My goal for 2008 is to learn how to fish plastics.

I have tried and so far the only bite I feel is when the bass just hits it. Is it normally a tick, tap, slack line or what?

I am saying most common in your experience.

Sometimes a tap, sometimes a tick, sometimes a wham that jerks the rod out of your hands.  Sometimes nothing at all.  You lift the rod tip and feel heaviness.

Most of the time I feel the fish or watch the line move.

My rule of thumb is...Anything that feels different is a bite.  I fished by feeling for the bite for a long time.  Then I learned to watch my line and I consistently catch more fish.  It also helps me to cup the reel in the palm of my hand and pinch the line with my thumb and forefinger in front of the reel.  I feel like I am more in touch with the bait this way.

I generally fish plastics on semi-slack line and watch the line closely. My most common experience is the gentle tap or bump along with a slight jerking motion on the line. If the line moves without any input from me, I set the hook. This kind of line movement helps me to distinguish between a bite and just feeling the bait passing over a rock or twig on the bottom.  

Ronnie

Generally the bite is a tick-tick. Unlike fishing a jig, bass tend to hold on to a soft plastic a little longer. When you feel a bite, lower your rod tip while reeling down quickly. Set the hook with a "snap set" and maintain tension on the line as you bring in the fish.

8-)

Watch the line if you are fishing a slow or natural retrieve. If they are wanting it this way it means they are picking the bait up and carrying it off to eat it. If they want it fast they are willing to chase it and many times they will hit hard. If they are chasing, tapping and letting go I will kill the retrieve and let the bait die to the bottom. Then I begin to watch the line for him coming back. Once I feel confident he has the bait in his mouth I lay the wood to him.....

Sometimes you will feel pressure and no tick.

I always find when fishing a lizard the bite is more of smack.  

I have a term called the vacuum bite, where essentially the bass inhales the lure and it is just sitting in it mouth. It seems like the bigger fish do this especially with jig. The line just goes limp. Maybe it is just me.

Several years ago I was at a seminar and Woo Daves was a speaker. After the introductions Woo said that before he was finished someone would ask how you could tell if you were getting bit.

He said it was very simple. Ninety ninie percent of the time you are not gettin a bite. Study how that feels and as soon as it feels different set the hook.

On a c-rig bite, most of mine just feel kind of mushy. I suspect the big barrel weight absorbs and deflects most of the shock of the actual bite. The weight is knocking around on the bottom and if a fish hits coming at you, you'll just feel a pressure when you try to sweep the next time. If he hits going away, you'll notice your line moving first, most likely. Braided line can help but until you learn whats what, braid could hurt you too. I use braid on a c-rig (with a fluorcarbon leader) because it transmits so well and you can get rock solid hooksets at a good distance.

On a texas rig, I like to keep a tight line and I feel more of a hard "shock" thru my rod most times. A good sensitive rod will give you those hard hits, like someone tapped the tip of your rod with a rock. You will definitely know when that happens. Set the hook.

When pitchin' a jig, I'm more of a line watcher. Just as the jig hits the water I strip off an arms length or so of line because I want the jig to fall straight down where it lands. With all the slack it is crucial that I watch my line. Once the jig hits the bottom and I start to work it back, I watch my line as well as keep it tight and feel thru the rod.

Casting a jig, I'm a line watcher and I keep a tight line at all times.

Anything you feel that is not of your doings or if something doesn't feel quite right, set the hook. Not all bass will bite the same.    

For me I usually work a T-rig through pads. That hit is usually a SLAM, definately feeling something wiggle at the end of the line. Occasionally its a change in weight feeling on the end of the line.

My C-rigging is usually slowly dragging over gravel flats and tend to be more a feel of weight on the end of the line, occasionally feel the fish turn and run.

Either way its an obvious feel and half the time the fish catches itself.

Worm/jig bite

Ok let's see if we can shed some light on the subject of feeling a worm or jig bite; many people say the two are totally different but I believe they are very similar.

Worm/jig: with these baits the bass will simply flare its gills causing a vacuum which moves water and your bait into their mouth. With this bite there is very little if any line movement thereby not much is transmitted to your rod tip.

The art of feeling a worm/jig bite is a fine combination of watching your line and feeling for unnatural sensations of what your bait shouldn't feel like. Some times you will feel that classic Tap, some times you'll only see line movement, some times your line will simply go slack, but some times there will only be a feeling of heaviness that is almost like your line will not move. The bites where the bass moves after inhaling you bait are the easy ones to feel because there is line movement, the bites where the bass simply inhales your bait and just sits there are the hardest to feel. Feeling a worm/jig bite requires keeping a certain amount of tension on your line while at the same time keeping a certain amount of slackness in your line. To the average angler this makes no sense at all but the worm/jig angler it makes total sense.

for me its usually a tap, or a tick-tick, with the ticks being softer than the taps. when i feel any kind of tick or tap on the end of the line WHEN IM NOT MOVING THE LINE then i will reel down and cross their eyes.

sometimes i dont feel any bite but i see my line cruising around so i reel down and cross their eyes.

Looks like it's simply going to take practice to learn the most difficult bass fishing method in my mind.

Will it help to use a heavy (3/8 or 1/2) ounce weight to pick up the hit?

Alright i know this is way off topic, but it connected with the C-rig and i don't really want to make a new thread for it...

(and i know there's a C-rig sticky thread, but it's very long and i'm not sure this will even be in there)

But... what is the difference between a ball bearing swivel with split rings vs a ball bearing swivel with solid rings?

And which one is recommended for the carolina rig?

Don't think of it as difficult.  It really isn't at all.  You just have to get a feel for it by putting in some time.  Within one season, you will have experienced many different ways a bite feels like.  The real obvious bites will be just as you think they would feel like.  The not-so-obvious bites will catch you by suprise.  But, just try and remember what it felt like when you tried to move the bait.  With plastics, you have the luxury of the fish holding on long enough for you to feel the weight, or a headshake (at least most of the time.)  You'll be a pro at it in no time.  You'll know like it's second nature when a fish is on.  And then you'll understand how difficult it can be to expain what it feels like to someone.    Good luck to ya.

Some times big fish will just inhale it and the line just moves and the feeling of the worm is gone!!!  SET THE HOOK HARD,, CROSS HER EYES !!!!! >

Most common for me is a tap.However last year i've been palming the reel with my finger on the line.You really pick up different feels when something's playing with your bait.Does take some practice,but i've found with my finger on the line feathering it while i palm the reel really helps detect those silent bites.  

Ton of great info on this one in the thread.

Equipment I like a little longer rod that has a TON of Backbone. I don't care if it is Spinning or Casting and actually like spinning better as I keep the line on my index finger. I have become a LINE WATCHER using the worm too. Generally I see the strike way before feeling the tap.

When you see something happen that YOU didn't do: Count to three, Tighten up the slack lowering the rod and reeling in SLOWLY, and when you feel the fish set the hook HARD. Try-to-Break-the-Rod-on-the-SET HARD.

One thing I did learn fast was tat I much perfer mono over the Braids for shallow T-rigs. Braid works the same on both ends. They can feel you too.

Usually a tick tick or added weight.