Carolina Rig Casting Tip

[airborne_angler]

There are those that are lucky enough to have a boat to stand up in and throw a Carolina Rig. But there are also those(myself included) that have a smaller boat,canoe or Kayak and standing up really isnt an option.

Throwing a Carolina rig while sitting down can be cumbersome and not very efficient.Baitcasters can get some gnarly birdnests and such,spinning reels offer a little relief. I may have a tip to assist those of us that must sit down when we cast.

Get a Zebco 33. Laugh all you want,but if you havent fished a Zebco 33,youd be surpised on how well these handle. No,they arent low profile,hi speed,not easy to palm,But they cast like a dream. I started using them years ago to lob weightless live nightcrawlers t-rigged into base of trees for Bass.They handle small weightless baits like a charm. And they rarely,if ever foul up the line.These reels arent very good for fast moving reaction baits like Cranks,Spinnerbaits,and Buzzbaits. However,Poppers,T-rig,Carolina Rig,Neko Rig,Dropshot and other slow moving presentations are ideal for this reel. Try a Zebco 33 out and you may be pleasantly surprised at how well these reels function.

*MODS* Not sure where this should be posted at,so if its in the wrong section can you please move it?

[ROCbass]

How old are the 33's you're using? It seems to me there are significant differences in quality depending on the vintage. My dad has some Zebco spincasters from the 80's and early 90's that are decent, well-made reels. On the other hand, I have one form the early 2000's that is very cheap feeling. Lots of play in the handle, drag isn't smooth, isn't smooth on the retrieve, plastic frame, etc. Maybe the newest ones are better than the one I have, but the ones my dad has from 20+ years ago beat the one I have that is less than half that old and has barely been used all day every day, and twice on Sunday.

[NebraskaBasser]

There are those that are lucky enough to have a boat to stand up in and throw a Carolina Rig. But there are also those(myself included) that have a smaller boat,canoe or Kayak and standing up really isnt an option. Throwing a Carolina rig while sitting down can be cumbersome and not very efficient.Baitcasters can get some gnarly birdnests and such,spinning reels offer a little relief. I may have a tip to assist those of us that must sit down when we cast. Get a Zebco 33. Laugh all you want,but if you havent fished a Zebco 33,youd be surpised on how well these handle. No,they arent low profile,hi speed,not easy to palm,But they cast like a dream. I started using them years ago to lob weightless live nightcrawlers t-rigged into base of trees for Bass.They handle small weightless baits like a charm. And they rarely,if ever foul up the line.These reels arent very good for fast moving reaction baits like Cranks,Spinnerbaits,and Buzzbaits. However,Poppers,T-rig,Carolina Rig,Neko Rig,Dropshot and other slow moving presentations are ideal for this reel. Try a Zebco 33 out and you may be pleasantly surprised at how well these reels function. *MODS* Not sure where this should be posted at,so if its in the wrong section can you please move it?

As kids, I grew-up using spincast reels. Good thing for Dad's to keep the kids fishing instead of untangling backlashes! <hahaha>

As I grew up, I "graduated" to baitcasters when introduced to buzzbaits and crankbaits, fishing from the back end of a bass boat when I was in a club.

I now fish from a float-tube... even lower than your "small boat/kayak" reference. Also because of the tube, I make much shorter casts and - a lot of the time - lighter weight lures. I don't know why or when, but I picked up a Zebco Omega Z03. I fell in love with spincast reels again!

The Omega's are a seven-bearing reel and are ALMOST as smooth as my baitcasters. I can cast 1/8oz spinnerbaits and weightless tubes with ease - INTO THE WIND. It's wonderful to make ANY cast, with ANY lure, in ANY condition and not have to worry about a backlash. By "feathering" the line as it comes out the "cone", I can also make pin-point accurate casts. I can use it for weightless tubes for top water action, etc.

When I go out in my tube now, I carry two spincast and two baitcasters. The spincast have mono for the lightweight and top-water lures (and the baitcasters have braid/braid-fluoro leader for frogging and cranks).

Yeah, I'm lovin' my spincast reels!