Carolina Rig

[FishDewd]

31 minutes ago, WRB said:

3 tips; use mono as it tends to float off the bottom and use light wire strong hooks with floating soft plastic that also tend to stay off the bottom. 

I use 5 lb Maxima Ultra Green mono for finesse and 8 lb for larger plastics with Owner #5133 hook and Roboworms or Iovino hand pours for with Top brass Pro-Jo weights. 

Attention to details makes a big difference. 

FC line drags on the bottom, not a good choice for C type rigs.

Tom

This is true, I don't use mono as often as I probably should. I usually have my reel spooled up with either copolymer or braind, depending on which reel it is. I do have a spare or two that I could use to hold the p-line for me while I spool my main reel with mono. I'll definitely have to try that.

[Dorado]

40 minutes ago, WRB said:

3 tips; use mono as it tends to float off the bottom and use light wire strong hooks with floating soft plastic that also tend to stay off the bottom. 

I use 5 lb Maxima Ultra Green mono for finesse and 8 lb for larger plastics with Owner #5133 hook and Roboworms or Iovino hand pours for with Top brass Pro-Jo weights. 

Attention to details makes a big difference. 

FC line drags on the bottom, not a good choice for C type rigs.

Tom

Tom, does co-polymer line like Pline Fuoroclear float similar to mono? 

[WRB]

Maxima Ultra Green is a copolymer monofilament line similar to P-Line CXX, just higher abrasion resistance and knot strength, both tend to float.

Tom

[CroakHunter]

4 minutes ago, Dorado said:

Tom, does co-polymer line like Pline Fuoroclear float similar to mono? 

Unsure about fluoroclear, but cxx is naturally buoyant so where ever you put it in the water column it tends to stay there. I have used cxx for topwater poppers and it worked well

[WRB]

P-Line FluoroClear is a hybrid FC line and sinks.

Tom

[Dtrombly]

Just now, WRB said:

P-Line FluoroClear is a hybrid FC line and sinks.

Tom

Mine floats. 

[WRB]

12 minutes ago, Dtrombly said:

Mine floats. 

If it floats use it.

Tom

[Czorn]

A quality mono is definitely preferred. It gives the bait more action I use 20#. 10" ol monsters in green pumpkin magic work best for me. I use a 3/4 ounce finesse weight. I never skimp on a rod for my c-rig, it needs to be very light and sensitive. Most of the bites will feel like extra weight. Feels like you hooked a t-shirt under water. One last thing, I will only use a offset round bend hook for c-rigging. My hook ups are around 80% with the round bend. The EWG for me takes to much pressure to get a good hookset on a long cast and 40 - 50 feet of water. The round bend (when rigged correctly) should have the point already facing out.

[Scott F]

29 minutes ago, Czorn said:

A quality mono is definitely preferred. It gives the bait more action 

How is the action effected by using a quality mono over other mono lines, FC or braid?

[Czorn]

3 hours ago, Scott F said:

How is the action effected by using a quality mono over other mono lines, FC or braid?

FC sinks and will not allow your bait to float or flutter over obstacles like mono. Cheep mono is bad for memory and stretching. Braid is no good with rocks and if you snag a brush pile it sucks trying to break it off without dragging the whole pile. 

[Scott F]

1 minute ago, Czorn said:

FC sinks and will not allow your bait to float or flutter over obstacles like mono. Cheep mono is bad for memory and stretching. Braid is no good with rocks and if you snag a brush pile it sucks trying to break it off without dragging the whole pile. 

 I understand that braid isn't the best with abrasion and if you use heavy line it's hard to break, but how does that effect the action of the lure? 

[Czorn]

2 minutes ago, Scott F said:

 I understand that braid isn't the best with abrasion and if you use heavy line it's hard to break, but how does that effect the action of the lure? 

It doesn't, it's a bad choice because of the reasons I mentioned. 

[Team9nine]

Floating monofilament on Carolina Rigs is a bit oversold, more theory than reality. Yes, there are a lot of variables like buoyancy of bait and hook used, etc., but generally speaking, mono and fluoro as CR leaders are more similar than different - they both tend to hang much closer to the bottom, following the sinker, than you might expect.

 

 

 

 

[FishDewd]

Excellent find! I actually somewhat expected that... buoyancy isn't as simple as the line floating or not. The line + the lure has to be able to displace it's weight of water to float or suspend itself. And it simply can't do that.

[padon]

I feel the same as team 99 and for that reason tend to favor baits like z man or roboworm as they tend to float or at least fall very slowly.

[Angry John]

So I read that a ear plug in a tube is a thing and I plan on trying that tomorrow and see how that works.  I am determined to get this technique down and it's wooping on me.  Dam new years resolutions

[WRB]

Showing a soft plastic that doesn't float with a 4/0 hook and expecting mono to float working up hill proves what? 

Try fishing the rig using lighter wire hooks with soft plastics that float and move it very slowly like you fish it. If the soft plastics nose get covered with debris, then it's dragging the bottom.

Braid floats and if used with a traditional C rig with a leader it makes a good main line. When you put enough pressure on the main line to move the weight it will not float or drag on the bottom. If you prefer FC use it. When I use FC as the main line it snags the weight far often then mono because the way I fish it. Since FC offers zero advantage as a leader, it's heavier with weaker knot strength, why use it?

Tom

[RB 77]

I don't use it a ton because of the nature of the lay of our lakes, however when we need to search a flat, its the go-to rig. I usually use 1/2 to 1 oz weight and about a 12-24" leader. I love a Creature Bait on the end of the rig.

[scaleface]

I have spent hours upon hours  exploring miles of deep flats using a carolina rig with heavy sinker looking for that secret spot that everyone else overlooked  and caught very little . I used the Carolina rig because it was fast and remained in contact with the bottom the entire cast .  It wasnt the carolina rigs fault . There just was not any reason for the bass to be there .  Bass would be caught at  the edges of the flats where there is a noticeable drop off leading up into the coves or ditches. What did I learn?  Its better to fish the routes than to rely on luck . At least on my local reservoir it is that way . 

[Sam]

On ‎2‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 2:41 PM, WRB said:

I don't fish a traditional C-rig with heavy egg sinker, bead, swivel on the main line with a leader tied to the swivel and hook. The reason being in our rock deep structure lakes the sinker snags too often. 

I do fish a modified or finesse C-rig called the slip shot rig in lieu of the split shot rig.

The difference being you use the main line with a cyclinder (mojo) weight, glass bead, Carolina Keeper (or peg the bead) for a weight stopper and hook, no swivel. The slip shot rig requires 1 knot verses the C-rigs 3 knots and easy to adjust the line length between the weight and hook without re tying.

I use the slip shot rig whenever casting and dragging along the bottom with finesse worms and very effective technique for bass in a neutral feeding mood. This is the first rig I use to introduce new anglers to bass fishing because they catch bass a higher percentage of the time.

Tom

 

 

Woo Daves uses the Slip-Shot and he introduced me to the rig.

 

You are correct in stating there is only one knot as opposed to three for the Carolina rig. If necessary, you can use two Carolina Keepers to keep the mojo weight in place.

 

Also, you don't beat up your self throwing the Slip-Shot rig as compared to tossing the heavy weighted Carolina rig and then reeling it back to you.

 

Friends call the Slip-Shot rig the "poor man's Carolina rig."

[Todd2]

35 minutes ago, scaleface said:

I have spent hours upon hours  exploring miles of deep flats using a carolina rig with heavy sinker looking for that secret spot that everyone else overlooked  and caught very little . I used the Carolina rig because it was fast and remained in contact with the bottom the entire cast .  It wasnt the carolina rigs fault . There just was not any reason for the bass to be there .  Bass would be caught at  the edges of the flats where there is a noticeable drop off leading up into the coves or ditches. What did I learn?  Its better to fish the routes than to rely on luck . At least on my local reservoir it is that way . 

I think I half way agree with this....if that's possible. I  don't throw it as much..targeting more specific spots...brush piles on drops, etc. with jigs/t-rigs and a drop shot.......but I love the feeling of that big heavy C Rig plowing through mud and then finally hitting rock and then...well you know what often happens next.

[TnRiver46]

First place I learned the Carolina rig was on lake toho in Florida with 1 oz sinker in 4-5 ft of water. And it worked! Been slinging that ball and chain ever since, it doesn't have to be deep. You can retrieve the rig fairly quickly with the big sinker and still be kicking up dust 

[the reel ess]

https://www.google.com/search?q=carolina+rig+ideas&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj0s8i-2qrZAhUPjlkKHZgXDv0Q_AUICigB&biw=1920&bih=989

 

Here are ideas and diagrams. If it doesn't take you to images, click images at the top. Any soft plastic will work. Lately people have started using some hard baits as well like a jointed minnow. Bill dance did a show on this technique recently. That's one I want to try this year. The go-to baits for C-rigging are larger worms and lizards for warm weather. but the C-rig catches fish all year and when the bite gets finicky, a finesse type worm will get more bites ,although smaller fish on average. The weight varies depending on depth, but usually is between 1/2 oz and 1 oz., maybe  a little more. I'll sometimes use a 1/8 oz for the aforementioned finesse worm in mid to shallow depths.

 

Here's a tip. I like to buy the "bass casting sinkers" with the wire eye and cut the eye off. Then you have a weight like an egg sinker, but cone-shaped to a point toward the nose. It will get hung up a lot less. I was going thru my dad's fishing tackle and came across some Lindy style C-rig weights. Those look like they'd do a good job in weeds and even for drifting bait for catfish if you do that. Those are the ones I'd use for hardbaits because they look like they'd come thru and over limbs, weeds and rocks without snagging. This seems like an easy way to lose a hardbait.

 

Another tip: The C-rig is the poor man's depth finder. It'll tell you about the depth, contour and composition of the bottom if you use a heavier weight. And as a bonus, you'll likely drag a bait past a fish that you wouldn't have otherwise. It really excels on hump, points and deeper brushpiles. Fish on these spots will be larger than average.

[scaleface]

58 minutes ago, Todd2 said:

I think I half way agree with this....if that's possible. I  don't throw it as much..targeting more specific spots...brush piles on drops, etc. with jigs/t-rigs and a drop shot.......but I love the feeling of that big heavy C Rig plowing through mud and then finally hitting rock and then...well you know what often happens next.

Dont get me wrong , I'm knocking the C-rig . It was the best tool available for the task . All that time of unproductive fishing  was a learning experience  . I dnt like not catching bass .

[riverbasser]

On 2/13/2018 at 9:59 PM, WRB said:

3 tips; use mono as it tends to float off the bottom and use light wire strong hooks with floating soft plastic that also tend to stay off the bottom. 

I use 5 lb Maxima Ultra Green mono for finesse and 8 lb for larger plastics with Owner #5133 hook and Roboworms or Iovino hand pours for with Top brass Pro-Jo weights. 

Attention to details makes a big difference. 

FC line drags on the bottom, not a good choice for C type rigs.

Tom

Tom what size pro Jo weights do you prefer with this finesse c-rig?