UNLOCKING THE OLD BALL AND CHAIN
“I think it looks like a big crayfish,”
says Pickett of a Carolina-rigged creature
bait. “And crayfish are a lot heartier
than shad.”
THE WHERE AND THE WHEN
If you haven’t gathered, the “where”
for this technique is anywhere, and the
“when” is anytime.
“I don’t care what lake I’m at or
what time of year,” says Pickett,
“there’s a Carolina rig bite somewhere.
Guaranteed.”
Pickett says he struggled mightily
for years fishing for smallmouth bass
up north until he finally ditched the
tube jigs and drop-shots for his trusty
Carolina rig, even on fisheries like St.
Clair or the Mississippi River.
And there’s not a single day of the
year Gleason doesn’t have one rigged
up on his deck, especially now that
he’s fishing the Pro Circuit.
“It’s not the sexiest technique,” says
Gleason, “but it sure will get you a lot
of checks.”
THE RIGHT SWING
As great as the Carolina rig is at
prompting bites, it can be just as great
at raising blood pressure if you don’t
use the right hookset.
“You can’t do the typical over-theshoulder
hookset with them,” explains
Gleason. “You do that, all you’ll be doing
is snatching the weight up off the bottom
and not ever moving the hook.”
Hooking up is more about performing
what Gleason calls a “reverse-golfswing
hookset.” Once you feel a bite,
sweep the rod to the side to pick up as
much line as possible while leaning into
the fish.
“You really want to hold that followthrough
like a camera is watching you,”
adds Gleason. “Then, it’s all about keeping
the line tight to keep the fish
pinned.” n
PHOTO BY SEAN OSTRUSZKA
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FLWFISHING.COM | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | JUNE-JULY 2020