Tackle and rigging for chinquapins can be as simple as a No. 2 hook on monofilament line with a couple of split shot for weight.
At Lake Claude Bennett, Jasper County angler Richard Lynch uses this type rig on many of his rods with a couple of simple modifications.
“Since there’s a few snags out there in the water, I like to slide a 1/8-ounce bullet weight ahead of the split shot,” he said. “The bullet weight will slide over some of the snags encountered when you’re reeling the line back in.”
When casting from the bank in shallow water fishing, Lynch he slides a small, 2-inch crappie float on the line ahead of both weights. Ordinarily, he would peg the cork when fishing for bluegills but leaves the peg out for chinquapins.
“The cork acts as a strike indicator,” he said. “The weight is on the bottom but the cork holds the line up. I use 10-pound test line. Chinquapins aren’t line shy at all and the larger line helps you land the occasional channel catfish or largemouth bass that comes along.
“When a chinquapin picks up the bait and heads straight back to the bank it’s sometimes hard to tell without the cork. If the cork starts moving off in one direction, you know he’s got it and you can set the hook.”
The benefits of not pegging the cork are (1) it offers no resistance to a retreating fish and (2) there’s no danger of the cork dragging the bait off the bottom.
Lynch says the cork will move freely up and down the line but slides back to the weight while he’s fighting a fish.
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