Carolina Rigging For Big Bass
By Ted Takasaki & Scott Richardson
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BASS pro, Pete Gluszek, likes to stay away from the maddening crowds. Let the others bang the banks. Gluszek prefers to be farther out using Carolina rigs to fish big bass in 5 to 20 feet deep or more.
"If I can find fish off-shore, then that's what I want to be doing," said Gluszek, 32, who is a two-time BASS Master's Classic qualifier and is competing in his fourth year. "The shorelines are harder hit, and the fish are pressured. Off-shore fish tend to replenish. Catch fish in a spot, and return later to find more. In addition, there's often bigger numbers in heavier, deeper cover."
Carolina rigging is the perfect tool for deep water where big fish lurk in the spring during the pre- and post-spawn periods and in summer. Using Carolina rigs and a sensitive 7-foot rod, Gluszek can cover lots of water by making long casts and dragging the rig slowly back to the boat. Or, he can let the wind drift him over deep points.
Another advantage - the sinker weight on his Carolina rig transmits tremendous details about the type of bottom he is fishing, whether hard or soft. That's very important once he patterns the fish. For example, if he caught big bass on a point that featured a rocky bottom, the heavy sinker helps him find addition spots that are similar quickly. Soft bottom? Move on. The sinker also aids in mapping cover in each area. He can detect rocks and stumps as the weight passes over.
Gluszek's basic Carolina rig consists of a barrel swivel, bead, a Lindy NO-SNAGG® slip sinker, mono leader and a hook. For a main line, he uses 12 to 20-pound Silver Thread. The clearer the water..he then uses lighter line and downsizes his leader by one-weight class. Leader length will vary from 2 feet to 7 feet. In clearer the water, he uses a longer leader. Shorter leader in dark water or heavy cover.
His bait is normally a lizard from Riverside Plastics to offer lots of movement to active fish or a finesse worm up to 5 inches long for finicky biters.
Gluszek depends upon NO-SNAGG® Sinkers from a half ounce to an ounce to avoid hang-ups that will often spook fish from cover or that wastes time while retying after break-offs. The brand, new Rattlin' NO-SNAGG® adds another critical dimension - sound. "There's no doubt that noise will draw bass in dark water," Gluszek said. "It's definitely a factor. The more off-color the water, the more important it becomes."
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