TODAY'S TIP: Carolina Rigs for Pre-Spawn, Spawning Bass
by Larry Nixon, courtesy of The Fishing Wire by Berkley

If it hasn't already begun to happen where you live, then over the next few months the water in your favorite fishery will begin to warm up and all the bass will instinctively begin to think about reproducing.

They will begin to move into shallow-water staging areas, because shallow water warms more quickly than deep water, to forage after a long winter before moving up on to bedding areas.

Granted, these bass behaviors will be affected by the region of the country where you fish: Southern latitudes with warmer weather are already seeing bass in the spawn; Northern anglers won't see these behaviors until the May/June timeframe. This time of year is very popular with bass anglers because of the opportunities to catch big, hungry fish.

There are a lot of ways to do it, but one of the most effective ways to catching bass during this time of year, a way that is less affected by springtime's ever-changing weather, is using a Carolina rig.

A Carolina rig is a bass fishing basic. I try to keep my Carolina-rigging simple: I use basically the same line, rods reels and baits for most situations. I know it works well shallow or deep, ultra clear water or stained and I know it works all year long. A lot of people think of a Carolina rig as a post-spawn, summertime technique, but it can work during this time of year, too.

The rig works well because it keeps the bait on or near the bottom better than any method out there and it covers lots of ground. When bass are relating to the bottom they will eat a Carolina rig. When they aren't relating to the bottom of the lake, try something else. Because bass are moving shallow with the warming of the water, that means they are relating to the bottom. You can use a Carolina rig in staging areas during pre-spawn, by targeting transition areas near spawning flats. Once the fish have moved to the beds - whether spawning has started - the Carolina rig is a great alternative to sight fishing, especially when wind or cloud cover prevents you from seeing the fish on the bed.

How do you do it?

I thread a 3/4-ounce sinker on my main line, then a bead, and then a Trilene knot to tie on a swivel. Then I tie on a leader -- about 3-feet long -- and attach a hook designed for rigging. For my main line I use 10-pound Berkley FireLine and 20-pound Berkley Vanish for a leader. The main line needs to be tough and low stretch; the leader needs to be invisible to the fish. These lines do just that.
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