carolina rig

[b.a.s.17]

I've been doing some tournament fishing and my partner has been using a carolina rig and has been doing pretty well with it. I'm taking 2 guys fishing Saturday that are new to bass fishing so I figured this would be a good time to work on this technique. I've talked to my partner, but thought I'd see what you guys do and what has worked for you guys.

I have 1/2 oz brass weights, black glass beads, and regular barrel swivels to start.

How long do you guys like your leader, do you use mono or fluro line, and does the color of the bead matter? Any other suggestions or ideas would be great!

[Highhawk1948]

I use about an 18 inch leader because I am usually throwing it though weeds. I have used longer if I need to keep the bait up out of the weeds. I have found the slower I sweep the rod (and I sweep it sideways, also set the hook like that), the more bites I get. Use mono myself, haven't tried Florocarbon, have used spider wire with a mono leader, that works well, you do want the worm to ride up thou, not sink.

[Bassboss]

I use about a 15 - 20 inch leader to start. I really like creature baits on mine.

It dosn't seem to matter the color bead, I've even used no bead and caught plenty of fish before!

I use a mono leader if I'm using a floating bait, helps keep it high in the water column. If it's a sinking bait, than flouro leader is what I use. It it's gonna sink anyway, why use a mono leader for a buoyancy?

Hope this helps!

[b.a.s.17]

What # test are you guys using? Bassboss I like the creature baits too we were having success with the ugly otter and the biffle bug last weekend

[carolina-rig-01]

I usually fish a leader that is around 3' in clear water the muddier the water gets the shorter I will make the leader. I am not a fan of braided line in general but a carolina rig is one of the few applications where I like to use it. For the leader I will usually use 14lb-17lb mono but in really clear water I will go to 15lb florocarbon. The baits I use the most are Brush Hogs, Baby Brush Hogs, and Crazy Leg Chigger Craws. I will also use finesse worms, regular Power Worms, and even tubes. As for the weights, I use either 1/2oz or 3/4oz weights the most. I have found that I hang up a lot less if I use egg sinkers also. Just find some good gravel areas like points, pockets, and ledges and start dragging it around.

[kennethdaysale]

Originally Posted by carolina-rig-01

Just find some good gravel areas like points, pockets, and ledges and start dragging it around.

That's the ticket...beginners need not to overthink C-rigging.

[Jrob78]

My c-rig set up is about like C-Rig's. I normally use a 7'6" hf rod with 50lb braid as the main line and 17lb mono for the leader. The main reason I use heavy mono is I think it helps keep the bait off the bottom a little better than fluoro would. My leader is usually around 3' long. I use a 1/2-1oz weight, a bead, a brass clacker/knot protector and a barrel swivel. My favorite baits to rig are finesse worms, Grande Bass Rattlesnakes, Centipedes and craws.

[b.a.s.17]

c-rig I'm gonna be fishing Grand around the dam what length leader would you use on that lake? I was thinkin about 2' for that lake. Grand is pretty clear by Oklahoma standards not sure how that compares to the clarity of your Missouri lakes.

[carolina-rig-01]

Originally Posted by b.a.s.17

c-rig I'm gonna be fishing Grand around the dam what length leader would you use on that lake? I was thinkin about 2' for that lake. Grand is pretty clear by Oklahoma standards not sure how that compares to the clarity of your Missouri lakes.

I fish Grand almost exclusivley. Down around the dam it can get pretty clear. I would start with a leader in the neighborhood of 3' and go from there. The reason I shorten the leader in muddier water is because the fish will often come to the sound of the sinker dragging on the bottom and if the water is muddy they will bite the sinker if the water is muddy and they don't see the bait. So in muddy water it makes it easier for them to find the bait with a shorter leader. You can also tie a football jig in place of the sinker and kill two birds with one stone.

[b.a.s.17]

Originally Posted by carolina-rig-01

I fish Grand almost exclusivley. Down around the dam it can get pretty clear. I would start with a leader in the neighborhood of 3' and go from there. The reason I shorten the leader in muddier water is because the fish will often come to the sound of the sinker dragging on the bottom and if the water is muddy they will bite the sinker if the water is muddy and they don't see the bait. So in muddy water it makes it easier for them to find the bait with a shorter leader. You can also tie a football jig in place of the sinker and kill two birds with one stone.

That makes sense and that's a good idea I'll have to give that a try!

[b.a.s.17]

Well fist attempt with the c-rig didn't go to well it was crazy windy Saturday and the 2 guys I took with me were fishing crankbaits and we kept crossing lines... it was much easier for all of us to fish at the same speed. I felt like I had 1 good hit but it came off before I got a chance to see it... Just gonna have to keep working on it!

[Highhawk1948]

I use 15 pound. Trilene Big Game on my reel and most of the time 12 pound Trilene XL for the leader. (just cause I keep a spool of 12 pound Trilene XL in the boat.

I like to fish it thru underwater weeds on points or on shell bars.

[b.a.s.17]

have you guys used any of the tungsten weights with your c-rig? how much different is it than the brass and steel weights?

[carolina-rig-01]

I use lead weights on a carolina rig because of how often you get hung up with it. I use tungsten for texas rigs and there is a noticable difference. Give it a shot if losing them doesn't scare you because you will feel more stuff with tungsten.

[b.a.s.17]

I picked up some steel egg sinkers 4 for $1.50 at wmt and the tungsten is about $2.50 a weight I might grab some and save em for tournament days...

[LittleBigBass]

just wondering, i fish in 4-7 foot lakes....Would the carolina rig be a effective technique in this water range? thanks.

[b.a.s.17]

Yeah I think it would work just fine. My partner was catching lots of fish in the 4-6' range with it 2 weeks ago

[b.a.s.17]

Finally hooked a good fish today with the c-rig... but my leader line broke right in the middle

[carolina-rig-01]

Originally Posted by b.a.s.17

Finally hooked a good fish today with the c-rig... but my leader line broke right in the middle

Man, that sucks. What line were you using for a leader?

[b.a.s.17]

Originally Posted by carolina-rig-01

Man, that sucks. What line were you using for a leader?

It was 15# p-line floroclear I'm only using abrazex from now on its the only line that hasn't let me down. Think I'll go to TW now and get some 10, 15, and 20

[MikeA57]

Keep an eye out for active bait fish too. If you see minnows jumping around you can bet that the fish are coming up from below and feeding on them. We've found that the bigger fish stay deeper. We usually use 3/4oz egg sinkers too.