Carolina Rigging

[rosshilk]

I have recently began fishing with a Carolina Rig and I can't seem to catch a fish. I am using a half ounce weight and dragging it slowly across the bottom and I am not sure if I have had a single bite at all sometimes it feels like I am getting bit but i cant tell if the weight is just getting hung up and pulling free. I am starting to lose confidence in fishing the rig I have watched videos on the topic and really want to be able to fish the rig effectively. I have tried using trick worms, lizards, smokin roosters, and brush hogs it doesn't seem to make a difference what bait I use. I have been catching fish on other baits so I know the potential for bites has been there I must just be doing something wrong.

[scaleface]

Try using a bait that is perfectly smooth . If you are getting bites , the teeth marks are easy to see. 

[Catt]

When in doubt...set the hook!

[webertime]

Try a Zoom Ultra Vibe Speedcraw or any other smaller bait.  Try a regular (not wide) offset hook.  Set the hook on anything until you start to recognize what a hit feels like.

[Bladesmith,]

I don't drag the weight with a C rig, I hop it. If I feel any resistance when I pick the weight up, I set the hook. Yup, I've set hooks on stumps, rocks, and other stuff including bass. I rarely feel a pick up with a C rig, just the resistance when I go to move the bait. It is a very effective method to keep the bait above submerged grass. I also have had good success C rigging a wacky rigged Senko on a weedless hook. Keep trying. It will pay off. 

[kikstand454]

The c-rig produces! You must keep the faith!

I have the most luck with the c-rig on offshore structure. Bars and humps, main lake and secondary points. ... things like that. If you're in more than 12' of water, go ahead and bump up to 3/4oz. For that matter. ...you may want to do that anyway. Also- while many thousands of fish have been caught on c-rig and mono- you may want to move to a more sensitive copoly, flouro or braid. Steel, brass or tungsten will help as well. I like trick worms 2:1 over anything else. ...but any soft plastic will work.

Have faith. ... it will happen! Its like fishing a jig. .... you'll fish it cluelessly forever and not get it- then you will have that one trip where it all comes together in your mind and you'll never want to NOT throw it. Lol.

[rosshilk]

I really appreciate the feedback guys.

[RB 77]

I don't drag the weight with a C rig, I hop it. If I feel any resistance when I pick the weight up, I set the hook. Yup, I've set hooks on stumps, rocks, and other stuff including bass. I rarely feel a pick up with a C rig, just the resistance when I go to move the bait. It is a very effective method to keep the bait above submerged grass. I also have had good success C rigging a wacky rigged Senko on a weedless hook. Keep trying. It will pay off. 

 

I rarely "feel" the bite with a C-Rig either. I most often "see" the bite. With any bottom dragging technique you have to watch the line wether you feel the bite or not. I fish C-rigs, T-rigs, and jigs with different degrees of slack/ bow in the line. When the line "jumps" or moves a different direction, I know i'm bit. You don't always feel the "tap".

 

Heres  how it breaks down for me: Jig - least amount of slack/ bow in the line. T-rig - right in the middle betweena jig and C-rig. C-rig - by fare the most amount of the three. Diffrent days skew the amount of slack/ bow respectively for each technique.

[FishTank]

I really don't start using a C-Rig until late spring.   I have never had much luck prior to that.  My bait of choice are zoom lizards, going from lighter colors to darker colors as the season moves on (any dark color will work though).

 

As far as the bite goes, to me it isn't a strike type feel but more of a gulp.  I try to keep the line tight and drag it with short light jerks.  When you get a bite the line seems to go up as though the weight of the C-Rig is lifted off the bottom.  Once you feel the dragging feeling go away, set the hook.

[eyedabassman]

I would not hop the C-rig because you will be picking the weight off the bottom making a bite even harder to detect. Just like the others have said,drag the rig and ALWAYS set the hook with a side set.

[bigbill]

Ok here we go. I'm still learning this but here's my c rig tips.

I use a 1/8oz brass weight between two Carolina keepers with a glass bead between the keepers and the weight. I add a brass bead or brass clicker for sound when I twitch the rod tip. I use a 24" leader. And a s

Weedless 3/0 or 4/0 hook. 349w eagle claw. This setup I use for senkos and brushogs in 10' of water along side a weedline in a open channel.

I cast it out and keep my line taunt as it falls. Any movement of the rod tip. I set the hook. If I miss it the weedless spring is open telling me I had a strike. If it's closed it hit something. If I had a strike and a miss one shot of scent on the next cast it will hold on to the plastic long enough for a hookset. I repeat the up and let it fall again using the rod tip.

I use the weedless hooks of all sizes depending on the size of the plastics.

I use no scent on the first cast. The salted or prescented packaged plastics is good. Only on the misses I scent it one shot.

Take your time in letting it fall and moving it. It's faster than using a split shot rigged worm. Watch your rod tip closely. Any bite set the hook. The rod tip movement will be light and suttle.

Stay with it, it's awesome.

I fish in the dark till dawn. I use topwater first, then shallow cranks, then deeper cranks, minnow baits, as the sky lights up I throw spinnerbaits, and repeat everything. As it becomes lighter and that big yellow ball is starting to tell the bass to leave the shallows for there deeper cover it's c rig time. Senkos and brushogs, I do throw culprit worms too.

I find that I use shallow and deeper baits to the amount of sunlite depending on when the bass move. I'm fishing from shore but still learning after decades of being out there.

If you haven't been out there at 4am watching the night turn to day your missing out on a wonderful experience. What a wonderful world we live in.

Be aware of the beavers and freshwater otters. The freshwater otters swim together looking like shallow torpedoes. I was fishing from a low bridge when four of them cam at me at first light (dusk, twilight) all I could think of was the movie predator, all I had was a fishing rod. It was the first time I seen the freshwater otters. Now there are beavers and otters everywhere.

Not too much gets my attention the bears don't scare me but those torpedoes in the water.......

Fishing in the dark I hear some strange stuff.

[bigbill]

Did I say I love bass fishing?

All these baits and rigs really work when we present them correctly.

Just be patient and work it correctly.

My first week using my 1/8oz Carolina rig and the bite on on post spawn of course the misses get the idea to go on vacation. I hated leaving my bass fishing when it's so hot. We waited all winter for it. But we gotta do what we gotta do.

Remember the bass are there just waiting for us to present the right bait and color. Fish On.......

When watching the fishing videos listen to what they say but watch closely how the work different setups and baits with the rod.

Each new bait and presentation we master is another thing in our arsenal of tactics. The more we learn and know the more successful fisherman we become. If one thing isn't working change presentations, change colors, try different sizes and different baits till one works. Don't beat yourself up, change, it's ok to throw different baits. Try something old besides the new stuff. I switch baits constantly till I get action.

The number one goal everyone should have every springtime is to learn one new bait. At least one. Master it. But one is ok. Learning more new baits is better.

[bassinyea]

Here are some tips I would suggest:

 

1.  Use a decently heavy weight for the given depth you are fishing.  This helps maintain bottom contact which will help you feel the bite easier.  For shallow rigging during the spawn and postspawn I use a 1/2 oz weight for fishing 1-8 foot of water.  8-15 foot I use a 3/4 and any deeper a 1 oz weight during the summer fishing ledges and points.  If the wind is blowing hard go up one size.

 

2.  17 pound fluoro main line is the heaviest I will go.  The thicker diameter line you use the harder it will be to keep bottom contact.  Especially with a stiff wind that puts a lot of bow in your line.

 

3.  Do yourself a favor and buy a decent rod ($100-200).  A good rod will have the sensitivity you need.

 

4.  Instead of hopping your bait like a jig and tx rig up over your head, pull the rod sideways parallel to the water at hip level.  Once again helps keep your weight on the bottom and makes feeling bites easier and helps if the wind is blowing keeping the bow out of your line.  Set the hook to the side and not over your head.

 

Most strikes that I get are actually pretty easy to detect.  You will go to move the bait and a lot of times you will actually feel the fish swimming with the bait.  Once you have a few bites and catch a few fish on it you will know what it feels like and gain confidence.  Like someone posted above I really do not fish a carolina rig a lot early in the year.  I will start fishing one during the spawn to show them something different than a senko or tx rig that everyone else on the lake is throwing.  I fish one up through the postspawn and summertime ledge fishing is where it really shines for me.  

[Comfortably Numb]

Try a small simple bait like a french fry.

[papajoe222]

There is also the possibility that the fish aren't relating to the bottom. A C-rig is the exact opposite of a top-water presentation. If the other baits you say you've been catching fish on are also bottom presentations, then I would say stick with them, or try a drop shot rig that gives a better transmission of bites..  If they, the other baits, target a different part of the water column, see my first comment.

[RanndomUndead]

Just my personal experience, braid works wonders with carolina rig, even more so on a high speed reel.

Sensitivity boost is just magical

[primetime]

I have the same problem you have, when fishing a soft bottom I have a hard time telling if I am getting a strike since hits feel mushy just like weeds feel. I have been doing better since switching to a Med Heavy Fast Action Spinning Rod, 20 lb braid, and a 20lb Mono leader with as light a weight as possible, since I now use a side swing to pull the bait and then a pause.....Sometimes I will have a fish and if I do, I then give it another swing to burry the hook, I put a ton of Megastrike on my soft baits and the fish do not let go....

 

Lately I have been doing better on soft bottoms with longer leaders, and the Stanley Wedge head shaped Weights, with braid you can still feel that tick or crunchy feeling telling you it is a fish and not weeds, also if you gently lift your rod, you will feel the thump if in weeds, and with megastrike soaked floating baits, they smash the soft bait pretty hard...I like to use the Strike King Zulu Flukes, or lately the Zman Floating Minnowz which are 3" and same size as the baitfish, they float well so you can use fluorocarbon in clear water since I do believe you get more strikes with fluoro, and the Elaztach baits, especially the larger Zman and Strike King baits will float a 5/0 owner offset no problem....

 

I have noticed that once you feel hard bottom or weeds it is a good idea to pause the bait and hold on, the srike usually occurs any time you hit any object or weeds, and reeling steady with a swimming worm works well with a long leader...I am still learning how to fish the C-rig, it is boring at times but you can get creative and even throw on a small square bill if you know how high the weeds are....I fish a lake where the bottom has weeds that only grow 2' high, so I put a 3-4' leader and a 1.0 sized chrome squarebill on with a 15lb fluoro leader and it actually works well, you keep your crank in the sweet spots longer...Hope that helps, but each time out I learn a new wrinkle, lots of guys use really small baits like the ring worm for example in 4".

[mcgreggor57]

I use a Carolina Keeper to quickly adjust the leader length.  Being new to the c-rig, this allows me to find what zone the fish are in without guessing and re-tieing leaders.