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Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on October 9, 2012 at 4:25pm

Good read with nice detail David...Thanks for sharing!

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on October 9, 2012 at 3:08pm

Thanks for the response, John.

"How deep this Bass hit?" It was in about 12 feet of water.

"Ever try split shotting the old BPS floating worm?" No, I never have. I worked this rig out for short biting bluegill, mostly. I always find them interested in soft plastic, but they just nip at such baits and never get a real hold of them. So, I wanted to help them along with that by adding the stinger....

I also had a whole bag of these worms, courtesy of Dick Tabbert!

"One of my top three biggest Bass  took it from shore in October awhile back."

Good job! We had a cold front come through this day and the fish were scattered all over. I was Carolina rigging as a way to

a. Try out my new stinger set up

b. Cover a lot of water. from shore.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on October 9, 2012 at 3:01pm

A Small LMB caught on my homespun “stinger rig,” fished Carolina style

The bait is a 4” Airetail, finesse-style worm. It is intended for panfish, but like all such lures, LMB are a distinct possibility. The worm is hooked weed less, in the normal fashion, with a surprise for short nipping fish.... a tail stinger!

The Airetail may be unfamiliar to some of you. These worms were originally sold under the Got-cha brand name. I got mine from Dick Tabbert, who ‘bequeathed’ them to me when he left serious bass fishing. The Airetail is just like any other plastic worm on the front end. But, the tail is hollow which gives it that unique  name. They come in 4”, 6”, and 8” sizes and I’ve found the best source is on ebay. This also happens to be directly from the current maker.

To make the stinger in the tail, I run a sewing needle through the body at the point where the main hook re-enters. I string this needle with a 6-10lb test tether line and push it straight on out the hollow tail cavity. The tail itself has an opening at the rear end and once the needle exits the tail, I tie on a small, (#8 or #6) LIGHT WIRE hook. Finally, I draw the new “stinger hook” BACK into the tail from the front. There I tie the tether to the bend of the main hook itself. Only a the point of the stinger hook is exposed.

Finally – and here’s where the magic starts - I press one or two small styrofoam beads into the open end of the tail. This helps hold the hook in place, so the point rides away from the lure; it also plugs the tail and turns it into an air cell. This is important, because with the tail plugged the worm floats tail up. This helps keep the stinger out of any snags.

As I mentioned, I used the worm Carolina fashion on this catch. The Carolina Rig is simple; it is the worm tied to a swivel via an 18” leader. Above the swivel, add a small glass bead and egg sinker before tying on the main line. That’s it.

To fish it, cast out the rig and let it sink straight to the bottom. Then, take in the slack and pretty much drag the sinker along the bottom for a few feet. This brings the worm with it, naturally, and allows the bait to swim freely. And since my stinger worm is hollow in the tail, it floats ass up and stays out of most snags.

Here’s the sequence I use:

-          Once on the bottom, drag the sinker for a few feet.

-          Then, stop and snap twitch the rod tip a few times. The glass bead will “clack” against the sinker, adding a sonic element at this point. Meanwhile, the worm nose dives and tail lifts with each tweak of the rod.

-          Repeat this process until you get a hook up or the rig gets back.

Carolina rigging is best used over clear bottoms, as you might expect. They make an excellent search rig when covering a lot of water around flats and submerged structure. This fish was caught off a boat ramp... an ideal for a Carolina rig.

You can also rig your stinger worms either Slider or Texas style. This is what I do when around woody structure and weedy areas. Again, the head stays down while the tail wiggles and waggles around above it. It looks just like some prey creature, innocently feeding on the bottom… and it represents just the sort of easy meal predators are after.

Comment by John Sheehan on October 9, 2012 at 2:24pm

Thanks for the Carolina rig post .How deep this Bass hit ? Ever try split shotting the old  BPS floating worm ?One of my top three biggest Bass  took it from shore in October awhile back.