Summertime anglers should consider Carolina rig

Published 3:15 pm Monday, July 14, 2014

You don’t have to look at the calendar to realize that the summer season is here, all you have to do is walk outside. With temperatures soaring into the 100s, even the most diehard angler questions whether it is worth literally burning up just to catch a mess of fish.

I consider myself to be a diehard angler and I admit the recent weather has made angling tough on the body especially when the fish bite might be very s-l-o-w but an angler can adjust for the heat and can usually coach the fish into biting with a little persistence, choosing good lake locations and choosing the right angling technique and lures.  Make sure to wear light cloths, take along a good sunscreen, a large hat and plenty of cold drinks.

This week, I want to revisit using the Carolina rig for catching summertime largemouth bass. For taking largemouth bass during the summer months there probably is not a better presentation to use than the Carolina rig. The Carolina rig is easy to use and will catch largemouth during hot weather better than most other lure presentations.

I have had grandchildren visiting over the last few weeks and when they come and want to fish, I turn to the Carolina rig. Young children can easily master casting and using the Carolina rig and techniques like setting the hook are not necessary. Teach them the basic of casting and they can be successful with the Carolina rig. They also enjoy selecting there favorite plastic worm color and many colors will be successful.

The Carolina rig is either loved or hated by anglers and I fall into the category of anglers who love the rig. I catch more summertime bass on the Carolina rig than all other lures combined. Now there are times when a crankbait will catch large numbers of big largemouth bass but conditions have to be just right to consistently catch largemouth on a crankbait. Over the past two weeks, the largemouth bass have been aggressive and the crankbait bite has been good when power generation is occurring.   

I always use crankbaits when conditions are perfect for that lure. That includes times when the largemouth are very actively feeding and water current is present. At all other times, I use the Carolina rig.  The Carolina rig can be used in the prime summertime depths on both Lakes Oconee and Sinclair and those prime depths are from 6-24 feet deep.

The Carolina rig continues to be modified and improved by anglers. Let us again look at the basic Carolina rig for those who might not understand the setup. Spool the reel (baitcasting or spinning) with 10-17 pound test line, thread on a ? to 1 ounce sinker, then follow that with a couple of glass or plastic beads and tie the main line to a barrel swivel.

To the other end of the barrel swivel add a 2-4 foot leader of 8-14 pound test line, tie on a 1/0 to 3/0 hook and then add your favorite plastic worm, lizard, crawfish, or other plastic bait to the hook. You’re now ready to catch some summertime largemouth bass on the Carolina rig.

As I mentioned earlier, anglers continue to experiment with the Carolina rig and develop modifications to improve this rig and angling technique that has been around for over 25 years. I constantly tinker with the Carolina rig myself in an attempt to fine tune the rig and entice more strikes.

The plastic baits that can be used on the Carolina rig are endless and more and more baits are being developed each year. I primarily use either a small 6-inch finesse worm or the larger 7-inch Trick worm. However there are days when a large lizard, a fluke or an oversized 10-12 inch magnum worm will catch fish.

Many of the plastic baits have built in scents and many spray scents are also available for anglers to try. Adding a scent generally does not hurt so anything that might be added to give the angler an advantage is a positive. A once popular scent that was sprayed on soft plastics was WD-40 but I don’t think many angers are using that product anymore.

I am amazed that fish will bite some of the scents that are available but we humans do not live in the fish world. If you’re going to fish Gulp baits or some of the garlic scents, you need to take along some good soap. That peanut butter and jelly sandwich will taste a whole lot better when you take time to wash your hands. Next week, we will take a look at using crankbaits during the summer months to catch largemouth bass. Good fishing and see you next week.