Freshwater Fishing Basics

Another great technique is the Carolina Rig. Although a little more technical than the Texas Rig it is still a relatively simple technique. To create a Carolina Rig, place an egg sinker or a Carolina Rig weight on your line. Like with the Texas Rig the weight should slide freely. Next tie a swivel to the line under the weight. Once this is complete tie a 12 – 24 inch leader of lighter line to the bottom eye of the swivel. (The length of your leader will be dependant on the area you are fishing) After this is done you attach your worm hook to the end of the leader. Generally, I will use a smaller hook when fishing a Carolina Rig, most often a 2/0 Daiichi Fat Gap worm hook. Casting this rig is a little more challenging than with a Texas Rig because of the long leader but, with a little practice it becomes second nature. The Carolina Rig is a very good method of covering a lot of water. Most often I will use the Carolina Rig when fishing main lake points or flats. Cast the worm to your desired target and let it fall to the bottom. Reel up the slack line and begin your retrieve by making short hops with the weight. You should be able to feel the resistance created by the weight as you hop it off the bottom. After each hop, let the weight sit for a few seconds to enable the worm to fall back towards the bottom. Each time your weight comes in contact with the bottom slowly reel up any slack in the line.
The way in which this rig is designed allows the worms to have a more lifelike presentation because there is virtually no resistance on the bait as it falls. Given the fact that it is weightless the worm will fall at a much slower rate than your weight will. When setting the hook while using a Carolina Rig, reel up any slack and make a sideways sweeping motion with the rod. I have found that this technique has a greater hooking ration than simply setting the hook by jerking the rod tip straight upward.

The Florida Rig is almost identical to the Texas Rig. The only difference is the weight on the Florida Rig does not slide freely on the line. Instead the weight has a small peg with a spring looking devise attached to it. This spring is used to screw into the head of the plastic worm and it will lock everything together. Although I am personally not a big fan of this technique, there are several anglers that are and it is up to each individual to determine their favorite methods.

As far as the Drop Shot Rig is concerned I feel that this is a more advanced technique which is more difficult to properly learn. Due to this belief I will write a more in depth description at a later date that will deal exclusively with fishing the Drop Shot.

Now that you have learned the basics of the plastic worm it’s time to go out and give it a cast. Like with all techniques these will require you to get comfortable and gain confidence in your ability to consistently catch fish on a plastic worm. It just doesn’t happen all at once so stick with it and you won’t be disappointed.

To read more about Jeremiah, I invite you to check out the biography of this amazing man!

Copyright? 2002, Jeremiah T. Bagwell All Rights Reserved

© 2005 – 2007, Scott Gaines. All rights reserved.