Carolina Rigging

[Juice]

Ah, Carolina Rigging...I have fallin in love with it. Though i cant tell when i have a hit or not. Most of the bass i landed last nite were becuase of dumb luck. By lifting the rod tip and feeling a little weight. But i managed to catch a few by watching the line move. So normally when you fish a C-Rig. Do you actually feel a tap as you would with a T- Rig. Or just watch the line and gently lift the rod tip?

[ZOKU]

I think a huge part of it is actually watching the slightest movement in your line. I set the hook more often than not because of the "better safe than sorry" theory.

I think fishing with worms, in general, is most effective when understanding the way in which a bass feeds. i.e., sucking the worm into their mouth, analyzing it in about 4/10th's of a second to decide if it's something worth eating, and then if it isn't - blowing it back out of their mouth just as quickly as they sucked it in. That's about the length of time you have to determine if: 1.) it's a fish on your line. 2.) to set the hook.

I'm certainly no expert on the subject but I've done a little reading as of late and I do love fishing plastics!!

[delmuts]

i asked this same quest. this spring. some of the tips were ; not to use to heavy a weight.( use enough to keep it on the bottom, but a little lighter will allow you to feel the fish better) also another that i saw on TV( from shaw greisby) was not to hold your rod to tight. a more gentle grip also allows you to feel a pick up better.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Juice- I do a ton of C-riiging.. well not actually c-rigging but very similar... A few tips i can give you is this. Try and do your best to keep your line and your rod tip at a 90 degree angle. This will do best in feeling the bite. You can also try braided line. That will also help in sensitivity. A stiffer rod,(med heavy with a fast tip seems best, 7 foot length.) Lighter sinker as mentioned above is also a good idea. Also, pinch the line between your index finger and your thumb. Try your best to feel the bite here rather than in the rod.

And lastly, NO, the bite is not the same as a texas rig or jig bite. The bite is totally different. On a texas rig, the bass usually hits the lure as its falling. On a carolina rig the bass sucks the lure off the bottom. Many times you may not feel the bite, as they are quite stealth in picking up the lure.

Good luck and remember to keep having fun with it!

Deitz

[fish'n 4 fun]

Deitz,

Great tips!! You mention 'similar to a c-rig', are you referring to pegging the sinker, rather then tying a leader?

[Deitz Dittrich]

Yes Fishn, I very seldome c-rig.. I do more of a spilt shot rig(sinker pegged), and use the Water Gremlin Bull shot(crimp on bullet sinker) sinkers. I also shorten up the leader quite a bit(usually around 10" or so), and use lighter sinkers (1/4oz or less).. I call it "stupid rigging". I still fish it very similar to the carolina rig, however do to the smaller sinkers it forces me to slow down.. so, hence, I fish it slower than one would a carolina rig. Also because of the pegged sinker, and shorter leader, it becomes easier to cast.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

I was out fishing White bear yesterday and was trying carolina rigs for the first time. Couple questions....

What pound test do you use for your leader?

What length do you use for your leader?

What is best type of plastic on carolina rigs?

I was using 12lb for my leader on 16lb fireline mainline. For my leader length I tried 5' down to 2'. As for bait I was using a 3" tube, and later added a small piece of foam from an icebuster bobber in it in an attempt to keep it out of the weeds. I was fishing it very slow moving only several feet with a trolling motor every minut or so.

What did I do wrong? I saw bass on my camera and the depthfinder but only caught a litte bass and a bonus 8.5" pumpkinseed.