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Best Carolina Rig Rod

​The carolina rig has existed in some form or another for decades, after all it is just a sliding weight and a swivel combined with a jig head and a soft plastic or other such lure.

Choosing the best carolina rig rod requires that you understand what kind of rod is required for weights you will be throwing and the type of cover or structure you will be fishing around.

A good all rounder rod for carolina rigs would be 7’3″ medium/heavy power rated rod with a fast action

The above is just a guide and if you are using heavy weights among thick weed then that power rating might need to be bumped up to a heavy rated rod and even up to 7’6″ in length.

The fast action will always be a requirement though.

• Length –  7′ at a minimum, a longer rod will good casting distance and also allow you to take up any slack line quickly when setting the hook​
• Power –  medium/heavy to heavy power rating depending on how heavy your rig is and what strain line you are using, for really heavy cover always opt for a heavy power rating

• ​Action –  a fast action is requires for quick hook sets of almost any single hook rig and increased feedback through the rod blank

​You’ll rarely see someone using a spinning setup for heavier type rigs although if you are taking a more finesse style approach then they can work out just fine.

You’ll want a rod that is rated for between 15 and 20 lbs, this applies to fluorocarbon if you are using braid then you can use double the strength as a rough guide.

​Best ​Carolina Rig Rods

​​1. Dobyns Rods Fury Series

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​​2. Abu Garcia Veritas

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​3. St Croix Avid X 

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​4. ​Dobyns Champion Series

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​5. ​Lew’s ​ Speed Stick Series

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​Carolina Rig Rod

The majority of carolina rig rods will be rated for weights in the​ 3/8 to one ounce range and there is good reason to use these medium/heavy to heavy power rated rods as the types of locations you will generally fish a c-rig will normally require considerable backbone from the rod.

​Most carolina rig rods can double as pretty good spinnerbait rods or even a frogging rod if you have a heavy power rating.

Length 

​The best length rod for carolina rigs is going to be in and around 7’4″ which is a little longer than a lot of bass anglers would be used to unless of course they do a lot of work with a flipping rod around deep cover.

That extra length gives you two main advantages:

• Casting distance
• Line pick up 

A longer rods all else being equal will usually cast further than a shorter one. You have a mush bigger lever to work with so you can really load up the rod blank and get as much energy into it as possible.

When using a carolina rig you will be making some fairly decent casts especially if you are working you lure along deep drop offs.

With a lot of line out when you feel the bite you’ll need to take up any slack in the system as quickly as possible.

This is why you should also use a high gear ratio baitcaster, the quicker you can get your line tight once you feel a bite the better and more precise your hook set will be. 

​Power

Both rod power and action are often confused and some anglers really do not know the difference between the two.

Power rating describes how heavy a lure or line that the rod is best suited to casting with.

​Whereas rod action describes how far up the rod blank that the natural bend in the rod starts to form.

For the most part a carolina rig fishing pole should have a minimum power rating of medium/heavy if you are working across very thick cover then a heavy power rating might just be the order of the day.

You’ll have a lot of backbone in most heavy power rated rods and that backbone is required when casting heavy weighs long distances.

​Action

A mentioned above action describes where in a rod the bend will form when pressure is applied to it.

A moderate action will start to bend at the middle of the rod and is generally what is considered as a ‘slow’ action.

A faster action starts to bend much higher up in the top one third of the rod.

​So, what’s the best action for a carolina rig ?

A fast action is always preferred when using any single hook lures or rigs as they give you a quicker hook set and a lot more sensitivity and feedback through the line and into the rod.

Type

Most carolina rig rods will be baitcasting rods as they will need a medium/heavy power rating as a minimum and spinning setups are normally better when used on lighter line techniques.

You also get the added benefit of using a baitcaster reel which have a much bigger choice of high gear ratio’s.