I fish plastics about 90% of the time. I have only used the Carolina Rig a few times with little success. Here lately at my local lake you here about how carolina rigging a lizard is wearing them out.

What conditions would help you decide which rig to use?

The C-rig is much easier to use fishing structure

as opposed to cover. The perfect example is a rocky

point.

Another situation where the C-rig shines is in

bottom grass. A T-rig will bury itself, whereas

the bait on a Carolina rig can float above the

trash.

Remember this point: To raise the bait, move

the sinker with a horizontal sweep. This causes

the bait to rise. If you move the sinker with a

vertical lift, the sinker is raised, but the bait

just moves forward, not up. The most common

presentation is simply dragging the bait by slow

reeling, especially when fishing lizards.

8-)

I usually Texas rig, but thats only because the waters I fish tend to have pretty thick cover (i.e. pads, grass, etc.).

Not to highjack your post, but when you guysfish a C-Rig do you bury the point of the hook in the plastic like a T-Rig?  Reason I ask is because the lake I usually fish is FILLED with dead trees and branches...

Yes!

8-)

   Sweeet...

Not to highjack your post, but when you guysfish a C-Rig do you bury the point of the hook in the plastic like a T-Rig? Reason I ask is because the lake I usually fish is FILLED with dead trees and branches...

Depending on the density a c-rig might not be the best presentation. Don't know your situation at all, but many times a c-rig won't allow you to drop that lure down deep in the branches around the root bases. Fishing vertical will allow you to put that lure down deep where it might need to be. JMO.

Jack

I too, appologize for the hi-jack

I tend to throw Carolina rigs around deep structure thats below the weedline in 20+ of water. Same places I'd toss a football jig and often I alternate between the two.

For many years I used to use the Texas rig exclusively because at the time it was the only rig I knew. Once I learned other rigs I stuck with the Texas because it produced and I was comfortable with it. Mind you that I essentially fished only one lake for close to 30 years.

When I bought a boat to use at my local lake I found that the Texas rig didn't produce very well and I eventually went to the Carolina rig. Now I fish the Carolina about 90 percent of the time because it produces in that lake and its where I fish 90 percent of the time.

The former lake where I used the Texas rig was generally shallow lake (mostly 5-10 ft with the deepest spot 30 ft) that had numerous weed beds and weed choked coves.

The lake I've been fishing recently was drained and completely dredged 12 years ago, so has little structure and not much in the way of weeds. It is also deeper averaging about 15 with the deepest section about 50 ft deep).

Now that I have a boat and a trailer I will be sampling a variety of lakes and it will be interesting to see the difference.

I tend to throw Carolina rigs around deep structure thats below the weedline in 20+ of water. Same places I'd toss a football jig and often I alternate between the two.

x2 and I will fish a C-rig when the bite is tough like middle of the day in the middle of the summer or early in the year when a cold front pushes through.

Good Stuff.  Thanks for all the replies.

i fish a c-rig alot. i think that most anytime you  are not specifically fishing HEAVY cover, the c-rig is the way to go. i have many times fished it shallow through stumps and wood and also through sparse or isolated lilly pads. theres just so much versatility to the c-rig that i enjoy using it the most.  i use a t-rig when pitching to heavy wood or grass. its more suited to that.

now thats not to say that a big 10inch worm t-rigged on a midlake hump wont work.... it certainly does!!  but in general... id go with the c-rig personally.