I will also dip the tail in a garlic chartreuse dye.

I will attach this leader, usually a braided line so I can feel the pick up easer, to a swivel. Braided line is more sensitive that monofilament, thus the reason for using it. I will attach a quality barrel swivel to the leader then attach that to my 15 lb. Berkley Big Game. I will use a 1/4 to 3/8 oz. brass weight with two clear or red glass beads. There's a new brass weight system called ''Clackers' that work well to. The weight not only serves as a way to get the bait down but as a noise make for the bass to key in on.

I know a lot of anglers will say that a larger weight is needed and I would agree if the wind is up or I am fishing deeper, but for the conditions I am describing, I want the weight to rest on top of the moss when it hits it, not punch through it. My hook will be a Mustad wide gap 3/0 power lock.

How I fish a Carolina Rig. This is the trickiest part when it comes to this kind of bait presentation. I see so many anglers work a CR so fast it amazes me. Now don’t get me wrong, I have actually used a CR as a search bait and worked it pretty fast, but once I find the bass, then I slow down big time.

The key here is to do what I call the drag and hold technique. Let me expand on this. Lets say I just made a cast to the edge of the moss and let the bait fall. Once I hit the top of the moss I will reel up my slack and hold just enough tension on my line so that the bait wont move, but I can feel the weight. I might hold it for 30-40 seconds and as long as a few minutes.

A quality rod is very important I might add too. I use nothing but All Star Titanium's, specifically, a 7' 6'' Carolina Rig rod. Once I have determined that I have no takers, I will then lift my rod, I am not reeling, I am lifting or pulling the bait toward me very, very slowly with the rod. Most the time I will feel the weight kind of ''pop through'' the moss, or it breaks lose. That’s when I stop and hold it, and repeat the process.

Bass have a tendency to follow the bait a lot longer than you might expect. Thus the reason I work a CR very, very slowly. Like in a Texas rig application, in my book, if you think your working the bait slow enough, slow down.

The next time you're on the water, try the ''drag and hold'' technique. I promise you, it has put some quality heads in my box when nothing else has worked.

Tight Lines,

Dave Masterson