C-Rig vs drop-shot 2024

NHBull reply :

Admididally these techniques make up a small percentage of time in hand.

My question is, what technique when?

I find myself in situations lend themselves to both and naturally go for the dropshot by default.

Any input is appreciated as I really what to get comfortable with all techniques

Thanks,Al

scaleface reply :

I use the C-rig with a 3/4 ounce weight to cover deep water fast .

Attila reply :

Think of the Carolina rig as more of a search rig that covers the deeper water spectrum on ledges, etc. whereas a drop shot is more of a technique to use once a concentration of fish has been located, similar to a Texas rigged plastic that is thrown once fish are located via squarebill or spinnerbait.

Hope that helps!

TOXIC reply :

C-rig when they're looking down, Dropshot when they are looking up.

Skunked again reply :

How do you know when their looking up or down?

TOXIC reply :

Usually by my graphs and where they are located. If they are hugging the bottom, normally they are C-rig fish. If they are suspended, then a drop-shot. I will throw both and see which one works.

Todd2 reply :

The drop shot has all but replaced the c-rig for me. I haven't thrown the old ball and chain very much at all this year.

For me...the advantages are easier bite detection and hooksets. Plus more fish it seems.

DavidIsWinning reply :

On 6/14/2017 at 9:28 PM, Attila said:

Think of the Carolina rig as more of a search rig that covers the deeper water spectrum on ledges, etc. whereas a drop shot is more of a technique to use once a concentration of fish has been located, similar to a Texas rigged plastic that is thrown once fish are located via squarebill or spinnerbait.

Hope that helps!

I agree with this, but with that said, I find myself throwing the dropshot a lot more than the C-rig even when I understand when to throw one over the other lol

WRB reply :

Horizontal vs vertical.

Tom

RoLo reply :

The major difference between the two rigs is that the sinker on a Carolina rig lies in 'front' of the hook,

while the sinker on a drop-shot rig lies 'below' the hook.

With a Carolina rig, a taut line gives the angler direct contact to the sinker, but contact with the bait

is indirect, as it depends on the tautness or slackness in the leader. For this reason, a heavy sinker

can be used on a C-rig without the weight directly affecting the action of the bait.

Carolina rigs are best suited for deep water, windy weather and for area coverage.

With a drop-shot rig, a taut line gives the angler direct contact to the hook and bait,

and movement at the hook is directly transmitted to the rod. Inversely, any rod-tip movement

on a taut line is directly transmitted to the bait, unlike a C-rig. Drop-shotting is a highly versatile rig,

and though it lacks the area coverage of a Carolina rig, it gives the angler greater control & sensitivity.

In my case, I always have a paper route of waypoints that I fish on the way out,

and again on the way in. So I have no use for the ball-and-chain search bait, as it were (C-rig).

For me at least, the choice of bottom rigs is between a jig, drop-shot rig and shaky head.

Roger

Fishin' Fool reply :

NHBull I know this isnt answering your question but a drop shot is one of those rods I have tied on every time I hit the water.

NHBull reply :

On 6/15/2017 at 6:22 AM, Fishin' Fool said:

NHBull I know this answering your question but a drop shot is one of those rods I have tied on every time I hit the water.

Good enough for me, thanks

Fishin' Fool reply :

On 6/15/2017 at 7:23 AM, NHBull said:

Good enough for me, thanks

This was two weeks ago from tomorrow. Easily caught 50+ fish that day almost all on a drop shot.

A-Jay reply :

Drop shot ALL SUMMER.

C-Rig. NEVER.

A-Jay

Todd2 reply :

I've only been fishing it for a couple of years but I can say I've caught them in cold water..warm water. I've seen it work on clear sunny days in clear water and as I found out this past Sunday night, it also works in stained water at night. Its to the point where when I am throwing something else and not getting bit, I'm eyeballing that DS rod on the deck..maybe too early.

papajoe222 reply :

Although a C-rig has been a staple, deep water presentation for me over the years, a 'bubba' drop shot has all but replaced it. I'm casting it most often and a short (18in.) drop to the heavier weight keeps the bait just off the bottom for the majority of my retrieve. That's where I prefer a C-rig's bait, but bite detection isn't only easier to detect, I feel I'm missing fewer bites now. I'm still covering water as quickly. The only downside is I used tungsten or brass weights for C-rigs and I'm using all lead for the 'bubba' rig so I sacrifice a little of the bottom information.

Bluebasser86 reply :

C rig is for covering water, while the dropshot is a target rig. Fling the C rig across a point until you find some fish, then park over the top of them and drop the DS down to them and shake it in their faces.

I hate fishing both of them, but there's not denying how effective they are.

Todd2 reply :

There seem to be a lot of self imposed restrictions put on the drop shot. A drop shot is a hook/lure up the line with a weight on the end..that's it. You can use the popular DS type plastics or any other. I throw the same worms I throw on a T-rig. Drag it along with pauses in between. When you hit the sweet spot...let it soak longer on semi tight line. With my lake , the thermocline setups up at 8-12 feet so I'm fishing it more horizontally than vertically. I do use spinning gear..but would have no problem bumping line size on a casting reel, I just don't have a need here. Get out and sling one this summer.

KCFinesse reply :

I fish there Carolina rig when covering a large amount of area with roaming or spread out fish. I power shot some of the same areas if the fish are holding tighter to cover. The power shot allows you to work the bait stationary when you feel something different in the bottom composition. Traditional finesse-y drop shot is a little different game.

C-rigs still have a time and a place, and a lightweight Carolina rig is super under-utilized for locating spread out neutral to negative fish.

-Jared

WRB reply :

On 6/19/2017 at 12:37 AM, KCFinesse said:

I fish there Carolina rig when covering a large amount of area with roaming or spread out fish. I power shot some of the same areas if the fish are holding tighter to cover. The power shot allows you to work the bait stationary when you feel something different in the bottom composition. Traditional finesse-y drop shot is a little different game.

C-rigs still have a time and a place, and a lightweight Carolina rig is super under-utilized for locating spread out neutral to negative fish.

-Jared

Define light weight C-rig;

Carolina rig with bead and weight less than 1/2 oz.

Slip shot rig /finesse C-rig, rigged on main line without swivel.

Mojo rig, split shot rig using a pegged mojo cyclinder weight on main line.

All are excellent horizontal presented rigs, weight in front of lure.

Drop shot is weight below the lure presented vertically.

You can cast and drag a drop shot rig and fish a C-rig vertically, you will catch more bass however fishing a drop shot vertical and casting a C-rig horizontal.

Tom

WRB reply :

On 6/14/2017 at 9:56 PM, Skunked again said:

How do you know when their looking up or down?

By the type of prey they are feeding on.

The bass look up for pelagic baitfish, terrestrial critters or anything in the mid to top of the water column. Bass look down for dermasel baitfish, crawdads or anything on or near the bottom.

To determine where the bass are located use your sonar unit or catch few and take note where and how they strike.

Tom

Montanaro reply :

I use it vertical and horizontal. Caught some nice bass dragging across points like a c-rig. Just need to use right weight

TOXIC reply :

Here's a fun fact since I have been going to lake St Clair in Michigan for 14 years....In the early days, you could not throw a dropshot on St Clair. Why you ask? Because of a bleed over regulation from the other species on the lake. The Michigan DNR in order to control "Snagging" of fish ruled that ANY presentation where the weight was below the hook is prohibited. It has since been changed.

Joshua Vandamm reply :

I’m just getting into d-shot but I’ve really recognized it’s superior versatility for some time. It’s vertical and horizontal like ppl say. The one advantage of c-rig is that it’s free floating so it does look more natural when on the move imo.

FishDewd reply :

A lot of people use the c-rig to search water... I don't. I don't really like the c-rig much cause for me it is very unproductive. Dopshot on the other hand... highly productive. Yes, it is slower but that is normally what I want. I use it slowly and methodically search an area. It tells me all the same things as a c-rig does about contour, just on a slower scale. It can be used for fish looking up or down depending on how it is rigged. A short dopshot is a "power shot" rig technically and can be used when the fish are low in the water column, just like the c-ig is, but slower. I love the dopshot when I am fishing for baitfish, especially along banks. Want to make those perch come out of their grass hideouts? Throw the dropshot and fish it very slowly. Ned rig slow. It'll also work for catfish, bass... you name it. There's a lot of ways to ig and run them, but the right answer depends upon the circumstance. I'm hardly an expert at them, but I've done well on dropshots. Lot better than I have on c-rigs.

mattkenzer reply :

Dropping the trolling motor and towing the C-Rig at a predetermined depth will find you fish.

Bottom contact is a must.

RB 77 reply :

On 6/15/2017 at 10:35 AM, A-Jay said:

Drop shot ALL SUMMER.

C-Rig. NEVER.

A-Jay

I'm pretty darn close to this myself. haha

Bankbeater reply :

If I have a choice I will fish a drop shot rig. Fishing a c-rig always reminds me of throwing rocks into the water.

bunz559 reply :

Drop shot is the way to go for me. It could just be confidence but drop shotting can be fished fast as well. Pitch, twitch, reel back, and repeat. I'm used to making long casts with the c-rig and slowly dragging the bait on the bottom. At that point, the preferred bait is to drag a jig or large texas rigged worm.

Brad in Texas reply :

So many really good points, especially the post properly defining a drop shot as being simply any rig where the weight is below the hook. It actually goes by another name for this very reason: down shot.

What happened with the drop shot is it became tightly associated with its finesse presentation: light lines of 6 or 8 lbs. leaders or main lines, on light tackle, hooks as small as #4s, tiny slender plastics. But, it is a heck of a presentation with a large weight used to crash through vegetation mats pulling behind it a larger, bulkier plastic like a creature bait.

The length between the hook and sinker is often a big deal. I wanted to mention that in addition to the Gamakatsu swivel drop shot hooks that there are sources for very stout hooks in the 3/0 and 4/0 range which also use a swivel and a "pinch grip" for a separate line down from the hook to the weight. This way, you can experiment with a 6" spread, a 12", really any spread by just attaching a different length line down to the sinker. Sometimes they want the bait just off the bottom, almost as tight as a nose weighted worm, other times 3 feet off the bottom.

I actually have a better hook-up ratio with a Roboworm Rebarb type hook as it has the hook point lying under the skin at an angle when T-Rigged that comes flying out and snags more fish for me.

I rarely use much of a retrieval pace, prefer to let my drop shots sit stationary, maybe lift it a few times back in my direction before I reel up and re-cast it.

C-Rig = search presentation for me. Big weights are to get it down fast, hold contact with the bottom, stir up the mud and detritus like a cloud to attract fish.

Both presentations, for sure, can be fished like the other.

Brad

8419

C-Rig vs drop-shot 2024

related Fishing Tackle topic

previous topic

next topic

most viewed Fishing Tackle topic