Fishing Tip Of The Week

[Lee Borgersen]

                     How To Fish Crawlers Carolina Style


   Crawlers should be hooked once right through the tip near the head end. They can also be hooked through the tip of the tail end, allowing for a very natural crawling motion. I have literally watched my line inch out away from me when fishing crawlers in this manner. The only drawback to this method is that they tend to break off on the cast much easier, and sometimes they will even break off on there own !
 

  Crawlers are best fished very slow with a short twitching motion (3 to 12 inches per twitch), or short slow drags, with pauses of several seconds in between. When I say slow, I mean SLOW ! To give you a better idea, a cast of about 30 feet should take at least 3 minutes to retrieve. Or, if you are fishing an area which you know to hold fish, it is often best to let the worm make any and all movements on its own.
 

  Worms should always be kept fresh and lively. Considering that most night crawlers are shipped down to us from Canada, they need to be kept cool at all times during storage. The crisper in your fridge will be great, but you might need to hide them from the wife. For transportation and while fishing, an ice box works fine.
  Water temperature plays a big part of how long a crawler will last on your hook. If the crawler starts to become limp and lifeless it should be replaced with a fresh one. You can put them back in a separate box, and by the next trip they will usually be good to go fishing for another round.


Most times I use 7.5 ft med/light rod....6 lb test....# 8 hook....1/4 oz barrel sinker....# 10 barrel swivel and at times inject air in crawler. 12 to 18 inch leader from the swivel to hook. On a tuff day a can of Bang Garlic Spray can make a difference.

Real crawlers should be hooked one time in the nose. You can also put a bead between the sinker and the swivel.

Just give it a shot some day and I'm sure you'll add this method to your bag of tricks.


Lee

*Nothing is more saddening to an honest angler than the sight of fish dying in polluted water, and that is chiefly because he looks on fish as his familiar friends, and grieves that they should be so sadly used.



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[DDSBYDAY]

    Lee, are you using Fluorocarbon for the leader or mono.  Fluorocarbon sinks faster than mono so I was wondering if you think it decreases the action of the crawler. 

[Fawkinnae]

One thing I didn't see in your very knowledgeable expose on crawler fishing is - so how long do you (meaning you, Lee Borgersen - and try not to think of me being your competition - because I might not be) let the fish take the bait before you set the hook?  Thanks man.

[Bobby Bass]

Lee, you never hook through the worms collar?

[Lee Borgersen]

    Lee, are you using Fluorocarbon for the leader or mono.  Fluorocarbon sinks faster than mono so I was wondering if you think it decreases the action of the crawler. 

"Lee, are you using Fluorocarbon for the leader or mono.  Fluorocarbon sinks faster than mono so I was wondering if you think it decreases the action of the crawler."


Good question.

Everyone has a different opinion of the various fishing lines on today's market. It's kind of like the old Ford versus Chevy controversy. If it works well for you it's the best. If it don't it sucks and you are glad to condemn it.

I like 6# test clear blue florescent Stren. It's clear under water but above the surface it's florescent and easy to view. Especially if your wearing sun glasses. Depending on the type of areas I fish, I do use a fluorocarbon leader if needed. The lake I guide is loaded with Zebra mussels with some areas worse than others. Fluorocarbon leaders would be the ticket in such areas. That also includes rocky snag filled areas. As far as the rate of drop of one line or the other I feel because of the type of sinker I used both lines will sink at the same rate.


Q. "Wondering if you think it decreases the action of the crawler":

A.  Fluorocarbon Is not as limp as the Stren mono and may decrease action but not significantly and using the periodic twitch or shake should suffice.

[Lee Borgersen]

One thing I didn't see in your very knowledgeable expose on crawler fishing is - so how long do you (meaning you, Lee Borgersen - and try not to think of me being your competition - because I might not be) let the fish take the bait before you set the hook?  Thanks man.

 
 
Well, the quickest answer to that is to set the hook when it's coming out of the fishes ass (that's way my son does it).

Unfortunately it's not as cut and dry as all that. Many days you have to just do it by trial and error. On some days the fish are in an aggressive mode and on other days a negative mode. You'll just have to figure it out according to the way they are biting on a given day.  I will commit to telling you that I always try to set the hook when the fish are moving with the bait.

For myself I always continue to maintain a straight direct angle between the fish and the rod tip ( always point your rod tip at the fish as he changes direction).  I also leave the anti reverse off on the reel so as the fish moves I back-reel at the same pace of the fishes movement. So, this way the fish feels no change in any line tension while running with the bait.

I always maintain a very slight bow in my line so if the fish decides to lurch off you can lower your tip promptly and sweep up quickly to set the hook.

This is the method I use when anchored or moving very slowly with a Carolina type set up. Trolling slip bobbin or dead sticking method varies a bit.


** When my clients ask me if they should set the hook yet I say: "Not yet...almost time....Ok Now!" If they miss the fish I say: "What the did you set the hook for?"   At that point the rest of the crew are laughing at him.

[Lee Borgersen]

Lee, you never hook through the worms collar?

I don't hook the worms wacky style when working Carolina rigs. It limits the action and downsizes the visibility when working along the bottom through weeds and cover. Otherwise I will work live crawlers wacky style with other presentations and even a wacky larger leech. By the way a larger (jumbo) leech will also work well on a Carolina rig since the action is outstanding and very natural.

[Carp]

I would think your worms would get taken off by the fish easily.
or most of the worm.

[Lee Borgersen]

I would think your worms would get taken off by the fish easily.
or most of the worm.

I would have to agree with you to some extent, however the lure of a whole crawler is deadly and hard to resist when it comes to bass, walleye and even northern. When hooked once in the nose it looks most natural during retrieve. The intent here is to put out the best crawler presentation possible, but if your going to start counting nickels and dimes then this system is not for you.

The days of threading a piece of crawler up your hook and pinching it in thirds is a lost art along with my grandfathers methods. If you find your sitting in a mess of gills then you won't want to use this system and I would move on unless your keeping gills.

The best way not to loose the large crawler is by timing your hook set and that comes with practice. :fishing2:

Speaking of gills, here are a few caught on the Carolina Rig and whole crawler while fishing for bass.

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[Carp]

Those are some nice sunfish!

[Lee Borgersen]

Here is a tip in life to follow for all younger fisherman. Stay clear of trouble.

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