New Ideas for the Carolina Rig

I know most if not all of you have heard of the tried and trued Carolina rig.  It has been around for many years now and has effectively been catching bass all those years.   Most tough days on the water will find a lot of fishermen going to this rig because it seems to get hits even when everything else fails.  It is a great deep water tool, but let me tell you it also works in shallow water too.  In fact it will work on light weight rigs as well, so don't be scared to use it on your Drop-shot rod.  That is the point to this article, don't get caught in a rut when fishing the Carolina Rig.  The same ole rig with a worm, slow fished deep can be a much better fishing tool if you use your imagination.

At one time I was like a lot of you and fished everything just like the Pros said to in magazines or on TV shows.   Then I realized that if we all fished the same way all the time the bass would get wise to us and so I started to use my imagination and experiment.  I didn't just always fish a worm when I went to the Carolina Rig, I did some things that some folks would call crazy, but I caught fish.  Sure you will catch fish using just a worm on the Carolina Rig, in fact my go to is an 8 inch Scoundrel Worm from Creme Lures.  I know I will catch some bass and some big bass using a Scoundrel, but are there even more bass that will bite if I did something a little different?  So I started to fish creature baits like the Creme Lures ST Beaver and guess what they worked great on the Carolina.  However something that seems to get me bites when nothing else works is going Wacky on the Carolina.  That's right, using a Creme Lures ST Wacky Stick has turned a bad day into an awesome day in just a few casts.   I actually rig the wacky sticks two (2) ways when fishing them Carolina.  The first is to rig them on a worm hook just like a worm and the second is to go with a wacky rig.  I like to use a heavy sinker with a 24-36 inch leader when rigging wacky.  Now I generally only go to the wacky rig when fishing deep rocks or rip raps like along dams.  When you make a cast with this rig be ready as you will get a lot of hits on the initial fall.  There is some thing about that wacky rigged stick coming down really fast on that heavy sinker and then stopping a couple feet off the bottom that make even the biggest bass go nuts.

One of the other things I've done to my Carolina Rigs is I've been making some pre-rigged sinker and bead setups.  I find that I lose too much contact with my bait when rigging the standard old fashion way.  If your sinker can slide down the line too far you can lose contact with your bait and miss hits or even worse have a bass that takes your bait too deep.  If you are using a fish attractant like Liquid Mayhem, the bass will not think twice about swallowing your offering all the way down.  Using these pre-rigs you won't lose contact as much.  Sure there will always be some loss of contact from time to time, but it will give you a better than 50% improvement.   Here is a pic of some of my pre-rigs.

 

I know some of you might think, hey I can buy those at the tackle shop.  This is true, but where is the fun in that?  This gives you something to do on rainy days or evenings to get ready for the next big trip.  Besides you can't buy your own custom setups that no one else has and that just might be the ticket for filling a limit.  I get some of my beads at craft stores, Walmart and some at tackle shops.  As you can see I make them with different size sinkers and use a mix of brass and plastic beads of different size and shape. Each of these combinations has a different sound to them and that sound must might be the difference.  Basically all I do to make these rigs is get some steel leader wire.  I like it to be 80-100lb test leader wire as that size doesn't cut into your leader as bad.  You can use lighter wire but only if you re-tie your knots, both sides, about every 10-15 casts.  You also want to re-tie after every bass you catch because a fighting bass will  really cause them to cut into your knots.  Even with the bigger wire you will want to re-tie or at least check your knots regularly.  Also when making these it is very important to leave enough room between the two eyes so your sinker and beads can move and make that all important "clicking" sound.  I like to have at least an inch of movement available.

One of the other ruts that a lot of folks get into is working the Carolina Rig the same way every time they use it.  Sure some days that old tried and trued method of long hop, wait, long hop works like a dream.  However if you are in a spot where you know there are bass, but you are not getting hits or a lot of hits play with your technique.   Use short quick hops with little or no wait in between hops or something completely different.  Again use your imagination and come up with some technique that someone else may have never thought of using.  One of the techniques I love to use in down timber is to just make a long cast, let it settle to the bottom then drag the sinker back to me.  When I feel the sinker come over a branch or stump then I let it fall and wait before continuing my retrieve.  The point is don't settle for the same old rut, again use your imagination.  If you have fished an area and caught some bass using one retrieve and then they stop biting, don't leave before you change up your retrieve some.  You might be surprised and catch even more bass with the new retrieve.

The bottom line here folks is don't get stuck in the rut of always doing the same thing.   I know even today after I preach about not doing it, I will find myself stuck in a rut from time to time.  When something has worked in the past it is hard to change, but you have to remember that bass are a moody sort and what works one day or even one hour might not continue to work.  Be flexible and you will be surprised how many more bass you can put in the boat!!

Until next time, Tight Lines and Take a Kid Fishing!!!

You can also Follow me on
Twitter - @BHOAdventures
FaceBook - Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures
YouTube - Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures

Also Checkout the great folks that help make my fishing adventure possible and the tackle I use and trust.
Santone Lures
Throw-n-Thunder
Creme Lures
Dunamis Rods
Liquid Mayhem Fish Attractants
Stealth Rod Holders
New Pro Products
Squiddies Flip Reel

Swim Jig Fishing 101

I remember the day when there wasn't a bait called a Swim Jig.  Not that bass weren't being caught by swimming a standard jig, but most of the time it was by accident.  It was by accident because we weren't really fishing the jig at the time of the strike, we were just quickly retrieving it to make the next cast.  I'm sure you have all caught a bass here and there when you really didn't think you should catch one for one reason or another.  Like when your crank bait got tangled in the line and was just helicoptering back to the boat and a big bass comes up and engulfs it.  Well to tell the truth that is exactly how the Swim Jig was born.   Most of us older fishermen started to see a pattern form when we were getting strike after strike while quickly retrieving our jigs back to make another cast.  In fact, some of us started fishing that pattern when it was working.  As with all new techniques this one has been refined over the years to where it is today.  Many jig companies now have their own swim jig lines that are designed to swim through cover better than those standard jigs we used years ago.

One thing that I've found out over the years a Swim Jig is one of the most versatile baits you can have in your tackle box.  They can be fished in so many different ways using so many different trailers and color combination.  In fact they can be affect at all times of the year and at many different depths and on many different types of structure.  If there was only one bait I could carry fishing then I would have to carry Swim Jigs.  Now for them to be most effective you have to match the hatch.  This means to match your swim jig color and trailer type to what the bass are feeding on in the area you are fishing.   If they are feeding on Shad then you would want to use a swim jig and trailer combo that resembled a shad in size and color.  Same goes if they are feeding on bream or other baitfish, match the color and size.  Now when the bass are eating bait fish I really want my swim jig to have some well defined eyes as I think that is key a lot of time in drawing strikes.  I will also trim my skirts to match what the bass are feeding on.  Cutting the skirt shorter will make it flare more when it is stopped or paused and I've found that when they are feeding on bream this is very effective.  I would have to write a novel to tell you all the different ways I've setup Swim Jigs to catch bass.  So for this article I'll say use your imagination and think about what the different types of bait fish look like when they are in the water swimming or better yet, when they are running away from a bass. This should get you started down the path of coming up with your own setups, which can be fun in itself.

Now what technique is best when retrieving your swim jig?  The answer depends on the bass that day and the type of structure you are fishing.  I've seen days fishing grass where you couldn't retrieve it fast enough to kept the bass from hammering your bait.  Then there have been times where a more slow steady retrieve gets the job done.  So basically you will have to keep working your jig with different types of retrieves until you find what the bass want.  Now don't be fooled when you catch your first bass though.  What I mean by this is one bass doesn't always set the pattern.  Sure when you catch that first one you want to continue to use that retrieve, but if a second bass doesn't hit soon then you will want to tweak the retrieve some.  Make small changes until you are getting strike after strike.  Now I don't mean you will get a hit on every cast, but you will know when you get the right retrieve locked in.  Also remember that the bass may change during the course of the day or from one type of structure to another so you will have to tweak your retrieve from time to time and on some days hour to hour.

Now one of the question I always get is which Swim Jig is the best.  Like I said there are a lot of swim jigs on the market and most all of them will catch bass on any given day.  However for me the best Swim Jig ever made is the Rayburn Swim Jig from Santone Lures.  It is my personal choice and the choice of a lot of tournament fishermen.  What makes the Rayburn Swim Jig so much better is it's head design, plus the hooks that Santone Lures use are far better than a lot of the other jigs manufactures.  Hey a picture is worth a thousand words so here are a few that point out the major aspects that make the Rayburn Swim Jig stand out in my book.

As you can see from these pictures the Rayburn Swim Jig has everything I look for in a really good swim jig.  On top of that the head design even gives the bait a wobble or swimming action that triggers bass to strike like no other swim jig I've ever used.

So remember to fish a good swim jig but also the most important element is to "Match the Hatch".  Make sure you jig resembles the bait fish the bass are eating.   Play with your retrieve until you find one that triggers strikes and then you will be catching bass like the Pros!!!  Also check out Swim Jig Fishing-201 Part-1 Laydown Timber and Part-2 Lily Pads and Water Hyacinth for even more information.

Until next time, Tight Lines and Take a Kid Fishing!!!

You can also Follow me on
Twitter - @BHOAdventures
FaceBook - Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures
YouTube - Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures

Also Checkout the great folks that help make my fishing adventure possible and the tackle I use and trust.
Santone Lures
Throw-n-Thunder
Creme Lures
Dunamis Rods
Liquid Mayhem Fish Attractants
Stealth Rod Holders
New Pro Products
Squiddies Flip Reel