Poor Man's Carolina Rig 2025
Rhino68W reply :
I might get to fish a little in the morning and I am thinking about trying out the C rig. Problem is, I don't have and beads, or swivels. Would I be wrong for just running a bullet weight up the line a couple feet and very gently crimping the end? or breaking off a toothpick in the tip?
Ozark_Basser reply :
I'm not much on throwing the C-rig. I find it a pain and would rather just drag a jig, but you might as well just throw it with a split shot if you're gonna do that. 
I think guys that throw it like the beads knocking into each other, the weight, and the swivel for extra attraction.
I wouldn't mess with crimping the line with a bullet weight. Seems like you're asking for trouble, but that's just me.
Jay Ell Gee reply :
Beads, swivels, and egg sinkers should run you about ten dollars total. Pretty much anyone could afford that.
Look up "Carolina keepers" as well. That may be a decent cheap option.
Sam reply :
Carolina Keepers, as mentioned above, is the "poor man's Carolina rig."
Some guys like to use the Keepers as they do not create a weak link in the line where a Carolina rig has two weak points, above and below the swivel.
You can use a bullet weight or a number of bullet weights above the Keepers. You may have to use two or three Keepers to keep the weights at the desired place on the line.
Beads are used to 1) make sound like a crawfish and 2) to protect the swivel knot from the weight.
Use your needle nose pliers to move the Keepers up and down the line by squeezing them.
There are no set rules in bass fishing. Set up the rig anyway you want and go fishing.
Bluegiller reply :
I have used one of these from Bass Pro in the past.
Fishes in trees reply :
Me, if I was determined to crimp a weight on to my line, I'd use a weight that was designed for that, i.e. a soft lead split shot. An option might be to put your bullet weight on the line and crimp a small spilt shot beneath the sinker, leaving a leader to tie the hook on to. This would give you the benefit of a sliding sinker. Sometimes that isn't a benefit.
What you're wanting to do is basically a mojo rig. If you're short on beads & swivels, you probably don't have a mojo rig kit. Don't worry, when you get to be my age, you'll have a mojo rig kit. Finding it when you want it - that's another story.
Basically, use what you've got & figure it out. Another option ( this involves sacrificing the weight & some line) would be to loop the line through the worm sinker 2 or 3 times, leaving a long enough leader to tie your hook to. Secure the weight to the line using super glue. That avoids putting a crimp in the line, kinda.
Mike L reply :
Another option is to put a bobber stop above and behind your weight of choice, then just slide the whole thing up and down the line where you want it.
If you throw in a lot of grass it will have a tendency to move on you tho.
I always use a bober stop ahead of my weight when texas rigging soft plastics.
Especially in scattered grass.
Mike
Comfortably Numb reply :
Tie a nut on the line.
Alonerankin2 reply :
Work with what you have around you... You can make something work, while it may not be optimal, it can still be productive & enjoyable.
Rivers Edge reply :
A toothpick or bobber stop will work
kikstand454 reply :
Come on. ..... stop at a Walmart and get a 97¢ pack of swivels and go into the fabric dept and pick up a pack of beads for even less. Slap a black trick worm on there about 18" down from the swivel and catch fish!
Better question is. .... are you going to be fishing it in an area where a c-rig is productive? Because otherwise, you're just gonna be hung up alot and frustrated or not catching anything and dismiss the technique.
primetime reply :
Just peg a worm weight up your line 18" and if you want noise you can get a pack of cheap beads for .49....Brass weights are cheap as well. Great article on this site about using brass, glass, and straight worm hooks.
gardnerjigman reply :
On 10/17/2014 at 4:50 AM, kikstand454 said:Come on. ..... stop at a Walmart and get a 97¢ pack of swivels and go into the fabric dept and pick up a pack of beads for even less. Slap a black trick worm on there about 18" down from the swivel and catch fish!
Better question is. .... are you going to be fishing it in an area where a c-rig is productive? Because otherwise, you're just gonna be hung up alot and frustrated or not catching anything and dismiss the technique.
On 10/17/2014 at 6:53 AM, primetime said:Just peg a worm weight up your line 18" and if you want noise you can get a pack of cheap beads for .49....Brass weights are cheap as well. Great article on this site about using brass, glass, and straight worm hooks.
Totally agree. You can get carolina rig set ups cheap if you shop for them and think outside the box. I feel like if you don't have the bead "clicking" on the weight and swivel, then you might as well not waste your time and drag a jig or something...
tomustang reply :
Walmarts crafts department has beads cheap
dave reply :
Sounds like a split shot rig...
Catch and Grease reply :
But guys you HAVE to use a bead and swivel or you wont catch fish!
Felix77 reply :
When messing around from the bank I rigged up the following
Bullet weight
crimped a split shot about 18" above the hook.
Hook and finesse worm.
Worked out fine but you need to watch that your line does not fray from the cast and drag.
I do own carolina keepers and prefer that over anything else though. Have fun and try it out.
kikstand454 reply :
On 10/17/2014 at 9:02 PM, Catch and Grease said:But guys you HAVE to use a bead and swivel or you wont catch fish!
Well. ...no. ....you don't HAVE to. ...
But it helps.
Also. .....I'd see making massive modifications to a rigging if the parts were super expensive or something, but. ... like I said, you can get swivels and beads for less than 2 bucks. With a new technique it seems to me you would want to learn how to do the basic premise/principles with the normal tackle. .... and then modify it from there.
If the guy is constantly breaking off at the crimp, or isn't catching anything because of any number of factors related to his make shift rig. .... then he's going to get frustrated with the technique and give up on it- before he even actually does it right.
*shrug*
Jmo
dave reply :
On 10/17/2014 at 9:32 PM, Felix77 said:When messing around from the bank I rigged up the following
Bullet weight
crimped a split shot about 18" above the hook.
Hook and finesse worm.
Worked out fine but you need to watch that your line does not fray from the cast and drag.
I do own carolina keepers and prefer that over anything else though. Have fun and try it out.
Split shot rig...
J Francho reply :
I like the term "Quick n' Dirty" over "Poor man's" C-Rig. There's nothing particularly expensive about a C-Rig.
When you have a certain set of tools, and you want the bait to do something, or get through some cover to get to the fish, then do it. Don't worry if it's correct or not. Deal with the drawbacks as they occur. It beats not fishing and scratching your head because you didn't bring your "such and such" rig tackle.
Comfortably Numb reply :
I like heavy braid to the swivel. Flouro or mono leader to a light hook.
J Francho reply :
On 10/16/2014 at 11:34 AM, Rhino68W said:I might get to fish a little in the morning and I am thinking about trying out the C rig. Problem is, I don't have and beads, or swivels. Would I be wrong for just running a bullet weight up the line a couple feet and very gently crimping the end? or breaking off a toothpick in the tip?
On 10/17/2014 at 4:50 AM, kikstand454 said:Come on. ..... stop at a Walmart and get a 97¢ pack of swivels and go into the fabric dept and pick up a pack of beads for even less. Slap a black trick worm on there about 18" down from the swivel and catch fish!
Better question is. .... are you going to be fishing it in an area where a c-rig is productive? Because otherwise, you're just gonna be hung up alot and frustrated or not catching anything and dismiss the technique.
On 10/18/2014 at 1:47 AM, kikstand454 said:Well. ...no. ....you don't HAVE to. ...
But it helps.
Also. .....I'd see making massive modifications to a rigging if the parts were super expensive or something, but. ... like I said, you can get swivels and beads for less than 2 bucks. With a new technique it seems to me you would want to learn how to do the basic premise/principles with the normal tackle. .... and then modify it from there.
If the guy is constantly breaking off at the crimp, or isn't catching anything because of any number of factors related to his make shift rig. .... then he's going to get frustrated with the technique and give up on it- before he even actually does it right.
*shrug*
Jmo
On 10/17/2014 at 3:11 AM, Rivers Edge said:A toothpick or bobber stop will work
The guy was asking at almost midnight the night before fishing if something was worth trying. The tone is unnecessary, and I don't think this was about the actual cost of the accessories. The last quote answers the original question perfectly. I peg weights with toothpicks. Been doing it for years. I will say, asking about the fishing conditions is always a good idea, and engages the OP in a conversation. The rest of it, however discourages this.
Maybe there's a better way to word your posts? I'm not the best at this either, but I make an effort to be polite.
WRB reply :
The slip shot rig is what you are asking about, works good. Carolina Keeper is a good item to stop the weight where you want it. You can pinch on a small split shot to keep the weight up the line. The best method to do this is pinch on the round small split shot then slowly pull the line through the shot to the leader length you want and lightly re crimp it the shot. This method cuts a small slot in the shot and prevent nicking the line.
Good luck.
Tom
kikstand454 reply :
On 10/18/2014 at 4:19 AM, J Francho said:The guy was asking at almost midnight the night before fishing if something was worth trying. The tone is unnecessary, and I don't think this was about the actual cost of the accessories. The last quote answers the original question perfectly. I peg weights with toothpicks. Been doing it for years. I will say, asking about the fishing conditions is always a good idea, and engages the OP in a conversation. The rest of it, however discourages this.
Maybe there's a better way to word your posts? I'm not the best at this either, but I make an effort to be polite.
????
Well I didn't realize he was asking this question at midnight the night before, because I was answering it on my phone and it doesn't have time stamps. My original reply to the OP wasn't meant to be mean or snarky in anyway. ... more like a " rolling my eyes" response to just buy the appropriate materials in order to correctly "try" a new to him technique. What he was suggesting to do was not a Carolina rig. It was barely a split shot rig.
The part you highlighted was me offering up the most important part- it doesn't matter if its an "almost" Carolina rig. .... if he's not using it appropriately in the right scenario/area- he's going to get discouraged.
I elaborated on this in my second post. ... which was actually a reply to catch and grease - not the OP- stating that if you're going to try a new technique, I think the only way to give it a fair shot is to do it the way its "supposed" to be done first, before modifying it grotesquely and still calling it a Carolina rig. This was also not meant to be in any kind of mean tone.
I am sorry if you misread/ misinterpreted my comments. I hope the OP didn't do the same- as I meant no harm at all.
bigbill reply :
Just add a large split shot or two with a 20" leader.
In my beginning I had no money as a kid. I still didn't let that stop me. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich while fishing was a big plus.
I've caught fish with salami from my sandwich. I used the cheese too.
Ratherbfishing reply :
Pinch on a small split shot below and, if you so desire, above the bullet sinker. If you place the bait on the hook straight and proper-like, there should be minimal line twist-negating the need for a swivel. (If you ask me, two extra knots (and their inherent weakness) is not a particularly appealing trade off). The wasted time spent tying a "proper" carolina rig could better be spent actually fishing-at least until you determine if the rig is going to be effective. Oh, if you can get your hand on some speed beads, they will work great in place of split shot.
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