Carolina Rig Bass Fishing Article

Yum Zellamander

Zell RowlandAn obvious important variable is the bait, according to the veteran Texas bass pro, who considers a Carolina rig the ultimate tool for finding bass on structure because it is effective in any depth. Not surprisingly, Rowland does most of his Carolina-rigging with a YUM Zellamander, a bait that he designed.

Rowland has always considered a lizard lure the best overall shape for a Carolina-rig bait. The Zellamander begins with a basic lizard shape, but curled legs and twin curled tails add a tremendous amount of vibration when the bait comes through the water. The outward-curled tails also enlarge the bait’s profile, which Rowland considers important for appealing to larger bass.

YUM Lizard ZellamanderAnother important variable for Rowland is leader length. During the summer, he typically likes a fairly long leader of 3 or 4 feet to give the Zellamander a broader range of motion and get it a little off the bottom. He’ll experiment during a day, however, having found that changing the leader length by a foot can make all the difference some days.

Rowland also watches his graph to see how close the bass are to the bottom to help him determine leader length, and he always considers what kind of cover is along the bottom. A short leader is best for brush because it’s less likely to get tangled, but a long leader is sometimes needed to keep a bait swimming atop the vegetation.

One thing Rowland rarely varies is his retrieve. He works a Carolina rig with slow, steady sweeps of the rod. "Even very slow movement creates that vibration," he said. "The fish come to it, and they see that lizard profile, which is something they cannot resist. Carolina rigging a Zellamander is a technique that anybody can use, even on unfamiliar lakes, and catch fish."

Another factor that sets top Carolina riggers apart is the ability to figure out the best presentation angle. Bass choose ambush positions on slopes based on various factors, including current, wind, sun, slopes and cover. Fishermen need to pay attention to the direction the bait is moving any time a fish strikes and watch for patterns.

In addition, most structures have features atop them – breaks, rockpiles, stumps, etc. – that concentrate fish in localized areas. Finding those spots requires a combination of paying careful attention to where every strike occurs and investing some time searching with electronics.

While any fisherman who spends a day dragging a Carolina-rigged Zellamander down points and across humps is likely to catch some bass, those anglers who refine the pattern will put far more fish in the boat.

This article is provided by Lurenet.com and is used with permission. jB0405.