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Caught in a rut? Many of today’s
anglers all too often seem to have the enthusiasm to get
themselves all psyched up on the evening before that big day of
fishing tomorrow - only to find themselves coming in at the end
of the day with just one or two bass caught. They will spend the
day, usually casting, re-rigging, running the motor, losing
lures, etc., but most of all they get frustrated because the fish
"aren’t cooperating."
Sound Familiar? I, surely know
this feeling and I’m sure that any angler reading this article
has had the same feeling at some point at some time! Now, don’t
feel bad if this does happen to you because you are definitely
not alone, there are millions of other anglers out there with
this same problem. But, there are a few "tricks of the
trade" that you can use to help remedy this problem. The
tips given in this article have worked for me and for many of my
former bass angling students and guide charter clients whom I
have taught in the past. Why not give it a try yourself? You've
got nothing to lose, and everything to gain by reading on.
It all comes down to three rigs. I
have found that on certain days when the bass don’t seem to
cooperate, I usually will put my action baits away and pull out
the "rigs of last resort", which are the:
- Texas Rig
- Carolina Rig
- Floating Worm Rig
Anytime and anywhere. These three
rigs are probably the most successful ingredients for catching
largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass just about anytime and
anywhere. Now, some anglers may ask; "Why would I use all
three of these rigs?" and the answer is really quite simple.
It’s like using tools of the trade! A carpenter wouldn’t use
a hammer to back out a screw, nor would a screwdriver be used to
pound nails (Well, at least most of them wouldn’t....smile!).
The same goes with bass fishing, an angler should use the right
"tools of the trade" to do a specific job!
First, let’s talk about the Texas Rig. This
rig was the first plastic worm rig used by most of the anglers
way back when the sport of bass fishing was just getting started
about 25 years ago! It is a simple rig to set up, and it has
produced more bass catches than any other artificial bait ever
used, even today!
To rig a Texas Rig you will need line, a hook and a sinker -
that’s all! First, you put your sinker (usually a bullet shaped
slip sinker) onto the line with the smaller point of the weight
going on first or "facing the front." Then tie your
hook (usually an offset shank worm hook) to the end of the line
after you put on the weight. Now you are ready for your soft
plastic baits to be rigged on the hook.
This Texas Rig can be fished (or "presented") just
about anywhere you will find bass. It has certain advantages and
disadvantages over the other two rigs that we will talk about,
and I will give a few examples of the differences later. But
first, let's rig up the Carolina Rig and the Floating Worm Rig.
okay?
Second, let’s make a Carolina Rig.
With this rig you’ll need line (your main line going to your
reel), a barrel swivel, about 6’ of leader line, a weight, a
"bead" (glass bead, brass bead, or "rattle
chamber"), and of course, an offset shank hook. I know this
seems like a lot of stuff, but it's worth doing because the
results can be incredible!
To begin, take your "Leader Line" (usually the same
line that is on your reel already, but I would suggest at least a
2 lb. test or lighter line than your main line in case you get
stuck and must break off. Most of the time by using a lighter
leader line, when it breaks it will break off at the leader line
thus saving the other hardware on the rig. Now, tie one end of
your leader line to one end of the barrel swivel and then put it
aside for a moment. Then, take your main line from your reel and
first put on the weight (usually anywhere from a 1/2 oz. up to a
l oz. bullet or egg sinker). Next, after the weight is on your
main line, follow it with a bead (rattle chamber, glass or brass
bead) and then tie the end of the main line to the other end of
the barrel swivel that you just put aside. After you tie to the
swivel, tie your hook at the other end of the leader line giving
you a 2’ to a 4’ leader. Now, you're ready to bait your hook
with a tempting soft plastic offering!
Third, let’s tie the Floating Worm Rig.
This "Floating Rig" can and will produce bass sometimes
when all else fails. It’s quite simple to rig and the results
can be devastating! You will need a SMALL Barrel Swivel and a
hook for this rig. First, take about 3’ off of your main line,
and use it to make a leader line. Tie one end of your leader line
to one end of the barrel swivel, then tie the other end of the
barrel swivel to the main reel line. With this rig you leave off
the weight! That's right, no weight. Then you tie the hook
- preferably a "Light Wire" worm hook - only allowing
about a 1’ leader for the leader line. The reason for no weight
and a light wire hook is to allow as much buoyancy as possible.
This rig is designed mostly for styles of worms specifically sold
as "Floating Worms", but if you have any other types of
buoyant soft plastic baits, they will also work on a Floating Rig
too.
Now, let’s say that you were to fish around "rip
rap" - man-made rocky areas built around dams, levees etc.
In rocks, you probably would NOT use a Texas Rig unless you put
the lightest weight possible on it to try to keep it from getting
wedged in the rocks. Nor would you use a Carolina Rig because the
heavier weight (1/2 oz. to 1.oz.) would most likely get hung up
in rocks as well. So, the rig that makes the most sense would be
the "Floating Rig." This rig will allow a slow
presentation over the rock areas and the bass that may be around
the rocks will come up after it. Also, this kind of rig is used
better around branches, lily pads, thick surface vegetation and
such.
Now, let’s say that we are working a bank that has a
"downward" slope from about 3’ depth to a 20’ depth
for instance. The most sensible rig to use on slopes would be the
Carolina Rig because the heavier weight will stay in better
contact with the bottom contour. The deeper you work it down the
bank, the more line you can give it off your reel. So, you can
get a better "bottom presentation" here with a Carolina
Rig. A Texas Rig can be tried here too, but you often find that
the deeper you go down a slope with a Texas Rig, the more it will
lift up away from the bottom, which is not the best thing for
intercepting bass, most of which may be right on the bottom.
Now, let’s say that you were going to work some open water
pockets amidst a field of bulrushes. To accurately cast into the
open pockets, a Texas Rig is the most preferred of the three rigs
because the weight allows you to make more accurate casts to hit
the pockets. A Floating Rig can also be tried for this type of
area, but it is much harder to cast very precisely with such an
unweighted rig.
In thick sloppy grass and vegetation areas, all three rigs can
work, but the Carolina Rig has produced some quality bass for me
in areas like this - more than the other two rigs. Don’t worry
about getting weeds on the Carolina Rig! Just give it a try, keep
cleaning the weeds off of the rig, keep casting into these thick
areas and "Hold On!"
These rigs can be used anywhere and just about under any
circumstances. Remember this: most bass tournaments ever fished
have paid out more money to anglers fishing these rigs than any
other types of artificial baits ever used! So if you’re not
using all three of these rigs, just give them a try! I promise,
the results can be devastating! If you have any questions
regarding this article please feel free to email me at the
address below.
Until next time, Take Care & God Bless!
"The Bass Coach".... Roger Lee Brown
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