Catching Big Smallmouth Bass on the Carolina Rig

The Carolina rig can be a lethal system for catching trophy sized smallmouth bass. This technique allows you to effectively present a bait on or near the bottom with actions mimicking common smallmouth forage with minimal snags. 

Follow the tips in this guide to rigging and fishing a Carolina rig to hook into your share of lunker bronzebacks.

The foundation of the Carolina rig starts with the weight system. Tie a heavy bullet, barrel or egg-type slip sinker (1/2 to 1 ounce) directly to your main line. Next, tie on a 12-24 inch fluorocarbon leader using a barrel swivel and add a glass bead between the sinker and swivel. At the end of the leader, snell on an offset worm hook from size 1/0 to 3/0 depending on the bait you're using. Offset hooks work well to increase hookups. 

With the rig complete, thread on your preferred soft plastic option like a 4-6 inch worm, lizards, creature bait, craw, or swimbait in natural colors like green pumpkin, watermelon, or translucent shad imitations. The long leader allows the bait to move and flutter seductively behind the sinker.

Target smallmouth cover and structure in 10-25 feet of water such as rock piles, weed beds, submerged timber, creek channel ledges, and humps. Cast past prime spots then allow your rig to sink to the bottom. Retrieve the lure by dragging and hopping it along the bottom, imitating a crawfish and other baitfish foraging through rocks. Vary your retrieve cadence (speed and action) until you find the cadence that triggers the most bites.

Bass pro Mark Davis is well known for using the Carolina rig during tour events when pursuing both largeouth and smallmouth bass. Take a few minutes and listen as Mark explains his approach to using the Carolina rig when chasing big northern smallmouths...

When you feel a strike, sweep your rod tip back to drive the hook home. Keep steady pressure on bass to keep the smallmouth beneath the surface and be ready for powerful runs. Use your reel's drag and rod action to tire out fish quickly. Consisntently following these tips will help you land trophy smallmouth more consistently on the Carolina rig when fishing your favorite smallmouth waters.

Using the Carolina Rig for Prespawn Bass

Carolina rig (a.k.a. the ball and chain) is a popular technique for catching bass, especially during the pre-spawn period. The ideal structure and water depths for using a Carolina rig during pre-spawn bass fishing can vary depending on the specific conditions of the waterbody. 

Setting up a Carolina rig for pre-spawn bass

• Use a medium heavy power, moderate-fast action rod and matching reel spooled with 12-20 pound test main line.
• Use a sinker that is heavy enough to keep the bait on the bottom but light as possible for conditions being fished.
• Tie on a 3-4 feet leader of 10-12 pound test line and tie on a 2/0 to 4/0 worm hook.
• Rig a soft plastic bait, such as a worm, lizard, tubes, brush hogs, or crawfish.

When fishing a Carolina rig, simply cast your rig out across the structure being targeted and allow it to sink to the bottom. Next, drag your rig slowly across the bottom, using a sweeping motion with your rod. Be sure to keep your line tight to feel for any bumps or build-up of weight indicating potential bites then set the hook.

Thoughts on structure, depth and bottom composition for prespawn bass

Carolina Rig Basics for Deep Water Bass

 Many bass anglers focus their fishing attention in relatively shallow water depths (<10 feet) for one of two basic reasons:

1)      the waters they fish are primarily that shallow or

2)      they are not comfortable with fishing deep water.

Though the second reason may involve a lack of confidence in finding bass holding structures in deep water, often times it relates to a lack of skills in deepwater presentations techniques.

Probably the most basic of deep water bass fishing methods involves using a simple system called the “Carolina Rig”.  The key components of the traditional “Carolina Rig” include:

• A 7+ foot long MH to H casting rod and reel combo spooled with 20 lb. test main line (in today’s bass fishing world, super-braids reign supreme in this role);
• A fairly heavy (> ½ oz.) sinker (lead, brass or tungsten), glass beads, barrel swivel and appropriate hook (depends on lure selection);
• A two to five foot long leader (usually fluorocarbon) of varying line test depending on water and cover conditions;
• Lure (usually plastic baits with lizards and worms being used on the traditional rig).

After preparing the rod, reel and rig set-up, the next possible hurdle occurs when trying to cast the rig since there is a fairly long leader between the sinker and lure.  

To help solve both these isses, Ron Colby (Yamamoto Custom Bait Pro Staffer) demonstrates the steps in rigging, casting and the basic retrieve used with the “Carolina Rig” in the following video:

The beauty of the “Carolina Rig” is once you learn the basics of rigging and the presentation, it provides a great tool any bass angler can use when faced with a deep water bass fishing situation …

Tight lines and full livewells!