Smallies and Carolina Rigging

[Diago]

Has anyone had any sucess with deepwater smallies and carolina rigging? If so what bait and how long a leader etc. Any other deepwater fall techniques for smallies?

Thanks,

Jim

[Yaeger Guide]

Jim,

Although I haven't fished for smallies deep much, I have had success with the drop shot rig. The key is to get the bait (I usually use a tube or a soft jerk) in the zone of the fish. Twitch it a bit and slowly move it on. It works real well if you can graph them directly under your boat.

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God bless,
Judd Yaeger
Yaeger Guides (Twin Cities Guides) www.totalbusinessware.com/guide.html

[Guest]

Jim,
Carolina rigging for smallies can be very effective, especially this time of year. If you can find bass on deep water humps or on points, you can catch them on a rig. I almost always use about a 16 to 24 inch leader. I haven't really found a need for anything longer or shorter. As for baits, just about any soft plastic will do. I like Baby Brush Hogs for crayfish imitations, Zoom Centipedes for baitfish imitations, or Millennium Lures Lizards for lizard imitations. Any of these will work great for smallmouth. Good luck!

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Adam Johnson
www.adamjohnsonfishing.com

[Banger]

Carolina rigging smallmouths is my favorite way to catch them. The rig works both deep and shallow. I usaully use a lizard when rigging smallies. If the bite is tough I will sometimes switch to a tube or a centipede. The new terminator super plastics are awsome! Since the introduction of these awsome baits I have been able to shorten the leader on my rig considerably because of the way they float up in the water, alowing me to hook up on more bites. Not to mention how many fish a person can catch on one single bait. Smallies get a little slow in deep water, but stick with it and you will likely catch a good one.

Good Fishing!