Crankbait Carolina Rig

[CPBassFishing]

I read about this rig/technique in uncle homer's book Bass Wisdom, and I was wondering why I haven't heard more about it. There are no youtube video mentioning it, I can't find anything about it. I rigged up a small livetarget pumpkinseed crank with a pegged 1/2 oz bullet weight about 15 inches up the line. I plan to use it as a search bait for cold water, just slowly twitching it along. What do you think?

[flyfisher]

I have used it and caught a few fish but it was a bear to cast and got tangled pretty often. I thought of it as almost a drop shot style rig in a way since the crankbaits float and suspend off the bottom.

I caught my fish by reeling super slow with occasional pauses.....good luck

[Crappiebasser]

I have used it for years and it produces under the right conditions. I use a 12-18" leader and always a square bill crankbait. I tried it with tight wobble baits but moving that slow they had no action at all. 

[CPBassFishing]

Alright I'll give it a try. My thought process was that I could twitch it like a jerkbait, except I could get it depper and have it look like a bluegill chasing something feeding on the bottom. I'm not going to be reeling it in fast, just twitching it along.

[kickerfish1]

It is an interesting concept. I haven't tried it but if it was me I would try to tweak it to make similar to the traditional c-rig with a plastic. I would use mono for leader to help it float off the bottom. For the bait I would initially try something like a floating jerkbait. If using a long enough leader I would imagine the bait will better avoid collecting weeds and be more "visible" to fish. Although if weeds aren't a concern and you want to dig the bottom I would bet most any crankbait would work. I just wonder if this sort of rig would handicap the action of the bait.

It would be ideal to see this rig in a tank or swimming pool setting to see what exactly is going on. If you try it let us know what your think...

[loodkop]

I have used this rig to get the original Rapala floating minnows into places where the bass have never seen a minnow bait before. Retrieve can be slow and steady or a twitch and jerk with pauses to let the minnow float

[Comfortably Numb]

Works but be prepared to lose alot of cranks.

Better off trying a floating plastic like zman or 3x

[Sam]

First, congratulations on reading Uncle Homer's book. You are on the right path to fishing success.

There are a lot of other DVDs and books on the market. Get them all and read them all and outline them all. Or as many as you can.

As for throwing a crankbait at the end of a Carolina rig, it has been around for years. The problem as stated above is that the crankbait can get tangled when you cast it.

In addition, the crankbait can get hung up on stumps, rocks, tires, grass, etc. so be ready to lose some.

Remember, the beauty of the Carolina rig is that you can fish it in all kinds of structure. The weight will get caught up and you will have to go get it but the bait will usually continue no its track without a problem.

If you do decide to give this technique a shot consider removing the rear hook from your crankbait to lower the chances of a hangup.

And keep on reading and studying.

[CPBassFishing]

First, congratulations on reading Uncle Homer's book. You are on the right path to fishing success.There are a lot of other DVDs and books on the market. Get them all and read them all and outline them all. Or as many as you can.As for throwing a crankbait at the end of a Carolina rig, it has been around for years. The problem as stated above is that the crankbait can get tangled when you cast it.In addition, the crankbait can get hung up on stumps, rocks, tires, grass, etc. so be ready to lose some.Remember, the beauty of the Carolina rig is that you can fish it in all kinds of structure. The weight will get caught up and you will have to go get it but the bait will usually continue no its track without a problem.If you do decide to give this technique a shot consider removing the rear hook from your crankbait to lower the chances of a hangup.And keep on reading and studying.

thanks for that great post sam! I'll see if zman makes a good finesse shad or something.

[CPBassFishing]

also, there is really no structure in the pond. It is gravel/mud bottom covered in algae in the summer and fall. The grass has mostly died off so I don't think getting hung up is an issue if I'm just twitching the bait on a 15" leader.

[Fishes in trees]

I don't know because I've never tried this but to me, on first glance, it seems to be a great way to lose some crank baits.

 

Part of the charm of cranks is that they move and the fish strike them out of instinct, without getting a good look at them.  Slowing down to give fish a better look at them seems counter productive.  But fish do hit dead sticked suspending jerk baits from time to time - allegedly - very seldom for me ( maybe once every other season), so who knows, there may be something to it.

[gripnrip]

Works but be prepared to lose alot of cranks.Better off trying a floating plastic like zman or 3x

x2

[jhoffman]

Is that a bullet weight you have on there?

[Silas]

I have used this rig to get the original Rapala floating minnows into places where the bass have never seen a minnow bait before. Retrieve can be slow and steady or a twitch and jerk with pauses to let the minnow float

  I,too, have used this rig years ago with the little Rapala floaters.....worked very well, except the little Rapala could hook any bit of debris within 3 feet of it!!

[papajoe222]

I have used this technique since the original Rapalas first came out and here is a tip on how NOT to loose them. It isn't really a carolina rig, but accomplishes getting a bait deep and keeping it there.  Attach a 3-way swivel to your main line, your crank on a short leader to the second and a drop line of a lesser lb. test to the last one.  You can add whatever type of weight you want, but a rubber core or a cylindrical drop shot weight will pull loose from rocks without the need to break the line.  Attach another weight to the line and you're back in business.

BTW, a great way to pick up fish off the beds is to rig a crank on an 8in. leader behind a heavy C-rig, drag the weight onto the near side of the bed and release tension by dropping your rod tip.  When you raise it again, the crank will dive down into the bed, or just above it.  Do this a couple of times and Mrs. bass can't stand it.  It looks just like a baitfish feeding and retreating from the nest. 

[CPBassFishing]

Is that a bullet weight you have on there?

1/2 oz tungsten bullet weight.