The Carolina rig is one of the most effective  bass fishing techniques on the planet. Two top 2008 Bassmaster Elite Series pros - Peter T and Kenyon Hill - consider it a mainstay in their arsenal on the tour. Between them they have banked over $1,000,000 using the technique.

And, the great thing about Carolina rigging is that you don't need to be an expert to use it effectively. It's easy to make and even easier to use.

The basic rigging is as follows: Thread a sinker and a bead to the main line running off your reel. Then, tie a swivel to the line. The bead should be between the sinker and the swivel.

Tie a leader to the other ring of the swivel and a hook to the far end. Attach your favorite soft plastic lure. Toss it out over your favorite structure or near your favorite cover and you'll should be good to go.

As a young shore Bass angler the Carolina rig put many Bass in my 'bucket well'. And I still use it today whether on shore or on the boat. It is simple tactics all packed into one basic rig. All we do with it is rig our weights and hook sizes according to conditions and baits used.

The Carolina rig is made up of 3 components, the main line, weight and a fluorocarbon leader. The main line is threaded through an egg sinker then through a bead and tied to a swivel. The bead ensures the swivel and weight doesn't bind for smooth flowing line; not to mention noise which can be tuned with many different ideas to get the fish's attention. The fluorocarbon is then tied to the swivel with the hook completing the rig. When a Bass takes the bait it shouldn't feel resistance because of the line traveling through the weight as opposed to a stationary weight. This works especially well with fussy Bass. A full-bellied Bass can't resist an easy meal, but if that easy meal comes with restrictions, they will let it go quickly.

There are several different ways to rig a Carolina-rig for different situations. For deep, rocky areas my favorite rig consists of a 1/2 oz. - 1 oz. egg sinker, a glass bead, swivel, and a 3-4 foot leader followed by the hook. The reason I prefer the egg sinker is because of its round fat shape it doesn't wedge in between the rocks as much as a bullet sinker will. This will save many rigs from being lost, and will save valuable time by not retying all the time. I have also experimented with the walking type sinkers normally used for drifting or trolling for walleyes. The stand up design is virtually snag resistant, but whenever possible I still prefer the egg singer. The shorter leader I have found produces more strikes for me, especially from smallmouth, which like to suspend about 4 feet off the bottom. If I'm targeting largemouth that are very active I will increase the leader to 6 or 7 feet. The lure tends to have more action with a longer leader to entice strikes from these active largemouth.

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