Carolina Rig Questions -- Even After A Ton Of Research

[michang5]

I'm a fan of the "ol ball and chain" rig and have caught many fish with it, but am flummoxed by all of the variables.

Recently I've read tons of threads and articles and watched bassresource's video, but I've come away with more questions. Maybe there are no definitive answers, but I wanted to survey the BR population.

FLOAT OR SINK?
I usually fish Zoom baby brush hogs or Rage Craws on my c-rig. I'm pretty sure they sink. But folks are always talking about getting their baits to float and/or sit on top of grass. Is this only possible with an unsalted, modified or Elaztech baits?

MONO OR FLUORO?
I think this goes back to question above. If you are certain that your bait sinks, it shouldn't matter if you use mono or fluoro, right?

SIDE OR VERTICAL RETRIEVE?
Until yesterday, I've always dragged the rig by side sweeping rod 1-2'. Watching glenn's vid, he did a 9:00 to 11:00 lift of rod tip. I tried his technique and it seemed to pull in less grass versus side drag, but it didn't seem like I was in contact with the bottom as well.

Is one method or other better for a particular type of bait (say a swimming fluke versus a lizard that should crawl on the bottom)? Or is it just personal preference?

Thanks for any insights.

[Raul]

Keep it simple for there are no "rules", whenever some dude wants to make a "rule" bass take care of proove the rule wrong.

 

Sink or float ? anyone

 

NYLON ( which is a type of monofilament ) or Fluoro ( which by the way is also monofilament ) ? forget about if it sinks or floats, nylon buoyancy has been largely overrated since the material absorbs water and ends up having neutral bouyancy ( it ain´t gonna float like a cork ), the point here is that FC is more dense than nylon and has better vibration transmiting properties so from the "sensibility" point of view FC is superior.

 

Side or vertical ? ..... "rules" again ?  .... it depends on what´s on the bottom and still, there´s no rule about it, sometimes dragging the sinker sideways works and other times it´s hopping the sinker up and down ( vertical ).

[Catt]

Raul just gave the correct answer!

Aint no correct answers or rules in fishing!

If you like dragging it to the side, drag it to the side!

The bass don't care!

[smallieking]

I love c rig fishing... the biggest part of my c rig fishing is keep the weight on the bottom... I use Carolina rig to search for bottom structure. so sensentivity is key. I use a heavy tungsten weight. my line choice is braid with a fluorocarbon leader. the braid lets me feel everything that the weight is hitting into. then the fluorocarbons stealth gets me more bites. and for me I use a side retrieve ONLY! this is very important because it keeps the tungsten on the bottom. a vertical retrieve will lift the weight off the bottom and I lose connect with whats going on down there. i use Carolina rig to search for rocks and stumps and logs on the bottom. if i use a vertical retrieve the weight will hop over such cover defeating the purpose. experiment with bait styles and leader length and let the fish tell you what works best.

[michang5]

Thank you. This is why I love this forum. Every time I've asked a question (or 10), there are always folks willing to lend their thoughts.

I learned the c-rig as a drag-and-keep-bait-on-bottom method and was always confused as to why or how I would make it float.

It's good to know there are multiple ways of fishing the c-rig. And since I hooked two yesterday after switching almost everything about my standard rig (leader material, bait, number of beads and retrieve), there must not be a right or wrong.

[primetime]

I almost always use a 1/2 weight as I like the casting distance, steady feel of bottom, and because it seems to just be what I reach for, although I have some lighter Mojo weights I used a few times when fishing shallow flats in clear water and they seemed to work. I leave the beads and rattles at home, and I usually just add about 2' of Mono or Copoly in 12-20lb test, and I am usually fishing deeper water with weeds often thick so I am not worried about stealth.

 

I almost always use a 8" Charlies Ribbon Tail worm or a Bass Assassin Sluggo or Trick worm rigged wacky and the charlies is considered a floater. If I want my bait to float off the bottom I use a Slip float or pill float pegged about 6" in front of my worm like you would do when fishing for walleye on an erie derie rig. I paint them different colors to match forrage and fry and it causes bigger worm like a zoom monster, Fatt Max Culprit, or good old Manns jelly worm to rise up a few inches which I think is key. 

 

I experiment with the c-rig alot and have some odd baits that work well and if a Finesse trick worm or wacky rig sluggo or Floating/buoyant worm is not working, I will switch over to a floating rattle trap with two single hooks and weed guards as It has an awesome action with its nose down and darting side to side 2' off the bottom. I use a larger 5/8 size, and also use a D.o.A airhead mullet soft bait which looks like a big bluegill, and I put packing peanuts or a cigar float in the belly (same with hollow bellies) and I get less hits with the bigger swimbaits, but better fish. 

 

My all time favorite Bait is a charlies floating large crawfish in Red Shad, or any bass assassin high floater creature bait, or ringed worm like a zipper, ring fry, or rage anaconda worms since ribs usually cause the bait to rise up off the bottom. We call the charlies craw a hover craw and its about 4" long, kind of realistic looking but flatter profile, and it is just a great bait for any soft bait rig......

 

From what I read, most people would not use anything but a zoom lizard, but I just never use a lizard for anything, and I use gamblers big ez or smaller swimbait or sassy shads to match panfish or shad size, or fry with a tiny sassy shad. 

 

You can cover alot of water with a c-rig, work it steady but fast, and with braid you can feel any areas you may want to fish again since you feel contour changes, weeds, muscles etc....and I don't use Tungsten, just old lead barrel weight that I color black with a marker before putting in the box. I color pill floats in chart/orange for panfish color as a float and teaser, green or lime for baby bass fry, and white or silver flash for shad...I also have some craw colors, and uv for dirty water. I use the walleye rig 90% of the time, and a charlies ribbon or craw will get a good float on for you and bite. If not red shad, then Motor Oil/chart or your confidence color as size and profile matter more imo.

 

small worm hooks when possible, 1/0 if I can, 2/0 largest for better action, and you can use flukes, tubes, and my buddy uses the Sebile AT floating worm in white and that is a big complex looking worm or hybrid swmbait, but he does well with that worm, and it floats well.

 

Hope that Helps, get creative and have fun...Modify rigs, drag a floating lure or prop lure as added flash and vibration helps. I sweep on sets, pull baits both ways to see what is working but I think I stay parrallel. 

 

I never used the c-rig until moving to Fl 7 years ago, and I forced myself to get confident using this rig since I saw how versatile and well it worked all year round, anywhere, and is great from back of the boat. I am not anti clicker, just think it sounds unnatural and if I wanted sound, I would put a rattle in the worm but rarely have done that. The Rattle trap on a c rig is a winner, and a floating trap is a great lure Freshwater guys overlook which is a mistake for sure

[michang5]

Wow, primetime! That is an unbelievable amount of info. I'm going to sheepishly admit that I haven't even heard of 65% of the baits you listed above.

I'm one of those Zoom lizard (actually fish baby brush hog the most) guys. I've got some homework to do!

[primetime]

I borrowed all modifications from others over the years, and the Owner of DOA used packing peanuts on a tv show on Okeecobee and he fished the Air head with packing peanuts to use it as a topwater/wake bait. he also slit the paddle tail for a buzzing action. I like to fish out of a kayak to access certain water, and I leave a carolina rig dragging under the yak when fishing at alll times. I have caught some monsters when fishing a shoreline with a jig and sometimes I am so focused on casting accuracy and flipping the bait quietly, I get startled when my drag starts peeling on the drifting c-rig behind me on bottom.

[rippin-lips]

Try using a tube on your c rig. Stuff a piece of packing peanut into it and then Tx rig it like normal. It floats up off the bottom and is weedless incase you are fishing in grass. You learn some cool tips and tricks on here. Great forum.

Not my idea but I discovered it on here a while back and have had success with it. I've also used it without the c rig. Use a smaller piece of the peanut so the tube still sinks but just slows it down a good bit.

[roadwarrior]

Add another bait to your collection: Rage Tail Eliminator is THE BOMB!

This and the Rage Lizard are about all I ever use on a C-rig anymore.

[Catt]

Add another bait to your collection: Rage Tail Eliminator is THE BOMB!

This and the Rage Lizard are about all I ever use on a C-rig anymore.

There you go again, running off at the mouth!

Dude we got to keep some back or they gonna catch up with us.

[Raul]

There you go again, running off at the mouth!

Dude we got to keep some back or they gonna catch up with us.

Whate he said !

[hatrix]

Killed it on C-Rig today. I was throwing braid with a copolymer leader Yo-Zuri. I generally always lift the rod vertically because we have muck bottoms or tons of weeds. I prefer to use something that will want to float or lift off the bottom. Today though was a big different since I was using a Huddleston Weedless Shad for a C-Rig bait.

It worked waaaayyyyy better then I had even dreamed.

[Brian Needham]

question:

 

15# or 20# main line?

 

not wanting to hijack, but not going to start a new thread.

[michang5]

It's cool, Brian. I'm currently running 12# Seaguar Red Label for my main line. Throwing on Tatula reel with 7'1" MH *** Black rod. Since I only throw the C-rig from the bank, I actually downsized from 15# Invizx to 12# RL. The only time I fish from a boat, it's a canoe or kayak and the C-rig is just too unwieldy.

I will report some success this evening. Caught two (2.75 and 1.25#) in about 90 minutes as the sun went down. Missed one on hookset and one came unbuttoned.

Didn't have time to go to store and look for new baits mentioned above. Caught the larger fish on Lake Fork ring fry. The other on baby brush hog.

Vertical retrieve worked again to minimize grass pickup. Despite catching the two, I am not a fan of Stren 8# mono leader. Line broke at the hook last week hauling in what would have been a 4-5# with 1# grass attached. And it broke today as I was cinching down on my Palomar. Going back to Seaguar 10# Red Label.

[Raul]

question:

 

15# or 20# main line?

 

not wanting to hijack, but not going to start a new thread.

guess what ? ......... NO RULES !

[hoosierbass07]

When you retrieve a Carolina rig, do you have to do it only with the rod sweeping left/right/up or can you retrieve simply by reeling it in? What's the difference between sweeping with the rod and reeling it in?

[hatrix]

I like a braided main line or any thing with really low stretch could work and a long rod. You want to use only your rod to move it so you get a good feel of what the weight is hitting. Lot of people use them to figure out bottom comp and catching fish is like a secondary thing.

[basscatcher8]

One thing I havent seen much talk about is length of leader. If you want that bait above the grass you gotta know how high it needs to be on that mono line to get up there otherwise to short and your in the grass.

[hatrix]

I make my leaders however long my rod is from reel to tip plus about a foot to a foot and a half. As long as the knot is not in the spool I'm fine. I also use those adjustable deals you squeeze with pliers so you can change you length on the fly.