Deep 14-20' carolina rig set ups....Lead, brass, line etc.

[primetime]

I was looking to get some opinions of the best way to rig a c-rig for deeper water. I still do not trust my deep cranking skills, so I mainly use a C-rig when fishing deep to cover water, and get bites which the C-rig seems to do for me especially in the winter time. I was wondering what people use for a main line (Braid, Fluoro, Mono) and also leader, if you use brass, lead or tungsten, clackers, beads etc...

 

I have been using lead and brass with a glass bead, or sometimes I will take 2 half ounce tungsten weights and rig them back to back for more sound instead. I never have gotten into clackers, so curious as to how you would approach a deep water, cold c-rig, where bottom is mainly hard, some rock,so with an ounce of weight, I am wondering if Fluoro is a better main line in say 20-25lb test to avoid breakoffs since the main line takes a beating with the weights digging into the bottom, getting frayed....I am fishing an area with more rock than I normally encounter. I am kind of thinking that maybe the sound of Tungsten is better? I rarely have any issues feeling my weight since I can feel bottom pretty good with an ounce.

 

I was using 40lb braid main line with 15-20lb Mono leader so it floats.  I have noticed braid often frays, and I stopped using tungsten thinking that was the issue, but maybe Tungsten is better if paired with Fluoro main line since you are basically fishing the weight and it is more abrasion resistant. Or is breaking off some weights due to fraying just part of the deal?

 

Any favorite cold water bait suggestions appreciated as well. I always stick to senko or fluke style bait, but recently started doing well with the Pit Boss. In stained water, anyone go with small baits like a 3" finesse craw? 

[TnRiver46]

I like a 3 inch yum dinger or zoom finesse worm for small baits. As far as line I like to use the same line for leader as main line for simplicity purposes. 15-17 lb mono. They aren’t going to see thick line down on the bottom 

[WRB]

I haven't used a traditional C-rig with a main line different from the leader or adding a swivel that requires 3 knots, 2 for the swivel and 1 for the hook. To me the only reason to have a swivel is preventing line twist.

My rig is a slip shot or finesse C-rig as it sometimes called. 

Weight is a cylinder mojo or Top Brass Pro Jo, baitcasting 3/8-1/2 oz.

8 mm tempered faceted glass bead.

Carolina Stopper.

Worm hook to match soft plastic of choice. Light to medium wire hooks work good.

Main line for bait casting is 12# Berkley Big Game or 15# Sunline Defier Armillo Nylon.

FC Line that sinks tends to drag everything down onto the bottom and snag often plus poor knot strength.

20' of water isn't deep in my nick of the woods*, it's average depth so a 3/8 oz weight should be suffient to keep good bottom contact with,wind go to 1/2 oz. *Deep structure rocky lakes with sparse cover, cold water period the majority of the bass are in 30'-40'.

I start with the weight stopper about 30" and may increase it up to 40".

The heavy weights the faster it will snag, cylinder weights tend to slide through rocky areas much better then egg sinkers. No reason for line over 15 lb test.

Good luck,

Tom

PS, spinning use 1/8-1/4 oz, 5 to 8 lb mono, hook Owner #5133 size 1/0 for 6" worms.

[webertime]

I drag Champlain/Vermont.  Lots of sandstone and granite on the bottom up here. 

Line: Seaguar Abrazx 20lb

Swivel: Spro 50lb

Bead: don't care, glass can break, plastic does fine, either work.

Weight: 5/8 or 1oz Phenix finesse (more gravel weedy bottom) or Phenix Rockcrawler in the same weights when it gets boney on the bottom.  5/8 for light wind 10 to 20ft.  1 oz for winds over 10mph or 20+ ft.  Tried tungsten and it was almost too much going on in the rocks.

Leader: Mono 12-17lb either Suffix Siege, YZH or Big Game whatever I grab first.  Length is 2-6ft (seriously)

Hook: Offset worm or straight shank only

 

 

[primetime]

Ok Thanks. Maybe I will downsize the 1 ounce, I was going heavier to force myself to slow down, and not add in as much action which I have a habit of doing...I realized the last time I was out that I need to bring a 7'11 rod for using a long leader in the 4'5' range which is not easy to cast.....Also added a bobber stop in front of the weight since it was hitting my tip and causing issues casting while sliding. I usually stay away from alot of noise, I guess for me, 20' is deep so I am thinking I need extra sound. I forget that the water is cleaner down below....Thanks

[webertime]

Dont do a bobber stop.  The fish need to be able to pull the bait a bit.  They'll feel the weight if a stop is there.

Lob the whole thing, watch a video on how guys cast big swimbaits, it's the same sort of motion.

A long rod definitely helps too.

[TnRiver46]

2 hours ago, primetime said:

Ok Thanks. Maybe I will downsize the 1 ounce, I was going heavier to force myself to slow down, and not add in as much action which I have a habit of doing...I realized the last time I was out that I need to bring a 7'11 rod for using a long leader in the 4'5' range which is not easy to cast.....Also added a bobber stop in front of the weight since it was hitting my tip and causing issues casting while sliding. I usually stay away from alot of noise, I guess for me, 20' is deep so I am thinking I need extra sound. I forget that the water is cleaner down below....Thanks

I fished lake toho with my cousins boyfriend who is a local down there. We threw one ounce Carolina rigs is 4-5 feet of water. He said heavier the better and he was right 

[MassYak85]

Up here in the Northeast I mainly use C-rigs for finding the deep bite in the summer. I'm generally using big worms or lizards. My favorite are the 10" curly tail power worms and the Zoom 6" and 8" lizards. I'm a braid guy and I'm using my jig rod (7'2" HF), not ideal IMO but I can't justify another setup. If I was to pick a dedicated rod I'd go 7'6 or even 7'11.

 

How I'm rigged up though...I'm using 40lb braid mainline to a spro power swivel (70# I believe, they're stupid small for their strength rating). Then from their I've got a 3ft leader of 18lb Maxima Ultragreen to a straight shank worm hook (4/0 roboworm rebarb for thinner worms, 5/0 Gammy for thicker worms). I use a 3/4oz tungsten weight generally but will go down/up to a 1/2 or a 1oz depending on depth and wind conditions. I only have two beads I use, 6 or 8mm glass. A tip I would suggest is to take a bobber stop and put it on after your weight so that it protects the knot on your swivel from the weight slamming into it with the bead. 

 

I've never played around with glass vs plastic, brass vs tungsten, clackers, or bead color much to weigh in on that. 

 

Don't overlook the finesse C-rigs though like @WRB mentioned. And those Carolina Keepers are good if you don't like messing with a swivel. 

[scaleface]

I use a 3/4 ounce egg weight . To me the main reason  to use a Carolina rig is it is a quick way to cover water quickly in deep water.  I use the swivel and tie three knots with 15 lb big Game for both the main line and leader .Scott Martin just posted  a video on Youtube where he uses up to three three bobber stops to keep the weight from slipping . I'll have to try that . I tried one stop before and it didnt work with that heavy of sinker , hopefully three will hold. 

[FishingGeekTX]

If you're stuck on braid+leader, Carolina makes a lot of sense since you'll have the line tie built in for you.  Too much hardware for my preference and I don't use leaders.

 

I use straight 30-40# braid with a pegged 1/2 oz slip weight pegged, and a 3/0 offset worm hook.  Lately I use a 3" Robo ned worm, unless there is a compelling reason to start with something else. 

I sometimes have to adjust the slip weight back up, you don't need to do that with a C-rig proper.

 

I use the least weight to get you to the bottom/stay on bottom fairly easily.  Heavier weights leads to more snags and missed fish in my limited experience.  And cost more

 

[rtwvumtneer6]

I stay away from braid if I'm dragging the bottom.

 

If I'm using tungsten I use a plastic bead.

 

A baby brush hog can be magical.

[MassYak85]

4 hours ago, rtwvumtneer6 said:

I stay away from braid if I'm dragging the bottom.

It's a good point, I've broken off weights before because of abrasion (well, mostly laziness). Definitely check your line often if you do use it. Sometimes I'll even keep my leader on and have the leader go to the weight, then the usual 2-3ft of line to the worm. Probably too many knots for most folks. 

[CountryboyinDC]

For a heavy C-rig, I use a heavy 7'3 rod spooled with 50 lb braid.  For the weights, I use a couple or 3, depending on the depth, tungsten long cylindrical weights.  These are the last ones I bought https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Vike_Tungsten_Carolina_Weight/descpage-VIKECAR.html, but before that I got some off eBay.  I put a couple of glass beads between the weights and the swivel.  At the swivel, I tie on a 17 lb (usually) flurocarbon leader.  For baits, I used to believe that a big worm or a lizard was the best bait for a C-rig, but the last time I threw one like this (a month and a half ago), I put a simple tube bait with a salmon corky tucked in the cavity (so it floats) on a Shaw Grigsby hook and caught a couple of fish.  For that lake and my fishing skill, a couple is pretty good.  The tube bait with the salmon corky has been working better than a lizard for the past 3 years, but my fishing has been mostly in the DC metro area, so YMMV.

[papajoe222]

I use a C-rig from ice out to the end of open water fishing. Braid main line, 1/2oz. to 1oz. Brass or Tungsten weight, glass bead and ball bearing swivel. Leader is always mono and the longer, the heavier lb. test.  
Personally, I don’t mind a little bit of fraying as it forces me to check and re-tie all knots. 
I’ve tried fluoro, but I prefer the extra sensitivity and hook setting advantages of braid.

A football jig is a viable alternative to a C-rig for those occasions when your weight is getting hung between rocks.