Hate fishing it but need to learn. Biggest thing is that the bait goes 15'-20' further than the weight. Suggestions?

i used to hate it also and i was a die hard texas rig guy.

The very first thing i can tell you to do on my short experience is: get a good rod. I began carolina rig with the wrong rod and it doesn't work and get difficult and complicated. I bought a Falcon Cara 7'6" Heavy aka Carolina Cara. super sensitive and it does make the difference.

now i am a die hard carolina rig guy on anything under 10 feet you can cover great distance and find the fish

What's the length of rod you're using? Size weight?

It's more of a lob compared to a normal cast.

I like a light C-Rig with no clickers for sound. I peg the weight for coming through brush and keeping the bait from out running the weight. Problem solved.

Agree with burton, setup is everything. Just play around with leader length until you find one you can be comfortable with. Everyone has a different opinion on that. The rod has to be stiff enough for a strong hook set. I prefer a lighter line strength on the leader. CR is my go to when the fishing gets tough. There are so many places to use it (deep, shallow). I like to use it to locate structure. This is like every technique it is a must in your arsenal. I have spots where this will be the only way to get a bite. Example: last week on Cedar I fished a dock that is one of the good ones. I flipped it with everything I had. No luck. I backed off thru a CR and caught several nice fish on the corners.

Focus on casting the weight, not the bait.

the rod makes all the difference in the world especially when dealing with brush / cover. you want something with plenty of power to get a big fish out of cover, but you need some tip for casting and to help play the fish. 7'6" is all i use and i also switched to the Falcon carolina cara last year, the 7'6" model is CC-7-176H, they also make a 7'2" 8 power

slow side arm cast

I usually slow the cast down slightly with my thumb as the rig is about to hit the water. That weight will catch up to the swivel very quickly.

I use a 7'6 Dobyns 764C Champion Series Rod. They're right, the right rod makes a world of difference.

Most of the time I use a 1oz. Tungstun bullet weight and glass bead. The tungstun makes all the difference IMO. I can feel everything with that size of weight. I look for rocky points, and fish a baby brush hog most of the time. Caught some fish this weekend on CR with a Super Fluke.

Pretty deadly. You can use the CR to find fish, and to decipher structure, cover, and bottom composition.

The CR is a must in my opinion. And I love catching big uns with it!

peg the weight about 18" from the bait.

I only use 7'11" rods. I didn't use the C-rig until about five years ago. Now, I "don't leave home without two rods rigged.
You have to lob it, that's where the long rod helps. I use 50# braid with a 12# 0r a 14# leader,
I use a medium heavy action Okuma, Halo, and 13.
Works great, and with the heavy slip sinker, no problem throwing into the wind.
Good Luck

Use a One Ounce weight. problem solved. Any less weight than that will cause the problem you are having.

Another thing, I use the CR as like a communication tool. It tells me exactly what's on bottom, and with some practice, you'll quickly learn the difference between rock, wood, sand, and grass bottoms. That's why the 1oz Tungstun is important. You can feel everything.

^^ this