Carolina Rig Surf Fishing
The Carolina Rig Surf Fishing that has been in use since 1970. The main target behind using this rig is bass and other bottom-feeding fish in lakes and rivers. Moreover, the Carolina rig is the best rig for both open water as well as sandy beaches.
Likewise, it is simple, sensitive and strong. Initially, it was designed to be used for fresh water bass fishing but with the passage of time it evolved and was used for saltwater fishing. Additionally, it is widely recommended rig for the beginners.
Next, the Carolina rig separates in a way that it looks like something natural to fool fish of all kinds. Further, when you want to cover a lot of water in Summer and Spring, you can move out with a Carolina rig.
Carolina Rig Surf Fishing : Why Carolina Rig?
Carolina Rig Surf Fishing is used firstly because it presents a soft plastic lure in a more natural way as compared to other rigs like Texas Rig. Before fishing properly, we use a Carolina rig to tell us if the bottom is hard or soft. Moreover, it also tells whether it is grass or rock underneath. Additionally, Carolina rig also provides information about the correct fishing area. In this way, it has been a widely preferred search tool since 1980s.
Components Of Carolina Rig
A Carolina rig has six basic components to tie it up. A favorite plastic is put on it afterwards. These components include:
1.Main Line: A strong and resistant main line is good to start with a Carolina rig to drag it along the bottom most of the times.
Leader Line: A leader line is a short and lighter piece of fluorocarbon or monofilament line. It allows a bait to disconnect from the weight to have freedom of movement. Other lines don’t have this advantage.
Weight: A weight of appropriate size is essential for depth and fishing conditions. It is mainly a bullet or egg sinker.
Bead: A bead can be made of plastic or magnet. It is placed between the weight and swivel to protect the knot from the weight.
Swivel: A swivel is used to attach the leader line to a main line. It is usually small a ball or barrel-shaped.
Hook: A hook of appropriate size be used with a Carolina rig.
Steps To Rig a Carolina Rig: Carolina Rig Surf Fishing
A short and simple step-to-step workflow is given as below:
Step One: To begin with, slide the weight onto main line.
Step Two: Next, slide the bead on the main line.
Step three: Third step is to tie up a barrel swivel to the main line.
Step Four: Tie the leader to the other side of the swivel.
Step Five: Hook be tied to the final end of the leader.
Step Six: To end with, thread the favorite plastic onto the worm hook which is often offset.
Fishing With Carolina Rig
Carolina Rig Surf Fishing is not a tough ask. You just need to choose a fishing area. A long rod with added leader length makes the fishing process easier. Use the weight which pulls the rig to the bottom.
Additionally, the weight should be 2 feet from the rod tip so that your cast keeps the bait 4 to 5 feet behind you. Moreover, the rig should be lobbed as far as possible. It can be lobbed up to a mile even.
Likewise, your practice should be such that you could feel that whether it is rock, grass or a fish with the rod.
Moreover, with a Carolina rig, you can feel the weight of a fish bite. In case of any uncertainty, hold the rig tight to feel fish movement.
Before modern electronics came into fashion, Carolina rig was one of the tools to inform about the depths and fishing areas without any graph. By dragging Carolina rig, you could also detect depth changes and do the fishing.
Carolina Rig Setup
A good Carolina rig setup includes a rod with a good backbone and a good length. They provide enough room to cast a weight and enough line in the backup. 7 feet 6 inch is considered to be a reasonable range in Carolina Rig Surf Fishing.
Similarly, a Carolina rig rod should have a medium-heavy power and quick action. Likewise, the reel should be loaded with 15-pound monofilament and a leader of 12-pound fluorocarbon. Moreover, 30-pound braid for the mainline and a fluorocarbon leader.
You can experiment with leader lengths as well. Sometimes, a short leader is nice to control the movement of a bait. At other times, long leader works wonders in clear water conditions to provide freedom of movement to baits to catch fish resultantly. Hence, there is nothing wrong with making experiments with leader lengths.
Baits Suitable for Carolina Rig
As far as casting a Carolina rig is concerned, one of the most important things is to choose a proper bait. Of course, fishing conditions will also be taken into account. The best bait selection will certainly enhance the chances of your success.
The suitable baits for presenting on Carolina Rig Surf Fishing are following:
Worms
Flukes
Creature Baits
Lizards
Conclusion
Carolina rig is a popular and effective method of fishing. It is used in both saltwater as well as freshwater environments. It uses mainline, leader line, hook, swivel, bead and weight as its components. One of the advantages of using Carolina rig is that it allows the bait to move naturally with the current.
However, the success depends on the choice of bait, species being targeted, local conditions, patience and also fishing skills.
