I'm looking to gain experience with this rig this year. Do you use lead weights or tungsten? Also is it used mostly in the summer?

I can only give you my success stories with the c-rig. Ive caught plenty of fish in the spring and summer with it. I havent really tried it in the winter months, but I know guys who use it with success. I use flukes and lizards, tungsten weight, and a red or orange bead.

You do get a little better feel with tungsten (it's harder than lead), but lead or brass work well also. With Crig, use enough weight so that you can feel what the weight is doing (fishing more than 15 feet, I'm usually using one ounce). I use a plastic bead between the swivel knot and the weight. Typically it is used mostly in the summer, but can work year round. If you feel a tug or don't feel the weight anymore, reel in slack, then use a side hook set. Be prepared for deep hook removal through the gill--sometimes fish are hooked deeper on the crig.

In some situations, using a lighter crig can be good. If you want the bait to go through the top of grass, using half ounce or less weight depending on depth can work well.

I use lead weights normally 1/2 oz works but I'll go up to 1 oz depending on how deep im fishing. I also like to use plastics that have a little float to them. I like the baby brush hogs or biffle bugs for C-rig. And for line I use 20 lb floro mainline with a 15-20 lb big game mono leader

If you can afford to use and lose tungsten, it is the best to use. Keep in mind, you ARE going to hang up and break off. Using a lighter leader than main line helps to save your weight when you break off, but you will still lose a few.

I suggest starting off using brass. It's cheaper, smaller than lead and is a little more sensitive. Personally, I think the beads and all that stuff is waayyyyy over rated.

50lb braid mainline, 20lb big game leader, lead weight.. Ring fry or Brush hog.

I fish a C-rig all the time and almost all year long. When the water temp is below 50 I don't throw it because I use other baits when it gets that cold. I have used braid, fluorocarbon, and copolymer lines as a main line and have settled on using a copolymer line as my main line. I use 20 pound test McCoys mean green. It is strong and casts well. I get more bites with it than I did using braid. It has a little more stretch to it than Fluorocarbon does and that helps when the weight gets hung up. I can bow and snap the line and get it loose most of the time. Fluorocarbon did have better feel but I can detect a bite just fine with the McCoys. I use lead weights and glass beads or brass n glass. Either choice works well. With a copolymer line and lead you still can feel all you need to with the C-rig. I can tell if it is a soft or hard bottom, I can feel rocks on a road bed etc. I use a 3/4-1 oz weight most of the time. If im real shallow in the spring I will go to a 1/2 or (3/4 if it is windy) but still fishing shallow. In the spring I use a shorter leader than I do any other time. I use a 15 pound test leader of P-line CXX.

Many baits work well with a C-rig and there are a ton of them to choose from.

Use it all year long. This is the only bait I'm a firm believer in lead weights 3/4 or 1 Oz mainly. The bigger profile stirs up more which gets thier attention. I use a 20lb copolymer leader and 50 or 65lb braid red bead and a brass clacker. 4/0 hook generally.

My biggest fish to date was caught on a carolina rig in 25ft of water during December. I haven't had much luck with it up in shallow water. I am still gaining confidence with it up shallow. I use the carolina rig kit that you can buy at academy, but I then cut the metal off and put the weight, glass ball and keeper directly on my line with about a 12-15 inch leader. I run 17 lb fluorocarbon line with a 12 lb mono leader.

I use the strike king Carolina rig tungsten weights in 1/2oz most of the time. I also always use a Carolina keeper so I can adjust the leader length easily if I need to. And a trick worm 90% of the time.
All great advice above

I use a 1/2 ounce lead egg sinker shallower than 15 foot. Deeper than that I go to 1 ounce egg sinker. I run a 20 to 24 inch leader trying to always use a soft plastic that floats. I run a bead to protect the knot between the barrel swivel and egg sinker. I fish it all year long.

In shallower water, you wanna finesse your c rig, shorter leader and smaller weight and sometimes smaller line.

I once watched a video from the C-rig master Paul Elias, and he said that he has experimented with long and short leaders and this is what he came up with. He reels the weight to the tip of the rod and has the bait hang somewhere between the last two guides on the rod. That's what I do unless I am fishing in shallow water, then I will shorten the leader to about 18 inches.

I use cheap lead egg sinkers too. 3/4 and up. Unlikely a post earlier, I don't have a problem w/ deep hooked fish. Usually this has to do w/ using wrong rod, IMO. Too light of action

50# braid mainline, 20# big game leader (Seaguar red label in really clear water) 3/4 oz to occasionally 1/2 oz. lead weight, plastic bead, 24-30 inch leader. G.Loomis BCR 875 Carolina rod. It's a beast!