Carolina Rig Tips

[ARCHER]

Thanks again everyone,

I have just started fishing crigs recently (last 2 years), and my performance has been dreadful, to say the least. This information has helped me alot.

Many of you state that maintaining the bow in the line is critical. I presume you will actually see most of your strikes this way. Thats one thing I'm doing wrong, I guess. I've been tring to stay a little tight so as to feel the strikes.

I've been running about a 14lb mono leader, Maybe I'll lighten up a bit, for sensitivity sake.

I generally fish lizards with this rig, but I struggle with making the right bait changes for the conditions at hand, when lizards don't produce. This year I'll try some smaller baits, and go more subtle, senko, creature baits etc. Are tubes effective on a crig?

[LAURASDAD]

A guide turned me onto a Carolina Keeper.   You avoid using a swivel and 3 knots.  It is basically a round piece of hard plastic you thread on your line.  When you squeeze it with pliers, it opens enough to slide it up/down your line.  You put your weight above the keeper.

It allows for real easy changing of leader lengths.  If you fish in heavy cover/structure, use 2.  Bass pro has them.

http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=23166&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults

this is the link for the product on bass pro's web site.

good luck

Larry

[dachtor]

Something that happened 3 times today.......I broke 20 pound braid above the weight. I would feel..... tap, tap, weight......... set the hook.....only to see slack line and no more lure. Each time I was pretty sure there was a fish on the other end.

Any idea why this is happening? Is it actually a fish taking the lure and heading for structure but when I set the hook the line rubs up against a rock and breaks? I couldn't figure it out.

Should I try a different type of line (other than braid), a different brand of line or should I go up in lbs to a 30, 40, etc.? Also, anyone use high vis line like Fireline so that they can visually detect strikes easier?

PS - great posts, I've learned a lot already. I think I'm setting the hook too hard vs. a sweeping motion.

[Landinlunkers]

Hey fellow bassers,

I'm new here.  Great post!  Lots of useful info.  Just want to share a tip that I picked up a few years ago that works well for me.  My number one choice for the c-rig is a frch fry.  The thing that I do differently is that I rig the bait on it's side....hooked through the fatter side of the bait.  When it's rigged that way, it displaces more water allowing it to float better.

[Guest ouachitabassangler]

Hooksetting is different between C-rig and drop-shot. With a C-rig a low side sweep is better so as not having to lift the sinker first. You want as little angle in the main line & leader as possible so as to deliver most of the snap into the hook instead of sharing power to lift the sinker. A drop shot is much more sensitive, requiring an upward slow pull on hookset, often best mostly just reeling it in, using thinner wire, smaller hook that doesn't need a lot of power to drive a hook home.

Jim

[hipster_dufus]

ok after the cast how do u work the c-rig?

[redboat]

Great posts, lotsa information about crigs - thanks!

Interesting story about crigs - I attended one of Bass Pro's bass schools Feb before last.  In one session the pro (Shaw Grigsby?) asked everyone to raise their hand if they'd ever fished a crig.  Almost everyone's hand went up - about 200 people in the room.

He then asked, "Ok, how many of you have actually caught anything using a crig?"  I counted the hands - 20 out of 200.

[Hula Popper]

Yeah, thanks. The information has helped a ton. I'll try it next time I fish.

[V BOTTEM]

thats GOOD info thanks

[tbird]

One important thing I have found that has helped me tremendously with my crig is using flourocarbon line. It will give you the extra feel you need and has helped me with more hookups. Pline is my favorite flourocarbon it seems to be much more limp and manageable than Vanish or some of the others and at a reaonable price.

[ice0329]

I dont like it but I do use it and when I do I usually catch fish.  I use a long rod normally the one I throw my spinnerbaits with it has 30 pound spider wire on it.  I put a glass bead then about a 3/4 oz egg sinker then a bigger glass bead then a swivel on the other side of the swivel I go with 10 or 14 pound low-vis green mono with a 2/0 lightwire hook on which goes a lizard.  I have probly 20 differnt colors bit reach for 3 or 4 differnt colors. pump/chart, pump/fire, mossy something, and cotton candy both are kinda dark were the pumpkins are lighter.  I dont try to brain storm thing with this type of fishing because I have caught my biggest c-rig fish were I didnt think there was fish or I was off the line. The big ones didnt get big by doing what everyone else does.  Basically throw that thing as far as you can and bump everything you can and feel for that bite and with the spider wire your gonna feel it.  G/L

[Guest ouachitabassangler]

I can't imagine not C-rigging when bass are slow or not feeding and on or very near bottom. I began with lead sinkers, but the quartz in our rocks and grit here causes the hole edges to get jagged tears that weaken and slice line, so I moved to steel egg sinkers about 10 years ago. They remain smooth edged, but require special care to prevent rusting. Steel really telegraphs bottom up the line, tungsten just like it. Now I have some tungsten and bismuth sinkers that I like better than steel and lead, but they cost $3 and up, and I'm careful about where I fish those. Brass seems a little to light for its size compare to those. The tungsten works like steel but is much smaller in size ounce for ounce.

I use mostly 30# braid for a main line tied to a 20# Vanish leader. If the hook snags I want that sinker back. The long casting distances allow mono to stretch too much and it doesn't telegraph vibrations well enough compare to the other lines. With so much line out any stretch requires several extra feet of rod swing to set a hook. Leader length is simply depth of cover plus 6-18" so the lure will work above the cover. If that takes more than 3 feet I go to a drop shot rig and fish vertically in deep water, at an angle in shallow water. Casting a rig any longer than 3 feet long is quite a task, rod not laying far enough back for a power cast.

Rod is a BB Brothers MH 7'6" or a heavy power rod, same length, with fast tip perfect for lobbing a heavy rig. I lay the rod back behind me and start a swing of it back to me, then when it begins swinging away I give the rod a heave with both hands. Getting that back swing right prevents the rig from tumbling end over end in flight. It'll sail farther than any lure except maybe a heavy spoon.  Any whipping action in the rod tip can ruin the rod, snap it, and cost distance, while the same action is needed for light lures.

My go-to bait is a large tube with styrofoam tubing stuffed inside to make it float. Feeding the rig some slack line lets it rise, then I hand stitch the line to make it go back down, ofteh yo-yoing it in place. That works if on a hard bottom, but not when the sinker is in mud. Occasionally I'll put a piece of Alka Seltzer in the tube. Bubbles stream out the nose around the hook shank. Lizards, brush hogs, anything like those work, especially 3X floating baits. when using a floating hard minnow bait like a shallow running Rapala minnow I wrap some solder around the tail hook shank to make it float level. When I move the rig to me I might travel it a foot, maybe 3 feet, but tend to leave it out there 10 minutes between casts if I know bass are present, but speed it up to a foot every 5 seconds as a search bait. I run thhose two speeds for all baits used on a C-rig.

Hook setting is hard on glass beads so I stopped using them, often shattering when striking metal. I use a newer black composite bead now, then a colored plastic bead past that one. I use high quality barrel swivels, the very part I consider often the weakest link for most C-riggers. I use a size way larger than most, but they never break.

My favorite target is any creek channel bend that traps brush washed down lake. I want it to crawl along the ledge of the channel, as close to brush piles as I can get it, at whatever depth sonar puts fish. Second choice is fishing it down the middle of a small channel. I'll work it around the base or a particular elevation of a deep hump or ridge holding bass at that depth, which can be 40 feet down in winter here, and down to 20-30 feet in summer before a thermocline sets up to create a death zone below it.

Jim

[jbass]

I'm new here so I thought I'd jump right into the fray. I love fishing with carolina rigs. Spring, summer, fall, winter anytime of the year. I use a 3/4 to 1 oz. egg sinker with a glass bead and a larger plastic bead to protect the knot on the swivel. 15 lb Stren High impact for the reel line and 12 lb florocarbon as the 2 1/2 foot to 3 foot leader. I use anything from 4" tubes to brush hogs. I fish points, drop offs and pretty much anything that will hold fish and any where from 2 feet of water to 30 feet. It is a great way to pick up fish. On thing I don't do is try to make the bait hop. I just drag it really slowly the way a crawfish may move on the bottom, but on occasion I'll give it a good yank, like the bait is trying to escape and largemouth and smallmouth alike will kill it. It works for me and I hope you may give my methods a try.

[VaBass80]

Another tip when c-rigging depending on which plastic you use I do think hook selection is pretty important.  Like ppl use real large hooks like 4/0 or 5/0 when c-rigging a worm, I've had better success since changing to a lighter wire hook for thin worms, I feel it gives better action.  I try to use the smallest hook i can get away with, seems the bait has better action.  

Someone asked in a previous post how to work the c-rig, best way is to cast out, then make a sweeping motion with the rod then reeling up the slack and repeat.  I like to change up the speed, sweep fast then sweep real slow and so on.

[tuxdaddy]

One question for the c-riggers here....

How many beads do you used for your rig, just 1 or 2??

Tux

[Guest ouachitabassangler]

One bead is needed to protect the swivel knot from the sinker. It's REALLY needed using tungsten sinkers, as they can cut a knot the first time hit. I use a plastic bead because I've have a few glass beads shatter and cut the line, I think anyway. One egg sinker had a piece of glass inside once which certainly could have cut the line, so I decided not to risk that happening again.

I've had bass bite sinkers so usually I don't want noise from a sinker slapping a bead anyway, but sometimes in low visibility water a little noise helps bass find the bait. I don't worry about that using a Rapala Original minnow as those make their own noises from hooks slapping the sides.

But sometimes a worm needs a little help calling bass over. In that case I use brass beads, but they are hard to find with a hole large enough to cover a knot. I finally found a bag of them at a craft/hobby supply store, about $2 for 100 beads. That'll last me a long time even stacking several beads on the main line so beads slap beads as well as sinker.

In my opinion you need a sinker other than lead for any significant noise. Or maybe my hearing is worse than my wife says it is, not hearing hardly anything with any bead except glass against lead. Against tungsten there's no doubt fish will hear it. There's no rule saying you can't use a string of beads. But the more noise you make that way, the more likely a bass will go after the beads instead of the worm. Have a good reason for making a riot in the mud!

Jim

[Rebbasser]

Might as well throw in my $.02.  I use a 7' Falcon Low Rider Carolina Lizard Dragger rod and a BPS Extreme reel.  For line I use 50 lb PowerPro with a 17 lb Flourocarbon leader.  I use one of 2 weights:  Either 2 Tungsten sinkers-no bead needed  since the tungsten click together just fine, or in rocky terrain a Lindy Rattlin' No-Snag sinker.  It's bananna shaped and won't han up in the rocks.  Baits-I've used just about every soft plastic there is.  For the most part I do not like the 3X baits because they get so sticky, but a 3X fry or fluke works great.

[tuxdaddy]

One other thing....

Are you all shaking your rigs to make the "clicks", or just letting it bump and slide along to make it the sounds??

I've been working it both ways and it seems that my shaking attracted more pick ups...

What's your input on this??

[VAbacklash]

I'm new to this site and it has to be the best I've found! Been fishing the C Rig for a long time with good results. It has produced some quality sized largemouths for me for the last ten years or so. I use 17 lbs. test Stren on a 5500C reel with a 14 lbs. test leader about 36 inches long. I use a 3.0 Owner hook at one end and a bass snap on the other. As for weight, I make up my own rig using 3/4 ounce brass weight, glass beads and stainless plastic coated cable. It's similar to a rig sold by Wally World, but I think better. They last forever. As for plastics, I tend to stick to lizzards, craws and 4 inch. French Fry. My rod is about as sensitive as a broomstick. In C Rig fishing, I kinda feel that the rod is just something to hold the reel. I've never been much of a finesse type fisherman.

I would like to hear from anyone that has tried using any type of crankbaits with a C Rig. I'm thinking about buying a few small floating Rapalas and trying them. Before I start throwing $4.00 baits I would like to know if anyone has had any sucess with it.

Great fishing to all !!

[Guest ouachitabassangler]

I really like using hard minnow baits like those on a C-rig. In the kitchen sink anchor it by the nose  under water. Notice the tail end hangs up unnaturally. Adjust it so it stays horizontal like a fish usually rests, using SuspenDots or Strips on the tail end. Fish it at or slightly above depth of bass. Use a swivel on the leader set to prevent the minnow from swimming too low to the bottom. When you reel it in one step you want the bait diving no deepe than vegettion or wood on bottom.  You can let any floating crankbait out to float all the way to the surface. I've even fished topwater baits on a C-rig, making them dive almost to the bottom. Some have very interesting wide wobbles you don't see in diving baits. It's a sight probably no bass you are after has seen. I have one clear topwater bait with two halves screwed together, hollow inside. Sometimes I use that one where it's safe (only have one left). if available I'll fill it with tadpoles or tiny minnows,  swimming inside it or maybe crickets, an extra attraction for bass. I'll tease it on the surface, then draw it back towarsd the sinker on bottom, drag it a ways, stop it so they can see the thing really good. After suspending it a moment I might jerk it back down, or let it float back up slowly. I really wish I could find more of those, brand and model forgotten.

Jim

[briansoupy]

i actually prefer rattle chambers over the beads but im sure they both work

[fireandice]

Buoyancy??

I can't see how a Senko will float up on a c-rig, when it sinks if I fish it weightless t-rigged.  Have any of you ever checked to see just where the different types/brands of soft plastics float at?  I'm guessing that a lot of these soft plastics are probably sinking to the bottom with a 3/0 or 4/0 hook in them.  Maybe that's why we have such poor luck with this rig most of the time.  I've personally never caught anything on one, but I'm probably retrieving too fast among other things.  Also my partner I'm used to fishing with, likes to run the trolling motor all the time and never stop or slow down much.  Makes c-rigging more like trolling along the bottom most of the time. :

[scott000]

so i know monofilamint gets weak and thats what i tie my rigs with. what should i do? get a new type of line?

[fishbear]

I have one question.   Has anyone used the C rig floats that BPS sells????  It is a bullet shaped float that you slide on your line above your hook.  It is supposed to help float your bait above grass, etc....   I was just wondering if anyone had tried them or if they are a novelty that is not worth the effort.

[Ky_Lake_Dude]

If you want to catch bigger fish but not as many use something like a 6 inch lizard or 10 inch worm.If you want to catch more but smaller fish use something lie a 4 inch worm or something.