carolina help

[RyanMiller]

so recently ive decided to started using worms and plastics instead of my usuall crankbaits and jerkbaits. i set up and crazy leg chigger craw on a caroline rig today and went fishing, i fished it everyway possible and and everywhere i usually catch fish and not one nibble....what am i doing wrong? how do i detect a strike?
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[booyah]

Hi Ryan and welcome to the forum.

I'm sure some of the local experts will come along and give you some pointers, but for me the first time I went fishing with a rubber worm I didn't catch anything, either. However, with practice and patience (you need lots of both to fish this way) you can catch fish.

Having success with a worm is usually more dependent upon where you fish it. If you throw it next to cover like stumps, laydowns, holes in weedbeds and lilypads, you can usually catch something. If you're fishing for bass then the best place is wherever there is cover or structure, like underwater ledges, holes, and rocks. There are hundreds of colors, but black, purple, pumpkinseed, and watermelon are the most popular.

Texas rigging works great also, of course. There are about as many ways to fish a worm as there are different styles of worm. Try different tactics and see which ones work for you.
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[RyanMiller]

yeah i tried a texas rigged chigger craw and a shaky head and nothing i was casting near lilly pad edges and the shore, how do i detect a strike when fishing with a worm?
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[booyah]

Well, that would depend on the type of pole you are using. There are poles specially made for jigging rubber worms. Because the strike isn't usually a "strike" but more of an "inhale" you need a sensitive pole to detect when the worm is taken. Again, even with the right pole it still takes practice and patience.

Check out this article [url "http://www.fishsniffer.com/technique/lhworms.html"]"Worming Your Way To Quality Bass Fishing"[/url] by Larry Hemphill. Has some great tips and info.
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[RyanMiller]

i was using a 6 foot rod i think, how would i know if the fish inhaled it, ive read that you need to keep an eye on the string and if it moves or starts running set the hook butttttt i dont know
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[booyah]

Yep, that's right. That's what I usually do. You also want to make sure you keep some line tension between you and the worm - not a lot, but enough so that if a fish does take it you'll see the line play out. I've also had them gulp it when it's floating down after a cast and sometimes while I'm reeling (very slowly, bumping it along) I can feel a "tug".
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[RyanMiller]

yeah i would slowly lift my rod tip and let it sink looking at the line, if they bit i would have saw or felt it, im completly stumped why i didnt get anything for the 3 hours i was there, they were jumping all over the lake i saw them i dont know what was going on [crazy]
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[booyah]

Read that article I linked to above. It has a lot of info and tips. Getting your fish depends on a lot of factors - the weather, time of day, water conditions, the structure you're fishing, and the mood of the fish.

If you're not catching anything in a certain spot then move to another spot. Trying different areas with a mind to cover and underwater structure (and the above factors I mentioned) is the best way to "find" where the fish are.

Try different colored worms, too. You never know what color they may hit on. Also remember that sometimes they just don't want worms.
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[bigpikeguy]

Dont get frustrated, it sounds like what you are doing is right. I took my boat out saturday on a lake i fish all the time and the first 2 hours that i was there i did not get a thing! i moved from place to place fishing all different kinds of structure and i finally found the lure the fish wanted and the structure that the fish were on. The killer combo was to fish and X-rap on a weedline next to rocks. The end result was i got alot of bass. My point is if you fish and area for most than 10 min or so and you dont get anything either the fish are not there or you are not throwing the right lure or color. So you can either move or before you do that try throwing something different or same thing but a different color. The funny thing is, once i started to catch fish i tried throwing a spinner bait and i did not catch a think. Why? because that is not what the fish wanted at that paticular time. The more you fish, the more you will start to see patterns like this. Use what i had to say and i promise you that you will catch more fish.
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[RyanMiller]

good news boys, i caught a bass on this rig finaly [] im almost positive it was all luck because i felt no strike or 'inhale' and i just set the hook and there was a fish on the other end, ill take it[fishin]
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[Edgy779]

Even if you have the slightest doubt, set the hook, swings are free =) and you know whats worse then no getting a single bit? Getting 12 hits within 20 minutes not catching a thing... I also fish a very weedy area, so even if i have the slightest doubt if it is a fish or not, i wait for 5 seconds then try to set it, also you will notice bass will take the bait and run with it they won't stay in one spot most of the time, and if it pulls back it may be a fish. Remember swings are free, when in doubt, SET THE HOOK. you might get one
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[Edgy779]

Use a heavier tipped rod, because if the hook is buried in the worm sometimes it won't come out of the worm if you have a light rod, i have a light rod, and so i use a Yum dinger with the hook barely exposed.
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