Carolina Rigs Are Not Just For Lizards
When the term “Carolina Rig” is said most anglers think of a soft plastic lizard on 3 – 4 foot leader behind a ½ to ¾ ounce sinker. The leader is usually 8 – 12 pound test line while the main line is 14 – 20 pound test. This presentation has been very effective for catching bass for many years but the Carolina rig doesn’t have to be limited to lizards.
The popular Senko style baits as well as tubes, worms, grubs, crawdads and flukes are very effective when used with the Carolina rig. Generally the presentation is the same with these lures as it is with the lizard. However, the Carolina rig gives these baits a different look than their regular presentations.
The Senko style baits on a Carolina rig allows the angler the dead-stick presentation in the deep water of extended points and submerged humps. A lift and drop presentation with the heavy sinker causes the bait to rise from the bottom quickly and slowly fall similar to a dead shad. Rig it on a light wire hook wacky style for a dead-shad look.
Tube baits are generally fished on a jig head for open water or Texas rig for flipping to heavy cover. Anglers should not pass on tube baits for the Carolina rig. I have had great results fishing 3 – 4 inch tubes on a Carolina rig on long points and flats. A light wire hook inserted in the head of the tube and brought back outside like a Texas rig has proven the most effective for this presentation. When fishing clear bottoms with mostly rocks I leave the hook point against the side of the tube but do not insert it back into the bait. If cover requires, I rig it weedless by skin hooking the bait just under the outside of the tube. For added action from a tube place a foam ear-plug (or small piece) inside the tube to add flotation to the bait. A tube rigged this way will move erratically when retrieved with a lift and drop motion. However, make sure the foam material doesn’t interfere with the hook finding its mark when a fish bites.
Many anglers think plastic worms are for Texas rig presentations. However, a small shaky style worm (the ones with a flat side create more darting action) on a Carolina rig is ideal for sluggish bass. This worm can be used with the lift and drop presentation as well as a slow-dragging motion for quick side-to-side action with this worm.
Grubs are also a great choice for using with the Carolina rig. A 3 – 5 inch grub is a great way to imitate a swimming shad. Again, a light hook and light leader will allow the bait to look more realistic to the bass. When using a grub I have found a lift and drop presentation has proven the most effective.
The fluke (soft plastic jerk bait) is very effective for imitating shad just below the surface. This same lure can be used on a Carolina rig and create the same action well below the surface. It should be rigged the same as traditional methods for sub-surface use but on a 3 – 4 foot leader for increased action in deep water.
The soft plastic crawdad is traditionally used as a flipping lure on a Texas rig. When swimming to escape from a predator the crawdad with jump off the bottom and swim a short distance with the claws up in the defensive position. The Carolina rig creates this exact action with the crawdad when used with the lift and drop presentation. Most strikes occur on the fall as soon as the sinker makes contact with the bottom.
If your choice is generally a lizard you should not forget about the floating lizard made by Gene Larew Lures. This special formula of soft plastic will float a light wire hook on an 8 - pound test leader well off the bottom. This particular lure is great where submerged weeds are present. You can adjust your leader length to keep the bait just above the top of the weeds.
I have even experimented with using floating jerk baits like the original floating Rapala minnows on a Carolina rig with some success. Once, I located spotted bass holding just above the bottom on an extended main lake point holding close to large boulders. The fish were too deep for a crank-bait to reach and I was having no luck on any lures that would reach the depth. This method is difficult to cast and can be dangerous if care isn’t used. This particular situation called for a quick dragging presentation but was effective in catching fish from the school in about 45 feet of water.
There are many advantages to using the Carolina rig but the best one is that an angler can cover a lot of water more quickly with soft plastic baits and greater depths than other methods. This isn’t to say the Carolina rig is the best soft plastic presentation, but when fish are scattered on long points and flats and are biting on soft plastics there isn’t a better way to cover the large areas quickly and thoroughly. However, don’t be afraid to experiment with the Carolina rig.
Copyright 2008, Marc Rogers; Midwest Fishing Tackle
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Midwest Fishing Tackle, Exclusive retailer of Midwest Custom Tackle
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Fishing The Busy Summer Time
Avoid the Crowds of Summer by Fishing at Night
As summer gets into full swing the lakes and waterway become full of everything from large boats to personal watercraft. The waters get churned up and running a fishing boat becomes more trouble than it seems worth at times. When this change begins to take place it is time for the avid angler to resort to fishing at night.
Many bass tournaments are held at night during this part of the year due to the increased watercraft traffic during the day. When an angler uses good judgment operating their boat at night it is sometimes safer for them than operating a fishing (bass) boat during the day. Also, the catch rate can be better as well.
I personally take the time to plan my fishing trips during the nighttime hours in the early to late summer. I find this time to be more relaxing than trying to contend with the other recreational boaters that use the daytime hours for their enjoyment.
While bass fishing during the night I tend to rely on a large plastic worm of 10 – 12 inches in length as well as a jig. Most often the angler is more productive to fish baits that allow for a slow moving presentation. There have been times when a crank bait or spinner bait will be more productive but generally this isn’t the case. Spinner baits can be used in the ¾ ounce size with a large single Colorado blade to get great vibration and still work them slowly.
If I had to settle on one lure for all of my night time fishing it would be a 10 inch plastic worm rigged Texas style with a 5/0 offset hook and a 5/16 ounce bullet sinker. I always use dark green colored line but many anglers prefer the florescent blue line and add a black light on the side of their boat for better line visibility. If you were a line watcher during your daylight fishing it would be a good idea to try the black light and florescent blue line.
My second choice for a nighttime lure is the ¾ ounce spinner bait in dark colored skirts with a large single Colorado blade. This lure is best worked very similar to a jig with a more pronounced lifting action. I lift the bait until the blades can be felt turning and then allow it to fall on a tight line. Many times a bass will pick up the bait on the fall and the tight line is needed to detect the strike. This presentation allows the angler to gain the advantage of both the jig and spinner bait using just one lure.
The third choice would be a football head jig for nighttime bass fishing. I choose the football head jig design due to its ability to avoid getting hung up in the many rocks that make up the bottom composition of the Ozark lakes that I regularly fish. With the jig I will vary my presentation between a bouncing off the bottom to a slow drag along the bottom until the fish show which presentation they prefer.
Anglers prefer a wide variety of lures when fishing during these hours, but despite the lure, the best presentation is usually slow. While the bass can easily detect the presence of a lure at night the sense of sight is still less useful than that of the bass feeding during the day.
As long as good sound judgment for safety is practiced by the angler nighttime fishing in the mid-summer season is the best way for anglers to avoid them many crowded lakes in the busy recreational season. Furthermore, the fishing can be excellent as with many night tournaments the winning weight of a five bass stringer can exceed 20 pounds.
www.midwestfishingtackle.net
Copyright 2008 Marc Rogers
As summer gets into full swing the lakes and waterway become full of everything from large boats to personal watercraft. The waters get churned up and running a fishing boat becomes more trouble than it seems worth at times. When this change begins to take place it is time for the avid angler to resort to fishing at night.
Many bass tournaments are held at night during this part of the year due to the increased watercraft traffic during the day. When an angler uses good judgment operating their boat at night it is sometimes safer for them than operating a fishing (bass) boat during the day. Also, the catch rate can be better as well.
I personally take the time to plan my fishing trips during the nighttime hours in the early to late summer. I find this time to be more relaxing than trying to contend with the other recreational boaters that use the daytime hours for their enjoyment.
While bass fishing during the night I tend to rely on a large plastic worm of 10 – 12 inches in length as well as a jig. Most often the angler is more productive to fish baits that allow for a slow moving presentation. There have been times when a crank bait or spinner bait will be more productive but generally this isn’t the case. Spinner baits can be used in the ¾ ounce size with a large single Colorado blade to get great vibration and still work them slowly.
If I had to settle on one lure for all of my night time fishing it would be a 10 inch plastic worm rigged Texas style with a 5/0 offset hook and a 5/16 ounce bullet sinker. I always use dark green colored line but many anglers prefer the florescent blue line and add a black light on the side of their boat for better line visibility. If you were a line watcher during your daylight fishing it would be a good idea to try the black light and florescent blue line.
My second choice for a nighttime lure is the ¾ ounce spinner bait in dark colored skirts with a large single Colorado blade. This lure is best worked very similar to a jig with a more pronounced lifting action. I lift the bait until the blades can be felt turning and then allow it to fall on a tight line. Many times a bass will pick up the bait on the fall and the tight line is needed to detect the strike. This presentation allows the angler to gain the advantage of both the jig and spinner bait using just one lure.
The third choice would be a football head jig for nighttime bass fishing. I choose the football head jig design due to its ability to avoid getting hung up in the many rocks that make up the bottom composition of the Ozark lakes that I regularly fish. With the jig I will vary my presentation between a bouncing off the bottom to a slow drag along the bottom until the fish show which presentation they prefer.
Anglers prefer a wide variety of lures when fishing during these hours, but despite the lure, the best presentation is usually slow. While the bass can easily detect the presence of a lure at night the sense of sight is still less useful than that of the bass feeding during the day.
As long as good sound judgment for safety is practiced by the angler nighttime fishing in the mid-summer season is the best way for anglers to avoid them many crowded lakes in the busy recreational season. Furthermore, the fishing can be excellent as with many night tournaments the winning weight of a five bass stringer can exceed 20 pounds.
www.midwestfishingtackle.net
Copyright 2008 Marc Rogers
Post Spawn Bass Fishing
FISHING THE POST SPAWN FOR BASS
The cold months of winter are only a memory while the spawn is just ending. Catching bass during this transition from spawn to post-spawn is one of the most difficult times for many anglers to catch fish. The female bass have moved off to deeper water while the males are just finishing up guarding the nests.
While the males were aggressive guarding the nests and some were caught on lizards and crawfish lures the females were somewhat less aggressive in the deeper water between spawn and summer patterns.
A very good starting point for catching post-spawn bass is to find areas where the fish will travel from spawning areas to the post-spawn areas. Submerged timberlines are great areas where fish travel from spawn to post-spawn areas. Midwest Fishing Tackle Pro Staff Member Aaron Hunter says “I watch for timber lines, ditches and roadbeds that will provide cover for the larger females while making their move from spawning areas to the post-spawning areas.” Aaron says he learned this technique from a guide while fishing the first time on Lake Fork in Texas.
In lakes void of timber the angler should concentrate on submerged ditches that offer a couple of feet depth change from the surrounding areas. I agree with Aaron because just this last year while fishing Lake Patoka in Southern Indiana I found the bass to be almost non-existent for the first day of fishing. However, on the second day I located an old creek channel that was about 8 feet deeper than the flat it ran through and was able to catch bass consistently.
The creek channel in Lake Patoka was about 1 mile long and meandered through a flat so I used marker buoys to mark the channel about every 50 yards and fished the drop of the old channel. A ¾ ounce jigs was the lure to produce the most fish this day in late May. This lure was heavy enough to allow me to stay in contact with the bottom of the lake and feel the drop in the creek channel.
Aaron says he prefers to use spinner baits in these areas so “I can slow roll it through the timber and hop it along the ditch line.” He reports he allows the spinner bait to free fall from the top of the drops into the deeper water while still maintaining feel of the lure. “You must be able to feel the blades spinning or you are not keeping the line tight enough.” Locating a good shad population in there areas is the key to success. While the females will use these areas to travel most will not stay there long if an abundance of food is not present. They are in need of food after the spawning process.
With shad present in the areas a white or chartreuse spinner bait is ideal. The white lure will be similar to the shad while the chartreuse will be a closer match of bluegill. The angler should let the blade color be decided by the water color and light conditions.
Aaron is a regular on a few tournament circuits including the Joe Bass Team Trail where his father Alton is his partner. The two of them will target the more aggressive males while first trying to fill a limit during a tournament. After they have caught their limit they will move out to the areas Aaron calls “highways” where the females travel to deeper water after laying their eggs in the nest.
The father/son team has found a tournament can’t be won on a limit of legal male bass. The winners must have at least one good kicker fish that is usually a large female. Aaron says “I don’t feel comfortable going to the scales without at least two good females in my live well at the end of the day.”
Copyright 2008 Marc Rogers,
The cold months of winter are only a memory while the spawn is just ending. Catching bass during this transition from spawn to post-spawn is one of the most difficult times for many anglers to catch fish. The female bass have moved off to deeper water while the males are just finishing up guarding the nests.
While the males were aggressive guarding the nests and some were caught on lizards and crawfish lures the females were somewhat less aggressive in the deeper water between spawn and summer patterns.
A very good starting point for catching post-spawn bass is to find areas where the fish will travel from spawning areas to the post-spawn areas. Submerged timberlines are great areas where fish travel from spawn to post-spawn areas. Midwest Fishing Tackle Pro Staff Member Aaron Hunter says “I watch for timber lines, ditches and roadbeds that will provide cover for the larger females while making their move from spawning areas to the post-spawning areas.” Aaron says he learned this technique from a guide while fishing the first time on Lake Fork in Texas.
In lakes void of timber the angler should concentrate on submerged ditches that offer a couple of feet depth change from the surrounding areas. I agree with Aaron because just this last year while fishing Lake Patoka in Southern Indiana I found the bass to be almost non-existent for the first day of fishing. However, on the second day I located an old creek channel that was about 8 feet deeper than the flat it ran through and was able to catch bass consistently.
The creek channel in Lake Patoka was about 1 mile long and meandered through a flat so I used marker buoys to mark the channel about every 50 yards and fished the drop of the old channel. A ¾ ounce jigs was the lure to produce the most fish this day in late May. This lure was heavy enough to allow me to stay in contact with the bottom of the lake and feel the drop in the creek channel.
Aaron says he prefers to use spinner baits in these areas so “I can slow roll it through the timber and hop it along the ditch line.” He reports he allows the spinner bait to free fall from the top of the drops into the deeper water while still maintaining feel of the lure. “You must be able to feel the blades spinning or you are not keeping the line tight enough.” Locating a good shad population in there areas is the key to success. While the females will use these areas to travel most will not stay there long if an abundance of food is not present. They are in need of food after the spawning process.
With shad present in the areas a white or chartreuse spinner bait is ideal. The white lure will be similar to the shad while the chartreuse will be a closer match of bluegill. The angler should let the blade color be decided by the water color and light conditions.
Aaron is a regular on a few tournament circuits including the Joe Bass Team Trail where his father Alton is his partner. The two of them will target the more aggressive males while first trying to fill a limit during a tournament. After they have caught their limit they will move out to the areas Aaron calls “highways” where the females travel to deeper water after laying their eggs in the nest.
The father/son team has found a tournament can’t be won on a limit of legal male bass. The winners must have at least one good kicker fish that is usually a large female. Aaron says “I don’t feel comfortable going to the scales without at least two good females in my live well at the end of the day.”
Copyright 2008 Marc Rogers,
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