There are only a few “sure things” in this rat race we call life. You live and then you die. In the meantime, the government is going to get in your pocketbook and there will always be bleeding-heart liberals there to defend their generous policies.

But so much for bland topics and bureaucratic scuttlebutt. Let’s talk about the Carolina-rigged lizard. That’s a sure thing, too. Especially when it comes to catching largemouth bass out of Texas lakes.

Although it originated back in the early 1970s in South Carolina, the Carolina-rig over the last 20 years or so has made quite a name for itself in the Lone Star state as well. That’s because bass anglers of all calibers have learned that it will catch fish on a number of reservoirs during any season of the year, often when all the conventional methods fail.

It began getting popular here on Texas lakes back in the mid-1980s and it seems to be getting more and more popular every year. That’s because more and more people are getting beat by it and they’re finding out they’d better learn how to fish it if they want to compete.

I’ve seen it work many times when a Texas-rig failed. The Carolina-rig is a deadly technique to use during the spring of the year before and during the spawn, but it also can be real effective during the post spawn and on up into the summer and winter months.

As is the case with any other bass fishing technique, there are certain conditions that are more conducive to Carolina-rig fishing than others.

For example, during the spring, savvy Carolina-riggers take a lot of fish off points and/or shorelines where the cover is relatively sparse. Matted vegetation or extremely dense brush, on the other hand, do not provide good conditions for Carolina-rigging.

The Carolina-rig really shines in situations where you’ve got sparse cover or a clean bottom. It’s real effective on lakes like Fork, Sam Rayburn, Conroe, Toledo Bend, Richland Chambers and Ray Roberts, where you’ve got a lot of humps and ridges along with some scattered vegetation out in the middle of the coves. It works real well when fishing the shorelines, too. But it can also be productive in open-water situations, no matter whether you’re fishing in two feet of water or 35 feet.

So, what exactly is it about the Carolina-rig that makes it so deadly on largemouth bass? That’s strictly a matter of opinion, but most anglers will tell you alot of it has to do with the way the rig is put together.

The mechanics of the Carolina-rig promote much more sensitivity than the conventional Texas-rig worm. This makes it easier for the angler to “keep in touch” with his bait and ultimately detect more strikes.

The Carolina-rig also is more efficient than the Texas-rig in that it allows the angler to cover more water in less time. That reason coupled with the fact it catches bass consistently is why most of today’s top-seated pros rarely venture onto tournament waters without having one tied on.

There is still plenty of room for fishing the Texas-rig, but there are certain types of water where the Carolina-rig will be more efficient. And we happen to have a lot of that water on our East Texas lakes right now.

Another mechanical plus stems from the fact that bass usually feel no resistance when they bite the Carolina rig. This causes the fish to hold onto the bait much longer than with a Texas-rig, thus resulting in a high percentage of hook-ups.

For some reason you almost never miss a fish on a Carolina-rig, especially a big fish. By the time you actually feel the fish, he’s already inhaled the bait real good. With the Texas-rig, though, you sometimes feel the bite instantly and a lot of times may set the hook a little sooner than you need to.

The basic ingredients of the Carolina-rig are a 3/4 or 1-ounce slip sinker, a #7 barrel swivel, two glass beads and a 3/0 hook. A hot combination on many East Texas lakes right now is a pumpkinseed/chartreuse Zoom lizard paired with a 2/0 or 3/0 hook.

To build the rig, place the slip sinker on the main line and follow it up with the beads. Tie the main line to one end of the swivel. Next, peel off approximately 24-30 inches of line off a spare spool, tie it to the open end of the swivel and attach the hook to the opposite end of the leader line.

As expected, there are several variations fishermen have incorporated into Carolina-rig fishing. For example, I like to use two brass “clickers” and a brass bead instead of two glass beads. Two clickers and a single bead create much more noise than two two beads when they slam together, thus attracting more strikes.

How to Tie a Carolina Rig Fishing Line —powered by eHow.com

Another modification revolves around the length and size of the leader line. Many anglers feel a 24-inch leader is the best choice, although there may be certain instances when a longer leader, say three or four feet, will produce more strikes.

The diameter and color of the leader line can also make a big difference in the number of strikes you’ll get. Whenever possible I like to use a 20-pound main line and a 20-pound leader line. But in extremely clear water, I might drop down to a 17-pound main line and a 14 or 10-pound leader. In either case, I always use a moss green leader, because it’s totally invisible beneath the surface. There are no guarantees in bass fishing – never have been and probably never will be. But if you want to increase your odds of catching more fish, the Carolina-rig will do it for sure.