When most people think of the Carolina Rig, they think of a largemouth bass lure, but what if we told you that this is one of the best rigs to use when fishing for smallmouth bass too? The Carolina Rig has been a hot topic for smallmouth anglers, and today we will be looking at why this rig is a smallmouth bass slayer!
What is the Carolina Rig?
In recent years, the Carolina Rig has re-emerged in the bass fishing industry after being somewhat forgotten for years. The Carolina Rig consists of a weight and bead tied to a swivel with a tag line going down to a hook. Typically anglers rig the Carolina Rig weedless, meaning that you can fish it in thick vegetation without getting snagged. However, the weedless presentation is not what makes this rig so popular, it is the versatility of the Carolina Rig. Despite being in the finesse category, the Carolina Rig is great for covering water and finding structure. Due to this versatility, the Carolina Rig has taken the Largemouth bass fishing industry by storm, but what about smallmouth bass?
After largemouth bass anglers started to use the Carolina Rig more frequently, smallmouth anglers began to try it out. Due to the finesse profile and ability to cover water, smallmouth anglers began to use the Carolina rig for fishing flats and rock structures quickly and efficiently. As you can imagine, this led to a lot more smallmouth in the boat for anglers, which caused the Carolina Rig to skyrocket in popularity.
Why do Smallmouth Love the Carolina Rig?
Before discussing catching smallmouth bass on the Carolina Rig, we need to analyze why this rig has been a smallmouth slayer lately. The Carolina Rig is best when thrown on flat hard bottoms, where smallmouth bass tend to gather. Because of this, anglers have been able to fish baits they know smallmouth love much more efficiently than before. This has led to the Carolina Rig becoming one of the best smallmouth rigs worldwide.
How do you catch Smallmouth Bass on the Carolina Rig?
Catching smallmouth bass on the Carolina rig is very straightforward. Simply throw the rig in rocky or flat structures where smallmouth tend to gather and work it off the bottom with the occasional twitch. Smallmouth bass are much more aggressive than largemouth, so twitching the Carolina Rig every so often can lead to a reaction bite. Windy days are best for this bait because of how loud it is when it hits the surface, but if you are fishing somewhat deep water, it is still a great option on calm days!
Overall the Carolina Rig has quickly gone from a forgotten bait in the bass fishing industry to a rig that every angler has in their arsenal. Trust us when we say that this rig is one of the best options for targeting smallmouth and largemouth bass!
