Fish-finder rig (Carolina style)

This is the standard setup for bait-soaking on bottom for flounder or drum

Best for: Flounder Red Drum Black Drum Channel Catfish
Water: inletriverbaybridge

Schematic, not to scale. Hover, tap, or tab through the parts; the drawing isolates each one.

Terms usedMain line Sinker Bead Swivel Leader Hook sizes

Components

As listed in the rig record, top to bottom.

Main line through a sliding egg sinkerSinker
Bead (protects the knot from the sliding sinker)Bead
SwivelSwivel
Leader to hookHook

Setup

Hook: Circle or J hook sized to bait — for cut/live bait on bottom, a circle hook reduces deep-hooking on a fish you plan to release.
Weight: Egg sinker sized to hold bottom in current without being so heavy it kills the bait's natural movement — the sliding weight lets a fish take line without feeling resistance.
Leader: 12–24 inches of leader between swivel and hook is typical; lengthen in clearer water.

How to fish it

This is the standard setup for bait-soaking on bottom for flounder or drum — bait up, cast out, and let the sliding weight signal bites without the fish feeling it first.

When to use it

Inlets, channel edges, and bridge pilings with sand or shell bottom
Soaking a live minnow or a chunk of bait on a moving tide
Whenever a fish needs to move off with the bait before it feels weight

Common mistakes

Reeling up all the slack, which puts constant tension on the sliding sinker and can make a soft-mouthed fish like flounder drop the bait before the hookset
Skipping the bead between sinker and swivel — without it, the sliding sinker saws directly on the knot and can weaken or cut it
If there's a realistic chance a striped bass takes live/chunk bait on this rig, Virginia law requires a non-offset circle hook — see the Striped Bass Bait/Chunk Rig entry for the specific requirement.