09-09-2008, 07:34 PM
For lake fishing, I also think the Carolina rig is the best setup if you are going to lake fish and use a floating bait like Berkley. I don't lake fish for trout, but the Berkley Power Bait in corn yellow and flo orange has caught many stream trout for my kids, and now grand-kids. The big pink shrimp scented salmon eggs also work very well. For live bait, wax worms are hard to beat.
For non floating baits, it is great to have an ultra light open face spinning rig with 2 or 4 pound line. Use the swivel just like the Carolina Rig but do not use the sinker. In one of the eyes of the swivel, tie in a short, 2 inch is fine, piece of 2 pound mono. On this, lightly crimp the smallest split shot you can get away with. I have a couple ris that will cast a wax worm or salmon egg without any split shot. Whenever I get hung up in a stream, it is always the sinker going under a rock, not the hook. With this setup the split shot will easily pull free, you don't loose any line, hook, or have the trouble or retying, just crimp on another split shot and go.
With any kind of bait, I like #8 and #10 bait holder hooks. I have a special pair of pliers that I use to bend over the barb on the hook since I do not keep all that I catch. Hemostats easily remove the hook with little damage to the fish.
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For non floating baits, it is great to have an ultra light open face spinning rig with 2 or 4 pound line. Use the swivel just like the Carolina Rig but do not use the sinker. In one of the eyes of the swivel, tie in a short, 2 inch is fine, piece of 2 pound mono. On this, lightly crimp the smallest split shot you can get away with. I have a couple ris that will cast a wax worm or salmon egg without any split shot. Whenever I get hung up in a stream, it is always the sinker going under a rock, not the hook. With this setup the split shot will easily pull free, you don't loose any line, hook, or have the trouble or retying, just crimp on another split shot and go.
With any kind of bait, I like #8 and #10 bait holder hooks. I have a special pair of pliers that I use to bend over the barb on the hook since I do not keep all that I catch. Hemostats easily remove the hook with little damage to the fish.
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