Carolina rig debate simplified!

[Jigsaw 2/8]

1 question and an easy 1 word answer:

(Don't need any backstories & reasons)

 

BRAID or FLUOROCARBON MAINLINE?

 

Any lake regardless stump/grass/rock

 

 

[DaubsNU1]

Braid.

[roadwarrior]

Either one will be fine. I use fluorocarbon.

[Mike L]

3 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

Either one will be fine. I use fluorocarbon.

Ditto

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Team9nine]

Fluoro

[Tennessee Boy]

Neither 

[jbsoonerfan]

Braid

[WRB]

Mono, FC leader tends to drag the bottom.

Tom

[J Francho]

I don't always Carolina rig but when I do… actually, I don't Carolina rig. 
 

I typically go with fluoro for other deep, contact baits. 

[garroyo130]

1 hour ago, Jigsaw 2/8 said:

1 question and an easy 1 word answer:

(Don't need any backstories & reasons)

 

BRAID or FLUOROCARBON MAINLINE?

 

Any lake regardless stump/grass/rock

 

 

 

If only there were a survey option for this ...

[jbsoonerfan]

8 minutes ago, garroyo130 said:

 

If only there were a survey option for this ...

It wouldn't matter, people would still have to throw an opinion in that wasn't even an option. Then they would complain because it wasn't an option. It's that way on every forum, ask a simple A or B question and half the people will say, neither it's C. LOL

[dodgeguy]

Braid.

[Jigsaw 2/8]

5 hours ago, jbsoonerfan said:

It wouldn't matter, people would still have to throw an opinion in that wasn't even an option. Then they would complain because it wasn't an option. It's that way on every forum, ask a simple A or B question and half the people will say, neither it's C. LOL

So d**n true ? 

[WRB]

I only “finesse”Carolina rig or slip shot rig. No swivel no leader use the main line with Carolina Keeper.

 Tom

[Junk Fisherman]

Love the sensitivity of braid as my main line and then a mono leader unless it is very clear which it usually isn’t where I am c-rigging.

[papajoe222]

BRAID

[Bluebasser86]

8 hours ago, J Francho said:

I don't always Carolina rig but when I do… actually, I don't Carolina rig. 

This is the correct answer. If we're going to have to C-rig, just take me back to the ramp. I'd rather try to force them to eat something else and not get bit, than get bit dragging the ball and chain.

[GreenPig]

I'm with Bluebasser86. I'll fish something else.

[ChrisD46]

FC main line + FC leader ... It's mostly gravel , rocks and boulders where I fish ,  so unless I want to run a 15 ft. leader with braid it is going to be a no - go for me on a C- Rig . 

[Big Hands]

For the way I am currently carolina rigging, if my pockets were deeeeep, I would settle on braid to a monofilament leader. Mono is cheap, braid isn't especially cheap, especially the good stuff, but that isn't what I am referring to. 

 

The problem for me is that I have been using tungsten weights, one ounce tungsten weights. Those suckers are not cheap, and braid is strong in some ways, and weak in others. It is subject to breaking due to abrasion on rocks, wood, and maybe shells if you have them in your lakes. I average losing at least one per outing to as many as three.

 

They run from $5 to $10 each (including tax) depending on where you can buy them and what is in stock. Yesterday I lost two of them on consecutive casts (my fault) and along with all the other stuff (another $2 to $3 per setup), it adds up. I can go through $20 to $30 of tackle in a day of fishing.

 

I am still refining my setup and trying to strike a balance between being most effective and somewhat economical. I'm not sure how long my current carolina rig bite is going to hold up. Some type of carolina rig could be effective all year. . . . or not.

 

That said, all Carolina rigs do not need to be like mine to be effective in every lake. I am making bomb casts of 120 feet or more because most of my bites are coming from the first third of my retrieve, and I am often dealing with wind along with mostly subtle bites. 

 

I used to (decades ago) fish a lot with a much more finesse-ish version of the carolina rig where I used mojo slipshot sinkers on straight 6 lb mono using a rubber band tied to the line below the sinker to act as a stop. Two totally different versions of the same type of rig. 

 

There are so many variations of rigging AND technique for the "carolina rig" that it's kind of pointless to try to make a blanket statement that one line or another is THE line to beat all others for the c-rig because many of us like to make potentially simple things into complex things, LOL. However, YMMV.

 

It could be simple, if you're not necessarily trying to be the most effective in a given situation. Then you can just adapt the one rig fits all mentality and send it. And that might be plenty good enough for the water you fish and how you choose to fish it. Your call. No right or wrong, it just is what it is. . . . .

[Fishes in trees]

My All Star Carolina Rig rod makes a great rod for throwing Biffle Bugs.

[Jigsaw 2/8]

On 2/23/2021 at 2:17 PM, Jigsaw 2/8 said:

1 question and an easy 1 word answer:

(Don't need any backstories & reasons)

 

BRAID or FLUOROCARBON MAINLINE?

 

Any lake regardless stump/grass/rock

 

 

I guess it's more complicating than it is written... ?

[Junk Fisherman]

On 2/24/2021 at 3:08 AM, GreenPig said:

I'm with Bluebasser86. I'll fish something else.

 

I kinda like fishing a C-Rig on deep structure.  I think I am going to start using it for smallies in the summer on deep flats as a search tool.  If not to find fish but to find rocks and other transition areas.  

[GreenPig]

13 minutes ago, Junk Fisherman said:

 

I kinda like fishing a C-Rig on deep structure.  I think I am going to start using it for smallies in the summer on deep flats as a search tool.  If not to find fish but to find rocks and other transition areas.  

Do it. It works. I'll just find the rocks with my Humminbird and fish a crank, jig, shaky head, or dropshot. Used to fish the CR alot and always did better on other techniques but we don't have those hyper aggressive SM.

[J Francho]

23 minutes ago, Junk Fisherman said:

 

I kinda like fishing a C-Rig on deep structure.  I think I am going to start using it for smallies in the summer on deep flats as a search tool.  If not to find fish but to find rocks and other transition areas.  

I wish something like a C-Rig would work up here - I'd actually use it for this.  Unfortunately, the zebra mussels tear up any rig that puts the line in any kind of contact with the bottom.  That is one of the reasons a slow, vertical drop shot presentation in tandem with electronics is so popular.  Even so, do some scanning for bait with your electronics, and throw that C-rig around when you find some.  I'm positive you'll find some biters.