Carolina Rigs: Bait off the bottom, or along bottom?

[RandyFish]

I want to focus this season on fishing deeper, so I plan on using more carolia rigging.

Guys, do you choose plastics that will float/suspend off the bottom, say a tube or a 3X plastic, or do you want your plastic hugging the bottom more or less.

I know "it depends," but what is your starting approach?

What plastics do you like for a suspending carolina rig, or just in general?

[Deitz Dittrich]

Here is the way I do it. And I'm not saying its right, its just the way I do it. IF I am carolina rigging I choose a plastic and let er' sit on the bottom. I have tried to get plastics to float in shallow water and to be honest, once you pull the bait its tough to get one to float. IF I want the bait up off the bottom.. I drop shot rig!

[crazyfishinut]

I just recently moved to MN from down south. In the summer time the rig can be dominant. My favorite plastic to rig is the baby brush hog. If you start getting small fish just upgrade to the regular brush hog. Lizards, worms, french fries, and even tubes can all produce fish. Just my 2 cents.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Crazyfish- Welcome to Minnesota and welcome to HotSpotOutdoors! Great to have you with us and I look forward to reading more of your posts!

[Ray Esboldt]

I agree with Deitz. Most baits on the market will not float a 4/0 hook. Plus, like Deitz said, once you move the bait forward, the bait pulls right to the bottom. I think the attractant of a carolina-rig is the clamor the weight and bead make pounding off the rocks and gravel. The plastic is just what the bass picks to eat.

[MedicineMan]

I've caught a lot more Bass floating Tubes than hopping plastics on the bottom. What I like to do is take a #6 long shank hook and bore out a lindy float and slide the float onto the hook. I stuff the hook inside the tube, tie it off and place a split shot about 8-16" above the tube. When I fish it I'll give the lure a 1-2' jerk and I'll let the lure sit for 2-3 seconds before jerking it again. It's worked great for shallow and deep water. Having watched the lure in shallow water I've never seen the lure hit bottom. The lure will drop almost to the bottom before floating back up when jerked. And if you use a ringed tube you'll get a hard side to side action when you jerk the lure.

Here's a pic of a Bass using my floating tube. (sorry about the pic quality)

[Daze Off]

My favorite plastic on the end of a C-rig is without a doubt the Zoom Centipede (Smokin' Blue is fav. color) but also love lizards (mostly in spring) and creature baits. Never had much luck with tubes in this method but since I haven't had much luck I don't fish them as much either.

Daze Off