There will be a very limited number of fans and pickers for this package. 12-15 total So don’t dally when making your plans!

Join Larry Keel Natural Bridge and friends for three days of instruction, small concerts, incredible food and camping. You’ll be hanging out at the Elk River Inn, Cabins & Restaurant located in the high peaks of West Virginia. Elk River has plenty of things to do when you’re not learning a new lick. Fly and spin fishing for trout, hiking and mountain bike trail right out the door. Or just relaxing with a cold beverage near the campfire.

You may arrive on Thursday for dinner and settle in to your tent. All meals from Thursday evening through Sunday breakfast are included in this very special weekend. Also guitar, mandolin, banjo and bass guitar instruction will be the highlight. Evening picking sessions on Thursday, Friday will build up to a very special concert Saturday evening to cap things off.

Arrive Thursday 4-7pm Check in Dinner will be family style starting at 6pm. Meet and greet with Larry, the band, special guests and fellow campers.

Friday morning coffee begins at 7:30 Breakfast is available from 8-10am

Free time 9am – 12:30pm to fish one of our local rivers such as the Williams, Elk, or one of the dozens of native brook fisheries. If you’re not an angler this is great time to hike, bike or just relax.

Lunch 12:30 – 1:30
Workshop / Jam 1:30 – 4:00
Free time 4 – 6pm
Dinner 7pm
After dinner jam and socializing

Saturday Breakfast is the same time.

Learn to fly cast with Elk River’s Orvis Endorsed guides 10:30 – ? or free time to explore local rivers and or kick back on one of the many Elk River outdoor porches.

Lunch 12:30 – 1:30
Workshop / Jam 1:30 – 4:00
Free time 4 – 6pm
Dinner 7pm
Evening Concert Larry Keel, Natural Bridge and friends 9pm – ?

Sunday breakfast 8 -10am
Farewell and goodbyes

Cost – 349.95 3 night p.p. plus tax 299.95 2 night p.p. plus tax.

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For almost one year now, Charlie and I have been fighting this, first through criminal court and now through civil court.  We have fought it not because that is our favorite trout fishery in the state, but because if we had just rolled over and accepted the injunction a very dangerous legal precedent would have been set, kicking-off a “land grab” along other colonial-era rivers, as land owners pursued this civil tactic of putting the burden on the angler to disprove a claim of King’s Grant in order to privatize “their” stretch of river.  I personally couldn’t sleep at night knowing this was the legacy I left the angling community in my state.

So, now that this case is about the broader rights of the Virginia angling community, and the rights of your children and grand children to use our rivers and enjoy the sport each of you has enjoyed, I personally need your help in seeing this fight through to a favorable ruling.  Please go to our site at www.virginiariversdefensefund.org and do three things:

1)  Send your extended fishing, hunting and paddling community the link to our cause,
2)  Write, call or email the VA Attorney General, asking him to protect the property of the state and join our case as a third party defendant before the July 25th hearing (to compel the state to join)
3)  Donate what you can to our defense fund (link on site).  While we’ve built an impressive team of volunteers, who are spending hundreds of hours a week mobilize the angling community, the legal fees of our lawyers need to be paid and they are beyond what Charlie and I can do personally.

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NEW ORLEANS — Kevin VanDam’s closest competition expressed hopes that he’d slip up on the final day of the 2011 Bassmaster Classic.

Instead, VanDam stepped up.

PHOTO GALLERY

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Leading by more than 3 ½ pounds going into the last day, VanDam caught 28 pounds Sunday, his biggest limit of the world championship, and collected a record-tying fourth Bassmaster Classic title in dominating fashion. His three-day total weighed 69 pounds, 11 ounces, the heaviest ever taken to the scale in a Classic with a five-fish daily limit.

“I don’t compete to break records or for how other people may view me,” said VanDam, who won $500,000 to push his career earnings past $5 million, also a Bassmaster record. “I love competition. I compete to win.”

VanDam tied legendary pro Rick Clunn for most Classic titles and also matched Clunn as the only angler to win the Classic in consecutive years.

“He’s obviously the best there is right now,” Clunn said. “He’s in that wonderful place you hope to reach when you start this. Kevin isn’t going to beat himself. He’s found that space where only a few have been, and he’s not even close to the last chapter of what he’s writing.”

 

James Overstreet

VanDam set another unofficial record for efficiency. VanDam’s records came during a tournament that was shortened by fog delays on all three competition days. Instead of 24 cumulative hours of fishing time, VanDam had about 19 ½ hours.

“The guy’s an amazing athlete,” 2003 Classic champion Mike Iaconelli said. “He’s the best angler in the world.”

Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., also broke Luke Clausen’s Classic weight record of 56-2 from the 2006 championship on Florida’s Lake Toho. But Martens’ 59-0 left him more than 10 pounds behind VanDam, not enough to prevent him from finishing second for the fourth time in a Bassmaster Classic or playing Classic bridesmaid to VanDam for the second time.

“This is the easiest second place I’ve ever had, and I’m not just saying that,” Martens said. “If it would’ve been closer, it might be different. But there’s no stress, no remorse.”

VanDam and Martens fished within earshot of each other throughout the Classic, plying the waters of an area known locally as Tank Pond, a popular spot for recreational and local tournament anglers on Lake Cataouatche. It’s a stump-infested backwater on the west side of the lake.

 

James Overstreet

Decades ago it was a freshwater lake that fell on hard times after tropical storm systems pushed brackish water into the area, killing its thick stands of cypress and tupelo trees. The stumps remain, and freshwater diverted into the area from the David Pond diversion on the Mississippi River, in conjunction with Florida bass stocking by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, has breathed new life into the area’s bass fishing.

This week’s warm temperatures and full moon made it a highway for largemouth bass as they began a transition into spawning mode.

Over the first two days of the 41st annual Classic, the competition appeared to be shaping up as a battle between Lake Cataouatche and the Venice area. But Cataouatche won by knockout Sunday. It produced four limits over 25 pounds on the tournament’s final day.

The spot’s productivity amazed even the best bass anglers in the world. Third-place finisher Derek Remitz of Grant, Ala., also fished there, hauling in a 26-5 limit on Day Three for a total of 56-8 that made him the first to surpass the Classic weight record.

Federation Nation champion Brandon Palaniuk fished near Tank Pond, too, finishing fourth with 55-7.

“We hit it a special week of the year,” Martens said. “Today was probably the one of the best days of the year fishing on the Delta.”

No one figured out the area like VanDam. He made a transition from a spinnerbait to a crankbait on Day Two, a move he credited for his victory. He found stumps by fan casting the crankbait and then repeatedly targeted them for numerous bites.

Brent Chapman of Lake Quivira, Kan., who went into Day Three trailing VanDam by about 3 ½ pounds, rounded out the top five with 54-8. Chapman was the only angler in the top five from the Venice area, which didn’t produce like many anglers predicted.

 

James Overstreet

Fog played a huge part in that, with delays allowing anglers who made the four-hour round-trip run less than an hour to fish on Day Two. And when Chapman finally had a chance to work it over when Sunday’s start was delayed only 30 minutes, cold water from the Mississippi River flooded into his small pond and dropped the water temperature by almost 10 degrees.

“I knew the Mississippi River would be cold this time of year,” VanDam said. “I made the decision to stay away from Venice because I figured there was no way you could fish there three days without fog.”

VanDam, 43, has been peerless in his domination of professional bass fishing over the past decade. Since winning his first Classic here on the Louisiana Delta in 2001, the angler from Kalamazoo, Mich., has notched 13 of his 20 career victories, eclipsing the previous mark of 19 B.A.S.S. victories held by Roland Martin.

VanDam has Classic victories at Pittsburgh in 2005 and Alabama’s Lay Lake last year. He already held the Bassmaster record for career earnings and added to that total today to surpass $5 million.

“VanDam seems to be quite a bit better than the rest of us,” Martens said. “Sometimes I wish he wasn’t here, but I like him too much. But I think a lot of us would do a lot better if he wasn’t around.”

Editor’s note: The 2011 Classic was historic. Keep checking Bassmaster.com for more coverage of the record-setting event all week. Watch the 2011 Bassmaster Classic on Saturday at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN2. Complete Classic TV schedule

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Elite Series pro Ish Monroe relies on his electronics to give him a competitive edge.

Finding fish is the name of the game, but to find what you’re looking for, you gotta know what you’re looking at. Fortunately for anglers, modern electronics have simplified and even amplified the elements of location and examination. Nowadays, fish that completely avoid detection are considered truly gifted. That’s because anglers are becoming increasingly skilled at leveraging new technological advancements to shift the big game of hide-and-seek in their favor.

One of the best at this routine is Bassmaster Elite Series pro Ish Monroe. Hailing from Hughson, Calif., Monroe rigs his Ranger boat with Lowrance sonar/GPS units — an HDS-8 at the console, HDS-10 on the bow. Both include Lowrance’s new StructureScan™ — an add-on module that networks via high-speed Ethernet with up to three onboard Lowrance HDS units. StructureScan combines the company’s SideScan and DownScan technologies along with conventional 2D sonar imaging for incredibly detailed views that provide invaluable insight into the subsurface scenario.

Pairing this with a Navionics Platinum Chip provides the one-two punch that helps dial in the specifics needed to bag competitive stringers. Monroe offers three examples of his electronics strategies:

Specific Structure:

In a lake such as Table Rock, where anglers find standing timber and brushpiles, determining the difference is critical when the fish prefer one to the other. That’s where Monroe wants to place his Texas rigged Zoom Baby Brush Hog or Berkley finesse worm.

“A standard sonar display shows you a big blob, but Lowrance StructureScan shows me the difference between standing timber and brushpiles,” he said. “I can cast to the right cover and eliminate a lot of water where the fish are not.”

What Lies Beneath:

Where docks abound — lakes Norman and Murray, for example — bass could be anywhere. In reality though, only a fraction of the structures will be worth one’s time. Monroe prescreens a lake’s docks before committing any tournament time.

“Structure scan helps me find docks that have some other type of cover,” he said, “like a chair or a tire. I focus on docks that have something other than pilings, or floating docks that have something under them.

“There are thousands of docks on lakes like Norman and Murray. If you fish as you normally do, you’ll waste a whole lot of time. In practice, I just ride around and look at docks, then mark the ones that have some type of additional structure. That’s the great thing about StructureScan — I’ve actually identified a chair and then caught a fish off that chair.

Once he finds a dock with accessories, a Daiwa square-bill crankbait and a 3/8- or 1/4-ounce flipping jig are his baits of choice.

Bridging the Gap:

Perennial fish magnets, bridges represent a feast-or-famine scenario; the outcome of which depends upon an angler’s ability to determine where the fish are sitting. Drop shotting bridges with a Berkley finesse worm — Monroe’s favorite tactic — requires precise presentations.

“StructureScan allows me to see in between the pilings, and if there is a cross member, I can see under that cross member,” he said. “Bridge pilings can be anywhere from a foot to 100 feet deep, and on the deeper bridges there can be multiple cross members. With the StructureScan, I can see if the fish are under the cross member, over the structure or off to the side.”

Essential to each strategy is determining what lake factors make a particular area productive. For Monroe, the Navionics view provides a road map to the best neighborhoods.

“The fish may be on brushpiles near creek channels, and the Navionics chip shows you where those creek channels are,” he said. “If you’re looking for deep points, it shows you that. Anyone can pull up to a main lake point because it’s obvious, but many times you’ll come down an even bank and it doesn’t look like it has a point, but there may be a small (submerged) point.

“The Navionics chip shows you everything you need to know about under the water. No one can tell you where the fish are, but that chip gives me a starting spot.”

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New River Smallies and the Pointer 95 Silent
by Darl Black

“Man, smallmouth in this particular stretch of the river have been hitting jerkbaits with reckless abandon the last few days. River flow and color are unchanged. I not sure what has them turned off today,” pondered Britt Stoudemire, noted New River smallmouth bass guide.

For over 45 minutes, Britt had been feverishly switching between a Lucky Craft Pointer 100 and Slender Pointer 97 while I sat ready with my camera. Dale Black, the third angler in our drift raft, rotated through jerkbaits of several other brands.

Britt had invited me down to experience the pre-spawn smallmouth bite on the New River near his New River Outdoor Company headquarters at Pembroke, Virginia. I could feel his anxiety build when what he expected would be a reliable bite was not materializing as hoped.

“Maybe the slight weather change has impacted them more than I expected,” Britt thought out loud as he reached for a different color in the Pointer 100. But I beat him to it, handing him a Lucky Craft from small utility box that I had brought along.

“I’ve got a new Lucky Craft model you might want to try. It’s the Pointer 95 Silent – no rattles, no weight transfer. It’s a completely silent suspending jerkbait for those finicky bass that may be turned off by sound. I’ve already caught ice-out largemouth with it. Let’s see what it does on river smallmouth,” I explained.

Britt took the bait, wrapped it tightly in his hand to keep the hooks from dancing, held it to his ear and shook it. “You’re right! Not a rattle to be heard. It’s worth a try.”

Within the next half-dozen casts, Britt had the first New River smallie of the trip hooked on the Pointer Silent. The brown bass performed an aerial somersault before coming to the net.

As the morning continued, the Silent was the only suspending jerkbait that enticed smallies into attacking. Unfortunately, I had only one of the new baits with me, so we took turns catching fish with it.

Britt noted: “This new bait casts well, achieving almost the same distance as a Pointer 100…except distance is reduced when casting into the wind – as would be expected without the weight transfer system.”

We assumed the slight pressure slowed the jerkbait bite, and the bass that were still feeding became more selected in what they were willing to strike.

“Apparently any rattling noise from a suspending bait became a negative clue,” said Britt. “As a guide who needs to have his customers catch smallies under any condition, this new Lucky Craft Pointer 95 Silent is one I don’t want to be without for those really tough-bite spring days.”

Britt Stoudemire may be reached at www.newriveroutdoorco.com.

Darl Black can be found at:
http://www.SmallmouthQuest.com
http://darlblack.blogspot.com

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Sample Friday agenda: Up early for some top-water action on Goose lake, feast on a large brunch at the shack, head up to the barn for music workshop, more fishing, supper at the shack: Fannie’s Friday night fried chicken and biscuits, informal jam session at the barn, and then, best get some sleep ’cause Saturday is a big day. We’ve got a couple things up our sleeves for Saturday’s activities, but we’re not telling just yet. More details to be announced soon…..

The Bass and Grass weekend wraps up after breakfast on Sunday, October 31st.

RATES: $550 for lodging at the shack or dogtrot. $350 for lodging at the barn.
Reserve your spot early, this opportunity is LIMITED to a few lucky participants!!

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The farmers probably considered their ponds as water for livestock or irrigation, and a water source in case of fire, but I saw them as potential fishing spots. When my trip was over, I contacted the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission for a list of ponds in my area. Gaining access and learning to effectively fish farm ponds is the most profitable thing I’ve done to increase my fishing enjoyment. Farm ponds are largemouth bass factories, and many offer chances to catch a trophy-size bass since fishing pressure may be light or even nonexistent.

Each pond has its own characteristics, ranging from an acre or two to 100 acres or more. Some are like wash basins, nearly devoid of features that anglers seek as fish-holding structure, while others have many underwater features. Ponds generally are scooped from fertile farmland by a bulldozer or are created by damming a small creek to fill a natural depression. In both instances, run-off from surrounding croplands periodically stains the pond, and its level can vary drastically during periods of heavy rain or drought.

Ponds usually contain a mixture of fish species. Typically, they’re initially stocked with largemouth bass, bluegills, and channel catfish. Other species—carp, bullheads, shiners, crappies, and sunfish—may be introduced into the pond by floods or by additional stockings. Visitors may dump fish remaining in a minnow bucket after a day’s fishing, or an owner wishing to catch other species may import them from a reservoir.

Pond fishing offers several advantages. It’s one of the few remaining places where an angler can enjoy solitude while fishing, because most farm ponds receive little fishing pressure. A pond provides the opportunity to take the family and introduce kids to fishing in a relaxed atmosphere. It’s an excellent place for children to cut their fishing teeth on bluegills and catfish. Plus, ponds may provide the best largemouth bass fishing in your area.

Largemouth bass thrive in ponds that have clear to moderately stained water during most of the year and a moderate amount of aquatic vegetation. Features like creek channels, points, flooded trees, stumps, weedbeds, weedy or brushy shorelines, overhanging willows, and cattails, attract and hold bass.

Because farm ponds and other small bodies of water warm rapidly in spring, bass fishing begins earlier than on lakes and reservoirs. Small bays or channels on the north side of the pond attract largemouths as water temperatures rise in spring. Bass nose into shallow areas to warm themselves and to feed on small fish searching for insects and zooplankton.

In early spring, bass metabolism is still slow; they won’t chase a small fish far or expend much energy to catch a lure. Choose spots carefully. Look for weedy areas near a drop-off, as bass use the deeper breaks as travel lanes to move from one shallow spot to another.

Anglers new to pond fishing often locate spots bass are using, but fail to catch many fish because they don’t work the area thoroughly. Also, early in the season, largemouths venture into water less than a foot deep, so they must be approached cautiously to minimize shadows and splashes. I recommend starting shallow and working slowly and methodically away from shore, covering every foot of potentially productive water.

In summer, largemouths eat almost anything they can catch—worms, leeches, frogs, crawdads, tadpoles, salamanders, grasshoppers, flying insects, and even mice, snakes, and the occasional bird. But in early spring, try to imitate small slower-moving baitfish bass rely on at this time.

When bass are in shallow water, select small lures that can be fished ultraslow. Though vegetation hasn’t had much time for new growth this early in the year, a few fish may be found along last year’s weedlines. Spinning equipment is fine for most pond fishing, especially in spring.

Four- to six-inch plastic worms, tubebaits, or curlytail grubs that display seductive action when retrieved slowly along the edge of weeds are good bets. Cast parallel to the bank and swim the lure slowly for a foot or two, then let it drop, rest, and then inch along the bottom. Experiment with movements to see what entices bass best.

Floating minnow plugs like 2-inch or 23⁄4-inch floating Rapalas produce well because it’s possible to perfectly control lure action. By raising, lowering, or shaking the rod tip; starting or stopping the retrieve; or varying lure speed, the floating lure can pop, slide, shimmy, dart, dive, swim, or sit motionless. It can dance in and out of small pockets in the weeds and float past partially submerged logs. Not even a bass still groggy from a long cold winter can resist these provocative moves.

Bait fishermen will find that a lightly-hooked nightcrawler or crappie minnow fished below a quarter-size bobber will attract bass feeding in the shallows. Crappie-size plastic and feather jigs also tempt large bass at this time

If a small creek enters the pond, bass sometimes patrol the edge, feeding on prey that washes in. Tiny tube jigs bounced slowly along the bottom with the current are effective. Hooking a nightcrawler through the collar 8 inches below a small split shot then letting the current carry it into the lake may also tempt a strike.

Along the bank of most ponds, a shelf of shallow water drops off into deeper water. The degree of drop and the depth of the water may be slight in shallow ponds or pronounced in 20-foot-deep ponds. In spring, bass often are found along the edge of the shelf or drop-off, where they’re susceptible to slow-moving spinners or small jigs. Mepps Black Fury spinners in 1/6- or 1/8-ounce sizes work well, along with plastic-tailed 1/16- or 1/8-ounce Blakemore Road Runners.

Largemouth bass build nests in shallow water, and males aggressively defend them. Try tossing plastic worms, tubes, jigs, straight-line spinners, or small spinnerbaits around the beds to badger a bass into striking. A wacky-style floating worm is another early-season favorite.

In ponds that are more open, try crankbaits, such as 1/4-ounce Model A Bombers or Bagley Balsa B’s, that dive and wobble along bottom.

Summer Tactics

As summer approaches, anglers must adjust their schedules to fish when bass are most active. When the pond was cool, bass spent the daylight hours in warm shallow water, but now that the water’s warm, they feed in the shallows only when the sun isn’t beating down. The first hours of daylight and the last hour before sunset are prime times. Baitfish, frogs, insects, and other critters that bass consume move into the shallows during low-light periods, and hungry bass take advantage of the buffet.

Pond vegetation grows rapidly in summer, and bass use it for shade, for ambush sites, and for resting. During extremely hot weather, oxygen produced by the weedbed creates a more comfortable environment for fish than deeper areas with little or no weedgrowth and low oxygen levels.

When bass hold in thick weeds, use a jig-n-pig or Texas-rigged worm to probe holes in the vegetation. Set the hook quickly and work a bass into open water away from the weeds, to prevent it from heading for the tangled jungle of leaves and stems. Crawl the worm ultraslowly as you work it through the weeds, but when it reaches an open area, speed it up to make it shoot for the surface like a small snake. Also try retrieving it parallel to the edge of weedlines where bass cruise, looking for prey.

Diving crankbaits are overlooked for fishing the edge of submerged weedbeds. Cast to the edge and crank the lure down, moving it parallel to the edge so it remains in the potential strike area as long as possible on each cast. On windy days, shallow divers or rattlebaits retrieved fast over weedbeds draw powerful strikes

When choosing lure colors for pond bass, consider water color and available prey. In murky ponds, parrot, firetiger, and combinations with chartreuse catch a fish’s eye. Rattling models are worth a try, too. In clear water, bluegill and shiner patterns work well, and crawdad colors can be best if the pond has a natural population of craws.

Night fishing is the key to explosive action during summer. While some bass retreat to deeper water when it gets dark, many cruise the shallows and continue to feed on sunfish and minnows that are less wary after dark. Work spinnerbaits through open pockets in vegetation or through the branches of fallen trees.

Topwater baits like the venerable Hula Popper and Jitterbug make a ruckus as they slowly waddle across the surface. Dark-colored lures are favored because as a fish looks upward toward the surface, the sky provides a lighter background, silhouetting objects on the surface.

The country at night is incredibly quiet and dark. You can hear a frog rippling the surface and the tiniest mouse move along the bank. A feeding bass will make your heart skip, particularly if it’s feeding on your Jitterbug. Because ponds are so quiet at night, lures that land on the surface of the water attract the attention of fish nearby, including hungry largemouth bass.

Cast a prop bait or chugger into the shallows and let it sit until the splash rings have dissipated. Then let it sit some more. If a bass hasn’t taken it by then, twitch it a few times. If nothing happens, pop the lure across the surface, flicking the rod tip and making the lure dart forward a few inches, making an audible pop or gurgle that sends bubbles flying.

Then let it sit again. Continue the popping and splashing along the shoreline. Cast into deeper water and repeat the retrieve. It won’t be long before a bass attacks.

With a Jitterbug, start wiggling it a few times to create a surface wake. If that doesn’t produce a strike, try retrieving it rapidly for a yard or so, making it “jitter” across the surface. The idea is to get the bass’s attention. Make the bass want the lure, then increase retrieve speed so the bass thinks escape is eminent. Be ready for a heart-stopping hit.

Another deadly nighttime lure is a 9- to 10-inch floating plastic worm with the hook embedded Texas-style, but with no weight. This lure resembles a baby snake swimming across the water in the darkness, an irresistible trigger, at times. Think snake as you retrieve the worm, and make it swim as seductively as possible, parallel and over logs or other cover. When a bass grabs it, wait to feel the fish’s weight, then set the hook hard and hang on. Buzzbaits are effective at night if retrieved fast enough to make the blades sputter loudly, creating a trail of bubbles in the water.

Find and get permission to fish forgotten farm ponds and you’ll wish you’d tried it 20 years ago. The farm pond owner may ask you to release all bass, or he may want a couple for a meal. If you’re after a trophy for the wall, get permission to kill one in advance, or release it and order a replica. Obtain permission to fish a number of nearby farm ponds to avoid overfishing one particular pond. After a few seasons, you’ll find activity trends that will help you choose the best one for tomorrow.

*Tom Keith, is a freelance writer from Bennett, Nebraska.

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What goes into your Carolina rig can be the difference between success and failure. Simply knowing how to make a rig isn’t going to put fish in the boat.

Elite Series pro Clark Reehm is a technician. He prides himself on the scrutiny he puts all of his equipment through. If you spend any time with him in a boat, you’ll hear this refrain several times:

“There are only so many things that you have control over during the course of a day on the water, so you need to control all the elements that you can to increase your chances of success. A lot of it has to do with your equipment,” he says. “There are several ways to optimize your set to get the best hookup-to-landing ratio possible.”

Reehm placed second to Todd Faircloth in the 2008 Elite Series event on Lake Amistad by dragging a Carolina rig. It wasn’t just any rig, though. He’s gone through many rod/reel/line/weight combinations and has since found a keeper. Here we’ll detail every part of his setup.

Rod and reel

Rod selection may be more critical for Carolina rigging than any other technique. There is a lot going on in a Carolina rig rod. You need a rod that can bomb a rig a long way, one that can discern a rock from a fish in 40 feet of water and, lastly, your rod needs to be able to drive a hook through the jaws of a big bass that might be 40 yards away.

“I like a rod to be longer — 7 or 7 1/2 feet — because you need to be able to move a lot of line on the hook set,” Reehm says. “Your rod needs backbone, first and foremost. This will drive the hook home. Secondly, you need some tip to it. This will let the rod work for you on the cast as well as when you’re feeling out the bottom.”

Reehm’s preferred rod is a Dobyns Champion model 764, a 7-foot, 6-inch, four-power rod. It has the right qualities to work a rig deep, shallow, near and far without sacrificing anything on the cast.

The reel you choose for Carolina rigging is equally as important. Carolina rigs are usually thrown a long way and find themselves in deep water. For these reasons, you need a reel that takes up a lot of line quickly to ensure you get a good hook set.

Line and leader

Pivotal to a rig’s success are the line and leader. These are your connections to the bait and, ultimately, the fish. Like the other categories, there are plenty of options available.

“Of the three kinds of line, I don’t use monofilament, you just don’t feel as many bites,” he says. “Plus, it’s the stretchiest and most prone to fraying of the three. A lot of folks use braid, but I don’t. You’re going to feel a lot of stuff on the bottom that may feel like bites when they’re actually not. You’ll end up setting the hook on a lot of branches and rocks. The other thing about braid is that, since it doesn’t have any stretch, you’ll bust your leader if you have a decent hook set.”

For these reasons, Reehm uses fluorocarbon line. It’s a good compromise. He uses it for 90 percent of his fishing.

He uses one of two setups. The first is 15-pound-test Seaguar AbrazX when there is little or no cover on the bottom, 20-pound-test AbrazX if there is a normal amount, and 25-pound test if there is nothing but nasty stuff on the bottom or big fish in the area.

As for leader length, a 2 1/2- to 3-foot leader is ideal for most scenarios. When the cover is heavier or the bottom rougher, a shorter leader may be better. Around grass and in clearer water he’ll use a 3-footer.

“With a longer leader, you’re sacrificing some hook setting power. That’s why you need a longer rod,” he says.

For material he uses Blue Label leader material from Seaguar. It’s pure leader-quality fluorocarbon, so is a little harder and stronger than your average fluorocarbon. His rule of thumb is to go one size down from his main line. For example, if he’s using 20-pound-test main line, he uses 15-pound-test leader.

Reehm advises that if you’re dead set on using braid for main line, use monofilament for a leader as it offers some shock absorption.

Check back soon for part 2 of this series on Carolina rigging, where Reehm covers hooks and sinkers and other extras that make the rig more productive.

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