Wacky Rig

Wacky Rig lures could be categories as any contact category but best fit minimal contact lures as the lure action stops when the lure comes into contact with cover. Wacky rigs are known for their natural looking subtle, slow fall rate, undulating lure action with a soft plastic worm that attracts the bass during the fall generally before contacting cover or bottom. Wacky Rig is also known for fishing slow, used in high pressured water and for skip casting scenarios.

Anatomy: Wacky Rig lures are soft bait lures made up of a soft plastic worm and a wacky hook. Some add a O-Ring [Figure 2]  or plastic sleeve [Figure 1] to hold the hook as a measure to preserve a soft plastic worm for a longer period of time. 

Variants & Other Names: 

  • Senko:[Figure 1] Some refer to Wacky Rig as a Senko as Yamamoto Senko is a popular choice for Wacky Rig.
  • Stick Bait: Stick bait is the style of worm used on wacky rig.
  • Flick Shake Head: Sometimes the name used for a wacky jig head.  It is also known for a retrieve technique called Flick Shake technique.

Lure Action. Commonly described as a subtle undulating descent. 

Search Bait: Not Common, but with forward facing sonar some suggest presenting the wacky rig to the target spot and twitch retrieve out of the cover to find bass.

Pros’ Choice: Common

Figure 1: Gary Yamamoto 5" Baby Bass Sinko Worm Stick Bait with Crossover Ring
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When to Fish Wacky Rig

Wacky Rigs are  minimal contact lures typically selected when:   

  • Targeted Depth is:
    • Shallow: Common. 
    • Deep(Offshore):  Not common. If deep, generally a hook weight [Figure 6]  or a wacky jig head [Figure7, 8] is used.
  • Fishing Speed:
    • Slow: Common to be considered a slow fishing technique as each cast sinks slowly to the bottom. That time lapse is compensated somewhat as the lure is typically retrieved very quickly once the lure hits bottom. In other words, as long as the lure isn’t left sitting on the bottom for an extended period many casts can be made in a reasonably short period of time. 
    • Fast: Not commonly considered a fast fishing lure but when used to target specific cover, for example, docks or grass clumps or other targeted cover can be fished reasonably quickly.
Figure 2: ZinkerZ Green Pumpkin Stick Bait with O-RIng
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  • Lure Visibility is:
    • High Lure Visibility: Common, as a natural slow moving presentation. 
    • Low Lure Visibility: Not common.
  • Targeting Cover: Wacky rig lures are common near cover but actually targeting cover considerations are:
    • Grass: Common, but the lure will stop descending when the lure comes into contact with the grass. The goal is for the lure to pull the bass out off the grass cover as indicated by the light spinning rod and light fishing line typically used.
      • Weedless: [Figure 4, 6] Weedless hooks can help reduce snags with minimal grass contact.
    • Rock: Less common, albeit common as a follow-up lure. 
    • Wood: Less common, as it is easily snagged on wood, albeit more common with the use of forward facing sonar.
    • Dock: Common, for skip casting under docks. Some suggest using a weedguard hook[Figure 4] to avoid getting stuck on the dock should the lure accidently come into contact.
    • Off Cover: Less common for suspended bass albeit common for sight fishing, targeting wolf packs, and as a follow-up bait.
  • Soft Bottom vs Hard Bottom: Not common to target the bottom. With hard bottom the lure may be dead sticked for a while or even hopped or twitched for a short period of time prior to returning the lure back to the boat. On soft bottom slight disturbance in the soft bottom may get the bass’ attention but some suggest returning the lure back to the boat immediately as it will get covered in silt. 
Specific Wacky Rig Lure Decisions

Selecting the Wacky Rig Lure Type, as a soft bait lure type,  there are the following key decisions: 

  • Soft Plastic:  
    • Common:
      • Worm: For soft bait worms, it is common to use a stick bait worm and less common is a straight tail worm. 
  • Size: Also available in different widths:
    • Small: 3″ and 4″: 
    • Common: 5″
    • Large: 6″ and 7″ 
Figure 3: Yamasenko Watermelon Gream Lam 5 Inch Worm Stick Bait
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  • Lure Color: As lure color selection is mostly tied to the lure visibility download the Acute Lure Color Breakdown™ Infographic.
Download the Acute Lure Color Breakdown™ Infographic
Rigging Decisions

As a soft bait lure type, the common rigging considerations includes: 

  • Hook:
    • Type:
      • Wacky Rig Hooks:  [Figure 1,2] Octopus style hooks with a short shank and a wide gap good for holding the soft plastic worm while providing room for hooking fish.  Available with a weedless option [Figure 4].
      • Neko Rig Hooks: [Figure 5] Also common, as they are also used for those that prefer a long straight shank hook. 
    • Hook Size: 
      • Small: 4, 2, 1
      • Common: 1/0, 2/0
      • Large: 3/0 to 5/0
    • Add-on Weight: [Figure 6] Not Common but if weight is desired some suggest using wacky as Wacky Jig Head [Figure 6,7] to provide the desired extra weight.
      Alternatively, if a wacky jig head isn’t available, clip on weights that are attached to the hook. Also, the weight will provide more action to the soft plastic worm.
      • Neko Rig: Neko is a wacky rig with a weight in the soft plastic worm instead of near the hook. It is similar in look and rigging but generally selected under different circumstances.
  • Jig Head: [Figure 7, 8] Less common are wacky jig head which have weedless option, plus they come in different colors.
    • Hook Size:
      • Small: –
      • Common: 1/0, 2/0
      • Large: 3/0
    • Weight:
      • Light: 1/16 oz, 3/32 oz, 2/16 oz
      • Common: 3/16, 1/8 oz
      • Heavy: 1/4 oz
  • Soft Plastic Setup: There are three main options:
    • Direct: Place the soft bait directly on the hook. 
    • O-Ring: [Figure 2] Place a O-ring to the soft plastic worm then place the hook on the O-Ring. O-ring tool [Figure 9] can be used to assist.
    • Plastic Ring: [Figure 1] Tie the soft bait via the plastic ring. It provides two options for hook placement which are parallel to the soft plastic worm, like the O-ring, or perpendicular to the soft plastic worm. Plastic ring tool [Figure 10] can be used to assist.
 
FIgure 4: Gamakatsu Wicked Wacky
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Figure 5: VMC Neko Hook
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Figure 6: Tungsten Pro Wacky Weight
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Figure 7: Berkley Fusion19 Weighted Wacky Head
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Figure 8: Gamakatsu Wacky Head
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  • Main Line: Common to use braid
    • Light: 10 lb test to 12 lb test.
    • Common: 12 lb test to 20 lb test.
    • Heavy: 20 lb test plus.
  • Leader: Common for a fluorocarbon leader which allows the lure to sink better and has minimum visibility.
    • Light: 4 lb test to 7 lb test. Not common, some suggest in very high lure visibility scenarios.
    • Common: 8 lb test to 12 lb test
    • Heavy: 12 lb test plus.
  • Rod:
    • Spinning Rod: Common with Power = Medium Light (some suggest Medium) and Action(Taper) = Fast or Extra Fast.  If heavy cover is nearby, as in the bass can swim into the grass, rod power of medium heavy may be suggest.
      • Reel: Some consider all purpose 3000 or 2500 spool size if only doing short casts. All purpose gear ratio of 6 to 7.5 where some suggest faster to get the lure back to the boat quickly.
  • Baitcaster Rod: Not common. 
Download Infographic
Figure 9: Wacky Rig Tool - For O Rings
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Figure 10: VMC® Crossover Pliers™ and Crossover Ring™
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Figure 11: Mustad Offset Wacky Neko Ring
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Wacky Rig Presentations

Presentations for wacky rig are commonly considered a vertical presentation and a slack line presentation with the following considerations:

  • Cast Techniques: 
  • Initial Lure Action: The wacky worm drops vertically on a slack line until it is picked up by a fish or hits the bottom. Hitting bottom can be identified as when the line goes further slack. No rod movement is necessary as the soft bait worm provides the lure’s action. Some will twitch the soft plastic worm on the bottom prior to the retrieve. 
  •  Retrieve Techniques: Some suggest the retrieve duration should be dictated by the cover. For example, once the lure is no longer under the dock, reel it in quickly back to the boat and cast again. In other words, when outside the strike zone, quickly retrieve back to the boat. Note, some suggest the bass will follow the slow moving worm including right to the boat. 
    • Common:
      • Back to Boat: Some suggest a couple hops as part of the initial action and then return directly to the boat. Some suggest when the lure hits the bottom to bring it back to the boat.
      • Hop Retrieve:  Common for one to three short hops the quickly reel the lure back to the boat. Some will make a larger hop.
      • Twitch Retrieve: Some twitch the lure back to the boat just below the surface not letting the lure out of sight.
    • Less Common:
      • Drag Retrieve: A very slow retrieve to keep the lure on or near the bottom.
      • Dead-Stick: Letting the lure sit allows the bass time to commit. 
  • Secondary Action: Not common to augment the primary retrieve. 
  • Identifying Fish On: There are two phases to identifying fish on and neither rely on identifying fish on that augment feeling provided by the rod tip. First, during the initial action of the lure sinking to the bottom, fish on can be identified by watching the line to identify: 1. the line stops dropping, 2. the line moves to the side or 3. there is a jump in the line.  If none of these take place then when the lure reaches the bottom then during the start of the retrieve first remove the slack and then a light lift to see if there is a fish on. 
  • Hook Set: Typically, Once the slack is removed, and a fish is identified on, simply reeling in will provide enough weight to set the hook as it is a small hook  reel and rod hook set followed by landing the bass.
  • Repetition at Spots: Common, in high probability location possible from a different angle or when using forward facing sonar.
Additional Considerations
  • Seasons: Common all seasons including spring for non spawning bass near shallow shorelines as the water warms first, summer, possibly in shade such as docks and clumps and slightly less common for fall and winter as the water temperature drops first in the shallow water.  
  • Sight Fishing: Common.
  • Suspended Bass: Less Common, although some will let the lure drop through the suspended bass.
  • Follow-Up Bait: Common, some suggest the best due to the slow lure descent.
  • Targeting Wolf Packs: Common as the slow descent provides moving bass time to identify the lure.
  • Finger Touching Line: Some keep a finger touching the semi-slack line to help identify fish on. 
  • Neko Hook: Some like a Neko Hook for wacky rig due to the longer shank and different offset believing it better for hook sets of larger bass.
  • Gut Hook: The risk of gut hook is high as it is a slack line presentation as such concentration on the line during the initial action to the bottom is important and checking frequently when lure is on the bottom.
  • Windy Day Casting: Once the lure hits the water lower the rod so the line is in the water. This helps eliminate the wind catching the line and stopping the lure from descending.
  • Neko Rig: Neko rig is similar in look and rigging as it is a wacky rig with a weight at one end of the worm but the presentation can be quite different.
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