The carolina rig
A Carolina rig slides a heavy weight and a bead down the main line to a swivel, then runs a long leader to the hook and a soft plastic. The weight stays on the bottom and the bait trails behind it on a slack leader. It is the searching rig for bass, for covering open bottom and finding fish fast.
| Component | Spec |
|---|---|
| Main line | Braid, around 30 to 50 lb; or fluorocarbon 15 to 20 lb |
| Weight | Sliding bullet or egg weight, 10 to 28 g (3/8 to 1 oz): heavier on deep ledges and in wind, lighter on shallow flats |
| Bead | One glass or plastic bead, around 8 mm, behind the weight to protect the knot |
| Swivel | Barrel swivel, size 10 to 6 (a touch larger so it stops the weight and bead) |
| Leader | Fluorocarbon, around 12 to 17 lb, 45 to 75 cm (18 to 30 in): longer on a tough bite, shorter in coloured water |
| Hook | Offset worm or extra-wide-gap (EWG), 3/0 to 4/0 to suit the bait |
| Soft plastic | Lizard, creature, fluke or worm, 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6"). Natural tones in clear water, darker in stained |
What it's for
Largemouth and smallmouth bass, on open bottom. This is the rig for covering water and finding where the fish are: long points, channel ledges, gravel and rock flats, and the edges of weed beds. The heavy weight stays down and lets you drag the rig over a lot of ground while keeping in touch with the bottom, and the long leader lets the soft plastic float and glide behind it, free and natural, well away from the weight. It shines in clearer, deeper water and on a tougher bite, where bass want the bait separated from the lead. Think of it as a search tool: cover the structure, find the fish, then slow down.
The rig at a glance
Read from the main line down to the hook. The main line (braid around 30 to 50 lb, or fluorocarbon 15 to 20 lb) comes from the rod. A sliding weight is threaded on first, then a bead behind it. The line is then tied to one end of a swivel with a Palomar knot; the bead sits against the swivel and protects the knot from the sliding weight. From the other end of the swivel, the leader (fluorocarbon, around 12 to 17 lb and 45 to 75 cm / 18 to 30 in long) is tied on with a Palomar, and the hook is tied to the end of the leader with a Palomar too. A soft plastic is rigged on the hook, often weedless. The defining detail is that the weight slides free on the main line and the swivel stops it, so the bait trails behind on a long, slack leader, separated from the lead.
How to build it
- Slide the sliding weight onto the main line, then a bead behind it. Both stay free to slide on the main line. The bead sits between the weight and the swivel and stops the weight from chipping the knot.
- Tie the main line to one end of the swivel with a Palomar knot. The bead now rests against the swivel, and the weight slides on the main line above it. The swivel is the stop that keeps the weight off the leader.
- Tie the leader to the other end of the swivel with a Palomar knot, 45 to 75 cm (18 to 30 in) of fluorocarbon. Go longer for a tough, clear-water bite and shorter in coloured water where the bass hunt closer to the weight.
- Tie the hook to the end of the leader with a Palomar knot, then rig the soft plastic on the hook, weedless if you are dragging through any cover. The bait now trails behind the weight on the long leader.
How to fish it
Cast it out over the structure you want to search, let the weight fall all the way to the bottom, then drag it back slowly with the rod, sweeping the rod to the side rather than reeling, and taking up the slack between sweeps. You want to feel the weight ticking over the bottom: the gravel, the rock, the hard spots and the drop-offs, because the change in feel tells you where the fish will be. The long leader lets the bait float and glide behind the weight as you pull and pause, which is the action that gets the take. Most takes come as a tap, a tick or a heaviness as you sweep, often just after the weight bumps something. When you feel one, reel down to a tight line, then sweep the rod up firmly to set the hook through the plastic. Cover the area, and when you get a bite, work that spot harder.
Where this rig works
This rig is fished on these waters in the atlas, for largemouth and smallmouth bass on open bottom, from a boat and the bank. As the atlas grows, every new water that uses it links to this same page.
Carolina rig questions
Covering open bottom and finding bass. A sliding weight stays on the bottom and a long leader lets the soft plastic float and glide behind it, separated from the lead. It suits largemouth and smallmouth on points, ledges and flats, and shines in clearer, deeper water and on a tough bite.
On a Texas rig the bullet weight sits right against the bait, so it is compact for fishing in cover. On a Carolina rig the weight slides on the main line above a swivel, and a long leader separates the bait from the lead, so it covers open bottom and gives the bait a freer, gliding action. Texas for cover, Carolina for searching.
Around 45 to 75 cm (18 to 30 in) of fluorocarbon. Go longer, toward 75 cm, for a tough, clear-water bite where bass want the bait well away from the weight. Go shorter, toward 45 cm, in coloured water where they hunt closer to the lead and a long leader just delays the hook-set.
A sliding bullet or egg weight of 10 to 28 g (3/8 to 1 oz). Go heavier, toward 1 oz, on deep ledges, in current and in wind so you keep contact with the bottom; go lighter on shallow flats. The point is to feel the weight ticking the bottom as you drag it.
A Palomar knot, used at every join: it ties the swivel at both ends and ties the hook. So one knot builds the whole rig. Thread the weight and bead onto the main line first, then tie the swivel on, then the leader, then the hook, all with a Palomar.