Carolina Rig vs. Texas Rig Plastic Worms
The largemouth bass is hands down the most sought after game fish in the United States of America. There are some good reasons for this fish's rock star status.
They are very abundant. You can catch them in lakes, ponds, canals, swamps and rivers. They are basically everywhere.
They are also very fun to catch. A typical bass will jump out of the water or at the very least give a few violent head shakes trying to dislodge the hooks from its mouth.
They are also very good to eat. You can get some decent sized fillets off of a 5 pound bass for sure.
If you ask 10 different bass fishermen, "What is the best lure for catching big bass?" you will probably get at least 5 different answers.
BUT you will certainly hear plastic worms as an answer from 2 or 3 of them. Plastic worms work! It is as simple as that. Plastic worms catch huge bass regardless of what part of the country you live in. AND the two best ways to rig a plastic worm or any other plastic bass lure is either with a Texas Rig or a Carolina Rig.
I am a fishing guide on the Treasure Coast of Florida and have been fishing the ponds and canals around Florida for over 40 years. In this article, I will tell you everything that I can think of about catching bass with Carolina rigs and Texas rigs.
Watch the video below and catch more bass with Texas Rigged soft plastics.
The largemouth bass is hands down the most sought after game fish in the United States of America. There are some good reasons for this fish's rock star status.
They are very abundant. You can catch them in lakes, ponds, canals, swamps and rivers. They are basically everywhere.
They are also very fun to catch. A typical bass will jump out of the water or at the very least give a few violent head shakes trying to dislodge the hooks from its mouth.
They are also very good to eat. You can get some decent sized fillets off of a 5 pound bass for sure.
If you ask 10 different bass fishermen, "What is the best lure for catching big bass?" you will probably get at least 5 different answers.
BUT you will certainly hear plastic worms as an answer from 2 or 3 of them. Plastic worms work! It is as simple as that. Plastic worms catch huge bass regardless of what part of the country you live in. AND the two best ways to rig a plastic worm or any other plastic bass lure is either with a Texas Rig or a Carolina Rig.
I am a fishing guide on the Treasure Coast of Florida and have been fishing the ponds and canals around Florida for over 40 years. In this article, I will tell you everything that I can think of about catching bass with Carolina rigs and Texas rigs.
Watch the video below and catch more bass with Texas Rigged soft plastics.
Bass fishing with soft plastic lures:
There are a lot of different kinds of plastic bass lures to choose from. I use basically 4 different types when I am bass fishing. I like the plain old purple worm with a swim tail; a purple or pumpkin salamander; a purple or pumpkin crawdad; and a white fluke style of lure.
All of these lures catch bass but it is a good idea to have a selection if the bass are being finicky. I like to rig all of these baits one of two ways. It is either a Texas rig or a Carolina rig.
The Texas rig is a good one for fishing thick vegetation or lily pads. This is also the rig that I like for fishing nice sandy or rocky bottoms. If there is a lot of gunk on the bottom, then I will use a Carolina rig with a floating worm or salamander.
Sometimes when the bass hits your lure you won't feel it. When you see your line moving to one side or the other then you will know it is time to set the hook
The video below will talk in detail about the Carolina Rig vs. the Texas Rig
Texas rig for thick vegetation:
I like to use a Texas rigged weed less crawdad for fishing thick vegetation or lily pads when the bass are down deep. You will need to have a beefed up rod and reel for bass fishing in thick vegetation.
If you are using a spinning reel you will need a 4000 series reel loaded with 50 lb. braided line and a 7 or 8 ft. medium/heavy rod. Those big bass will get you all wrapped up in the aquatic plants and you just can't get them out without a stout rod, reel and line combination. The braided line is great because it actually acts like a knife cutting right through the weeds.
If you are using a bait casting bass rod and reel, then you will need a reel with 10 or 11 lbs with a 7:1 gear ratio. of drag to get a big swamp donkey out of the weeds. You will also want a heavy action rod that is 7 to 8 ft. long.
Use the crawdad like a jig and poke through the vegetation with a heavy bullet head weight. A lot of times the bass will be just on the underside of the floating mats of weed. You will get the hit right as the lure comes through the grass or right as it is coming back up from the bottom to the underside of the weed mat.
Use the same technique when fishing the lily pads. Get your crawdad in there and work it slowly near the bottom bumping into the lily pad stems. These vibrations will attract the bass that are in the area because predators are very curious creatures.
Watch the video below for the best time to go bass fishing in Florida.
Texas rig for sandy or gravel bottoms:
When there is a nice sandy or gravel bottom that you are fishing your Texas rig will usually stay pretty clean. If it is getting gunked up the bass probably won't hit it. The presentation has to be well done if the water is clear and clean. If it is murky and dirty it doesn't matter as much but it does matter.
If the bottom is nice and gunk free a cast parallel to the shoreline is a winner. The bass like to hide 3 feet or so from the shoreline to pin minnow and small bluegills or whatever bait fish are in the pond against the bank.
This usually means that you will have to be in the water so make a few casts where you are going to stand from way up on the bank first. Bass can see outside of the water very well.
I wrote some more articles on this website that cover in detail how to catch bass during the different seasons of the year. You can read those articles by clicking on the links below.
Winter Bass Fishing
Spring Bass Fishing
Summer Bass Fishing
Fall Bass Fishing
I like to stand back from the water 20 feet or so and make a few casts before I go to the water's edge. Nothing is more frustrating that walking to the water's edge and seeing a 5 pound bass spook from its ambush point right where you are standing.
Once you get to your spot work the worm, salamander, crawdad or whatever very slowly on the bottom. Pause every 30 seconds or so and let it just sit on the bottom. Often you will get a hit right after the pause.
The video below explains how to choose the right rod and reel combo.
Carolina rig for gunky bottoms:
Most of the ponds and canals that I fish for bass are all gunked up. There is all kinds of algae and other scuz on the bottom. This forces me to use a floating worm or salamander with a Carolina rig. A 1/4 ounce bullet head style of weight is what I like.
You can get a long cast and slowly work it across the bottom without messing up your presentation. The floating worms and salamanders are full of salt which is why they float. A slow retrieve with intermittent pauses seems to work the best. The bass love to hit the lure right after the pause ends. You can try a faster or slower retrieve to see what you like the best but slow is usually better for bass.
If you have an 18 inch leader on your Carolina rig you will be directly in the bass' strike zone. Your worm will be floating maybe 8 or 10 inches above the detritus on the bottom as long as you don't use too heavy of a hook.
Worm fishing is a patient fisherman's game. It is not uncommon to take 3 or 4 minutes to retrieve your lure after a decent cast. Slow and steady wins the worm bass fishing race.
Best gear for bass fishing:
If you are going to be fishing for bass all day you will definitely need to protect your eyes and skin from the sun's harmful rays. Polarized sunglasses are a must for bass fishing. A high end pair of sunglasses will run about $250 and a lower end pair will run you about $25 with glass lenses. You can find them with plastic lenses for about $5 at Walmart.
Whatever price range you decide to go with you must wear polarized sunglasses or you can not sight fish for bass around the grass mats and lily pads. The polarized lenses eliminate the glare on the surface of the water so that you can see under the surface.
The best color lenses for inshore and dirtier water scenarios are amber, rose and copper. If you are fishing super clean and clear water or you are fishing offshore a blue or a gray lens is best.
You will also want to stock up on UV performance fishing shirts to protect your skin from the sun's harmful rays. These shirts have built in sunscreen and are moisture wicking which means they evaporate your perspiration more efficiently keeping you cool on those hot days on the water.
Best bass lakes in Florida:
There are a lot of good bass lakes all over Florida. The reason why bass are such a popular game fish is because they live in just about every lake, canal, pond, river, ditch or any place else where there is freshwater and something for them to eat.
The list below is for those bass fishermen that want to catch a trophy bass in lakes that consistently produce trophy catches. The list of best bass lakes in Florida starts in the southern part of the state with Lake Okeechobee and ends near Tallahassee with Lake Talquin.
- Lake Okeechobee
- Lake Kissimmee
- Lake Monroe
- Lake Harris
- Stick Marsh
- Lake Istokpoga
- Lake Toho
- Lake Tarpon
- Lake George
- Crescent Lake
- Rodman Reservior
- Lake Talquin
Conclusion:
Many bass fishermen disagree with me but in my opinion, soft plastics rigged with a Carolina or Texas rig are the best bass catchers that exist. They just work and they work everywhere. It might be a worm, salamander, crawdad or a frog but that set up catches fish.
If I were going on a bass fishing trip somewhere and I was only allowed to use one type of lure. I would bring a bunch of floating purple worms, weedless hooks and bullet sinkers to set up my rigs.
If the fish are in the upper part of the water column, I could fish just the worm with no weights.
If the fish were in the middle part of the water column, I could add a small weight and vertical jig the worm or swim the worm.
If the fish are on the bottom, I could set up the Carolina or Texas rigs and fish the bottom.
It is amazing just how versatile some plastic worms and some bullet weights can be if you know how to use them.
I hope that this article helps you catch more bass.