carolina rigging

[nick pogue]

I have been fishing for bass about 2 1/2 years and have not caught my first fish on a carolina rig I am using a 7' rod and bait caster reel 17lbs trilene x/t 2-glass beads (red) 3/4 oz egg weight brass swivel 2' leader 12lbs P-Line Gamakatsu 3/0 hook zoom green pumpkin lizard. What am I doing wrong?

[Palmetto Balsa]

Welcome to TU,

Sounds like you have started off perfect, except for the no fish part.

Keys to technique, make long case and cover the bottom in areas likely to have fish. Fish points from different angles and depths. Drag the weight and don't hop it. Carolina rigs are not for suspended fish. They are for fish feeding on the bottom. If a fish bites on the fall then change baits. Drag the bait with the rod and then reel the slack, then drag again.

The bite, Most of the time you will not feel the hit. If you feel tension on the rod when you start to drag, or the line might pull from a different angle. Some bites will feel like you are dragging a piece of pine straw. If you feel these things then set the hook. "Hook sets are free" Don't keep checking to see if the fish is there or you will gut hook him or the fish will drop it. When they grab it they have the hook. Set the hook.

Big bass will do the work for you and nearly rip the rod out of your hand.

For darker, stained, muddy water throw Green Pumpkin or Green Pumpkin/Red.

For clear water try Watermelon or Watermelon/Red.

Trick worms work great also. Good Luck

[lilcraw]

I agree with Balsa, I have fished that rig for 15 years now, everyone like throwing lizards I prefer a Zoom little Critter craw, I catch more fish on it seems like, when I do throw a lizard I usually die the tail Chart. the key is working it along S L O W,,,, slower the better and the hook set is the most important of all, reel down tight and SWEEP the hook set......by just setting the hook as you would with a worm or jig the sinker will take the shock and you will never get good penetration, by sweeping it you will have alot better hook up ratio and as you sweep keep reeling and keep right on coming with it. It is a great way to fish and produce some really BIG bass. I use a 7 1/2 flipping stick Heavy Action with 60lb braid and normally a 5-6 foot leader of 12lb P-Line with a 2/0 hook......... the braid will also improve your hook set.

GOOD LUCK

[nick pogue]

thanks for your help

[Mac10]

Welcome to the board, Nick!

Another approach to this is to use a 1/8 ounce bullet sinker, two glass beads and a swivel. After you tie on the swivel, add a 4 foot leader and your soft plastic and hook, both being weightless. In this manner, you are lettting the lure slow fall at a fairly slow rate until the bullet sinker hits bottom and then allowing the lure to free fall very slowly for the last 4 feet.

If you have weeds, try stuffing a tube with a piece of foam packing peanut....just enough to make it rise, but not enough to make the sinker lift off the bottom. Fishing s l o w l y as mentioned earlier in the thread is a must.

As you can imagine, this is a finesse approach to Carolina rigging and will produce well. I'd try 6 lb test line for both the line and leader. One lure that works exceptionally well for this is the body from a Zoom Speedworm. I simply cut or pinch off the tail and texpose the worm body on a 2/0 hook and fish it weightless...both on and off the Carolina Rig. Watermelon/RED is the best by far of all the colors Zoom offers in this lure. Green with red glitter.

You have a lot of good advice so far in this thread, and by offering a lighter approach in no way should be taken as disagreeing with the advice already given....it's just another approach to try. Good fisning to all, Mac

[nick pogue]

I would like to tell all of thanks for all of your help. I caught my first one this weekend. not a keeper but it was a bass. the things i changed was the leader and weight (from p-line to vanish and egg sinker to bullet 1/2 oz) and it seemed to work. thanks for all your help.

[willie525]

ive never done good on it ether. but my friends swear by a large worm(10in or better) or a 6 inch lizzard in pumpkin with a chartruce tail.

[bassman843]

does anybody use this in the summer time to catch deep bass

[lilcraw]

I have fished that rig in all depths with great results sown to 30 foot anyway, that is deep for here in Northern Indiana natural lakes. Have also worked a number 7 floating Rapala on a 2 foot leader and 1 oz weight down deep and did really well too.

[bassmaster1974]

I have been using a C.Rig for a looooong time now. I can tell you that most all of my tournaments that I have placed/won when I was fishing deep water,the rig had a part in it almost every time. I am a deep crankbait junky. 9 time out of 10,If I have a 20lb+ bag everyone knows my deep cranking bite was on. BUT that is not all there is to my deep water structure fishing.When the bite dies(as crankbait bites often do)for periods through the day,I go back over my cranking holes with a c.rig and I can almost always pick up another bass or 2.Usually one will be a bigger kicker fish.The above works wonderful when I am fishing my home lake(Guntersville).A LOT of my 6lb+ bass actually came off my deep areas on a c.rig.

One thing to remember is that the shallower you are, you usually need to drop weight.I have had much more success with lighter weights in shallow water.If I am 8-10' I use 1/2oz. Deeper than that and I will go as much as 1 1/4oz. Many overlook the c.rig early in the year during the pre spawn and spawning times when bass are roaming shallow spawning flats.Someone above mentioned a 1/4oz c.rig. Well,that is deadly early in the year in shallow water.Something about that bait gently gliding around behind that small weight kicking up silt that the females love.

When guiding my home water,most of my clients are not familiar with throwing a big deep crank all day.When I am catching big bass deep,I will give them c.rigs and let them drag them around those areas and catch some nice bass.Like everyone has told you.....keep that weight dragging slow on the bottom.Good Luck and Good Fishing.