USE THE RIGHT COMPONENTS FOR CAROLINA RIGS

One of the most productive methods of fishing plastic worms is the time proven Carolina Rig. It differs from the more commonly used Texas Rig, which places the sinker right on the nose of the bait, by moving the weight a couple feet away using a barrel swivel, bead and short leader. The components you use to make your Carolina Rig can affect how successful it is in attracting bites from wary largemouth bass, but we’ll get into that in a minute. First, why use a Carolina Rig in the first place? 

Texas rigged worms are great for shallow water use. You can pitch or cast them into heavy cover and they won’t get hung up. Throw them into the nastiest spots, snake them through the branches of fallen trees, flooded bushes, rip rap, just about anything, without having to worry about negative consequences. Used in this manner they have an enticing action as they fall being pulled down by the slip sinker that slides away from the lure on the drop. Most bites occur on the drop so a low stretch line on your reel like Hi-Seas Grand Slam Braid, Wildfire or 100% Fluorocarbon pays big dividends when fishing Texas rigged worms.

Ah, but the Texas Rig has limitations and when you get it out of shallow cover and into deeper, cleaner bottom areas where bass often retreat to during hot summer weather or when the weather begins to turn cold in the late fall it just doesn’t look very enticing. Fact of the matter is that the worm will have about as much action as a pipe cleaner. That’s where the Carolina Rig takes over. It is right at home in water 10, 15, 20 feet deep and even deeper. The only limitations on depth is increasing the sinker size to get the worm down there and keep it on the bottom. The Carolina Rig keeps the worm separated from the sinker by a couple feet of leader so it can’t inhibit the action as you slide it across the bottom. Use a worm that is slightly buoyant, has a swimming tail or go to a lizard style that looks natural crawling across the bottom and they come alive with the slightest movement.

The rig is easy enough to make. It starts with a standard worm hook tied to an 18 to 24 inch length of leader material. I strongly recommend using Hi-Seas 100% Fluorocarbon for the abrasion resistance and near invisibility it provides, in 16 to 25 lb. test. Remember, lighter leader allows the worm to move more freely back there behind the sinker. At the other end of the leader tie on an AFW Mighty Mini #4 Crane Swivel. Even though they are extremely small the #4 has a breaking strength of 78 lbs. Now slide a slip sinker (¼ to 1 ounce depending on the water depth) and then a tiny plastic bead onto your running line before you tie it to the other side of the swivel and the rig is complete.

The sinker rests against the bead preventing it from jamming on the tiny crane swivel and it also puts out a subtle clacking sound as the sinker bounces back against it while you are working the rig across the bottom.

Carolina rigged worms can be fished using spinning or baitcasting tackle, but be sure you use a moderately stiff graphite rod to enhance your feel and give you a solid hook set when the time comes. Fish the Carolina Rig by making long casts and allowing it to sink to the bottom before you move it. Then reel up any slack line and work the worm by making long, slow sweeps of the rod to the side keeping it horizontal to the water. As you pull it along you will feel the sinker scraping along the bottom and tapping any objects it might come in contact with. A strike can be detected in several ways. You might feel the classic bump through the rod; you might see the line start to move off to one side or another; or the line could tighten up. The last two are indications that a bass has picked up the worm and is swimming away with it. Remember, the bass is pulling the line through the slip sinker, which can dampen the feel of more tradition hits. If you feel or see any of the indicators keep the rod low and strike to the side, not up and over your head. Once you get the hang of it you’ll find the Carolina Rig to be a valuable tactic in your quest to catch largemouth bass. Just be sure to rig ‘em right with Hi-Seas lines and leader material and AFW Mighty Mini Crane Swivels. Using these quality products assures you will get the best performance from your rigs and increase your bites!

Caputi’s Blog Tip:

AFW Mighty Mini swivels and snap swivels are marvels of strength in a tiny package. Old style swivels were made out of brass, which is a soft metal that requires bulk for strength. Mighty Mini’s are finely crafted from stainless steel, which means they are capable of providing three to four times the breaking strength of similarly sized brass swivels.