Carolina Rig Question(s)

[airborne_angler]

I have a Carolina Rig setup on one of my rods.

The main line is 10# FC and the leader is 8# Mono.With about a 3/4 oz egg sinker with 2 small beads between the sinker and the swivel.

Im fishing this on a 7'0" MH rod with a 5.0:1 ratio reel

Is this too light a setup for a Carolina Rig?

I havent dedicated any real time to a Carolina rig in many years.

What does the bite normally feel like?

[hookingem]

I think the rod is fine, but i dont like the line choices. I'd throw 30 pound braid with 15 pound flouro as a leader you will have much better feel of the bottom and greater ability to detect a bite. 

[Hammer 4]

Why use 10lb Fluro, and then use a 8lb mono leader..? The 8lb is o.k., but the fluro should be on the end, i.e. the leader. You can use braid, not necessary though, in fact if there are any rocks on the bottom, stay away from braid.

[airborne_angler]

The 10# FC is whats already on the reel,and its just too expensive to strip off to put anything else on.I know that the leader is supposed to be a step down in # test so thats why I opted for the 8# I just had a little bit laying around.

I know its not ideal setup,but it should work...Right? Im not a dedicated Carolina Rig thrower and I may spend an hour every outing trying it out if nothing else is working.

[SDoolittle]

Your rod and reel are fine, but a lot of people do prefer a faster reel for a Carolina rig. I'd go with a 14# main line and a 10# leader or maybe a 17# main line and a 12# leader. Often you will not really feel the bite like you would with a Texas rig. You might just feel some extra weight.

[Hammer 4]

I've fished c rigs with 6# fluro, ect..unless there's a bunch of junk on the bottom, you don't need anything more than what you have.

I see what your saying, re: the fluro already being on the reel..go fishing then.. 8-)

[Nibbles]

A mono leader isn't always bad. Sometimes you do need a shock leader.

[fishfordollars]

I fish braid main and 12-15# Big Game for my leader.

Usually 3/4 or 1.0 oz. weight depending on the depth I want to cover and how fast i want to fish it.

I start with a 18-24" leader and work from there as needed. I try to get by with the shortest leader possible.

Most bites the fish will just move with it.

Good luck

[Bass_Fanatic]

Its not the ideal set-up, but it will catch fish.  I would opt for a faster retrieving reel to pick up line, but not that important.  I would also use braid and floro leader, but once again, not vital.  What you have will work.

[deep]

Do you have to have a leader? Mono is bad for abrasion resistance, and the fish can see 8# mono at least as well as the 10# FC.

IMO, a FC mainline will hold up to shocks; if you had a braid mainline, it would be different.

[Tin]

hmmm...last I knew most of the time with a c-rig you wanted your bait to float...and fluoro sinks...... :-? 

Mono = too much stretch and it is a pain trying to catch up to the fish with a longer leader. So this usually means either A) a poor hookset = lost fish or Multiple hooksets = rip a hole = lost fish

Go to a light braid..10 or 12 pound braid have a diameter of 2 or 4 lbs test. and you have zero stretch. If the visibility of braid is still in your head paint your leader black with a Sharpie.

[roadwarrior]

This is my rig:

MBR844C/ STX/ PP 50/12/ 1/2 oz egg sinker/generic swivel/

18-24" Tatsu #15/ #2 or #4 Gamakatsu Octopus Circle Hook

(sometimes 4/0 EWG Gami Offset Worm Hook). My favorite

current bait is the Rage Tail Eeliminator.

8-)

[K_Mac]

I use 15# CXX for the main line, and 12# YZ hybrid for the leader, on a 7' MHF Carbonlite rod with a 7.1:1 PQ reel. I do not use braid.

With that said, what you have should work fine. The line is a little light and the reel a little slow, but I doubt the fish care. Enjoy.

[Shad_Master]

Wow! All that discussion and nobody answered the original question

The bite is usually a tug if the fish is smaller and will feel like a dog shaking a sock if it is bigger.

[kikstand454]

i throw a c-rig probably 50% of my time. for the last few years i have been using 15# powerpro as a main line and whatever flouro i had left over on a spool for my leader... usually 12lb that i lined a crankrod with. yozuri also has been a fav leader.

lately though as in this past weekend and for the rest of the fall, i am going to be throwing flouro as my main line and the same line as a leader. i dont really use a smaller test leader unless im throwing braid for instance and that is only so i can break off if i have to. if you have a flouro leader, i dont think the difference in diameter from 8lb to 12lb matters that much. flouro is so much more invisible than mono.... and people used mono for many years as leaders. i guess if i was in chrystal clear water id consider it, but i rarely am.

i have a 6'6" shimano crucial mh/f and a 7.0 quantum T.E.

that being said, i think what you are using is just fine and will catch plenty of fish. if its not going to be a "go to" or favorite technique for you then going super specific on your set up makes no sense. no need to spend 300 dollars on a set up youre rarely going to use. what you have is more than adequate.

the c-rig bite is sometimes a "bump" like a t-rig but more often than not its a heavy feeling or your line swimming off.

some people "check" for a fish by letting it swim or putting pressure on it.... but i think thats kinda silly because youre giving that 3/4 or 1oz. lead a chance to ruin the bite.

just reel down and "sweep set" the hook to the side...preferrably the oppisite way the fish is swimming.

hooksets are free. missing fish costs money.