Baits For Carolina Rig? Help A Rookie!

[BassinNCstyle]

This coming week I will be trying the rig, it will be my first time that I can remember. I am thinking creature baits or float worm. Any other baits I should consider?

How is it fished? Slow or steady retrieve?

[Raul]

In practical terms any soft plastic will work, also include crankbaits and hard jerkbaits to the C-rig repertoire ( OH YES, CRANKBAITS ! , as crazy as it sounds to you ).

[kikstand454]

I fish the c-rig. ....alot.

Any soft plastic will do ( as will other things like mentioned above. ..) but day in and day out I catch ALOT more fish on a zoom trick worm. Black is my go to- watermelon/red flake, and watermelon/chart tail my second choices. Based on water clarity of course.

Cast out and slowly drag your bait back to you with 2-3 ft sweeps of the rod sideways. Don't make too big of a sweep or you will be twisted and out of position to set the hook. Every occasionally, you can make the same sweep in an upward motion to hop the lead and give the lure some irradiation action. This also makes more noise on your lead/bead combo. But the goal is to stay in contact with the bottom, so hopping it to much is counter productive. To stay focused, feel the feedback and try to imagine the bottom. Picture the dips and humps and what kind of bottom is there. If you hit any cover, pause and then shake a bit. Continue on. Most bites are going to be when you make contact with trash on the bottom, be it wood or rock.

Good luck, its a fun way to catch alot of fish and an EXCELLENT way to learn the bottom composition of your spots.

[KG_BASS]

I fish the c-rig. ....alot.

Any soft plastic will do ( as will other things like mentioned above. ..) but day in and day out I catch ALOT more fish on a zoom trick worm. Black is my go to- watermelon/red flake, and watermelon/chart tail my second choices. Based on water clarity of course.

Cast out and slowly drag your bait back to you with 2-3 ft sweeps of the rod sideways. Don't make too big of a sweep or you will be twisted and out of position to set the hook. Every occasionally, you can make the same sweep in an upward motion to hop the lead and give the lure some irradiation action. This also makes more noise on your lead/bead combo. But the goal is to stay in contact with the bottom, so hopping it to much is counter productive. To stay focused, feel the feedback and try to imagine the bottom. Picture the dips and humps and what kind of bottom is there. If you hit any cover, pause and then shake a bit. Continue on. Most bites are going to be when you make contact with trash on the bottom, be it wood or rock.

Good luck, its a fun way to catch alot of fish and an EXCELLENT way to learn the bottom composition of your spots.

Good information!  I've been wanting to try the C-Rig to add to my arsenal.  Couple of  questions...what does the bite generally feel like?  Also, do you get hung up a lot by the sinker getting stuck?

[Catch and Grease]

rage tail Eliminator, original sized zoom lizard, trick worms, craws, just a few I use alot

[kikstand454]

The c-rig bite is generally either a bump then weightlessness, or a solid tug from the fish moving off with the lure. Its pretty easily discerned from bumping cover.

You will lose rigs to snags just like any good technique, but they can be minimized by paying extra attention to what is going on on the end of the line, the old " bow and arrow" trick, and a lure retriever. Its a numbers technique for sure, but we catch PLENTY of big ones on the c-rig.... believe that!