Catching Bass With a Carolina Rig
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The Carolina rig is one of the two most popular rigs used for catching Bass. Carolina rigs are very simple rigs with a slip sinkers, swivels, beads, and leaders. There are many variations of sinker weight, number and color of beads and leader length but the most common rig used by bass fishermen is a ¾ ounce sinker followed by a red bead, then a swivel and a 24-30 inch leader and a 4/0 hook.
The thing that varies the most, except for bait, is the length of the leader. Use shorter 18-36 inch leaders when you need to get really close to structure and precise presentation is needed. Leaders up to 7 feet can work extremely well for bass holding along steep ledges or suspended outside a break. The long lead allows the bait to drift slowly giving the Bass a longer look at the bait.
When fishing a Carolina rig you want to make your cast and let the bait sink to the bottom. Pay attention to your line as sometimes you will get a bite as the bait sinks to the bottom. When your bait is on the bottom take the slack out of your line. Reel your line in very slowly with frequent pauses or with short twitches of your rod reeling in the slack each time.
Pay attention to your line. Catching Bass takes feel. No matter what bait you are using if it is plastic the Bass will not hold it long. If you think you have a bite set the hook. If you miss just let the bait fall back to the bottom and begin again.
Bank Fishing For Bass
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Many people think it is impossible to fish for bass without a boat. This simply is not true. There are many places to fish for bass from the bank. Some are easily accessible and some are not. But they are there waiting for you.
The first place I learned to fish was a medium sized farm pond. My father took me there just about every other week during the summer and we pulled many bass out of there. Ponds can be found throughout the countryside but now a days most are on private property and you need to ask permission. Look for vegetation and structure to improve your chances.
Another good place very similar to the pond is a abandoned strip mine. These can be found throughout the Midwest and provide excellent bass fishing. Again look for vegetation and structure but with strip mines the water can be very deep making finding the structure a little more difficult.
Creeks and streams that have a steady flow of water are good for smallmouth bass. Look for trees in the water as they provide excellent cover for the bass. Also look for breaks in the flow of the water as often times bass will sit in the calmer water waiting on their prey to go by.
Rivers can also provide excellent bank fishing but the good spots are usually a little harder to get to. You look for the same things you would look for in the smaller creeks and streams but you may have to hike a ways through heavy growth to get there. I suggest you wear a fishing vest as it will make it a little easier to get through the growth. One more place on a river that I have found really produces is what I call an eddy pool. Find a place where the water is moving really fast and look for pockets of quite water either alongside the fast water or immediately after. These pools will contain all kinds of fish either resting for the next leg of their trip or waiting for the bait fish to arrive.
You can also fish lakes from the bank looking for the same structure you would look for in a pond or strip mine. Areas of growth or trees in the water make the best choices. This is probably my least favorite place to bank fish due to the difficulty of finding and getting to a good fishing location.
Bass Fishing Moss Covered Strip Mines or Ponds
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A friend of mine likes to fish strip mines covered in heavy moss and normally does pretty well with them. His normal choice is a plastic worm for bass but there are times they just are not interested in the worms and he asked what other choices he had.
If you have ever fished a pond or strip mine covered in moss you know how hard it is to find open water to work your lures. But you also know that these waters can be very productive. I can understand why he likes these places. They are generally isolated, in most cases you may be the only one there, and they are productive.
With moss covered mines or ponds you have to look for open water or breaks in the moss. You normally do not have a lot of room to work your lures and very rarely can you work them deep especially if you’re fishing from the bank.
If the water is almost entirely covered by moss I will try shiners in whatever open water I can find. It is kind of like dropping the bait into a hole. I will begin fishing about three feet deep and gradually increase the depth until I get a hit or my bait is on top of the moss. I have had some very productive days using this approach.
If you can find some breaks where the moss is just below the surface try using buzz baits. They do not snag as much as some of the other top water lures. Buzz baits can be very effective and most times you can actually see a V shape coming after it. If you do don't get to excited and set the hook before he takes it. Unfortunately I have done this a couple of times.
There are other top water lures that may do well including poppers, spitters, prop baits, hard stickbaits, soft stickbaits, etc. My choices for fishing Moss covered strip mines or ponds are plastic worms, buzz baits and shiners.
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