wacky is as wacky does...

[SPOONMINNOW]

Senkos are a hit with many bass anglers especially wacky rigged where a hook is inserted into the middle of a stick-worm such as the Senko. The only success possible with the wacky rigged stick is the weight/ softness / tapered tips design - combination of the lure. What I wanted was a miniature of the wacky stick capable of catching most freshwater species.

At first, all I could think of was placing a stick lure approx. 2" long in hot plastic a few times to build the thickness. After that, all I needed was to stick a light jig hook through the middle and see how it sank in the water. This was the result:




Once I caught my first fish on it, I was off to the races - meaning - using different lures to make light sticks whether stick-like or some other shapes. Alway wacky-rigged with a ballhead jig weighing no more than 1/16 oz. here are a few examples:
Two grub bodies melted together:


Cone tails added to the ends of a curl-tail grub body (minus the curl tails):


Thinner, more tapered stick tails fused to grub bodies:


Larger tapered sticks:


The lure no matter the size is usually cast far and allowed to drop. The vertical drop can be with or without rod tip twitches or a combination of both. This design and those similar have caught many bass and panfish using 8# test braid.

 

[jiggerjohn]

Great photos and a very accurate description of your deadly dropping method! I say "your" in that you've practically invented, certainly worked more with, the UL approach to wacky rigging, especially for nice sized panfish ! And I can attest that it's a very exciting way to take 'em !

 

[SPOONMINNOW]

Thanks John
You are my best (only) source for testing my ideas. Hope the lures I sent catch a bunch!

Frank

 

[Hawnjigs]

Wow SM, our approaches to jig fishing couldn't be more different, me a night rock stumbler and you a day floater. Different available species too, excepting channel cats.

What we do have in common is creating solutions without copycatting to maximize our local opportunity, and I'm really fortunate to have access to a lake with big fish. Eventually, that will phase out and it'll be back to appreciating anything that will bite, and tho I've never tried who knows may wacky rig one of my senko style stubs in a less snaggy bottom area.

Have no idea of best hook placement - have you tried pinning the bait mid hook bend or as Jigger John used to burying the point for snag less? How about off center for a more erratic action?

Don't think I've ever caught a redear, beautiful pics.

 

[SPOONMINNOW]

Mid-hook-wacky would probably get bit fine but would also snag more weeds. For weedless presentations, I usually stick with T-rigged jerk worms and jerk sticks - both with bare-hook points exposed or resting on and flush with the surface. But 95 % of my fishing is with bare-point-hook lures (crankbaits, hard surface lures, spinnerbaits, etc.) a majority of the time. Good thing I fish in waters that don't have a lot of thick weeds that fish hang in and therefore can use most any soft plastic lure with hook point exposed.

example: my hand-poured swimbaits rigged on a 2/0 jig hooks:


Same for this 5" plastic worm:


Can't remember the last time I T-rigged.

 

[hookup]

I have no confidence in wacky rigging baits

T-pos is my go to

Glad it works for you

 

[RockGeo]

Spoonminnow,

Great photos of a fun day on the water! Do you use a bobber for these baits or do you free line them and watch the line carefully? You have me interested in trying wacky rigs for panfish now. Thanks for sharing.

 

[SPOONMINNOW]

Do you use a bobber for these baits or do you free line them and watch the line carefully?

Now that you say it, today I fished the Whiskers (as I now call them) with a light 1/24 oz jig. It caught bass, sunfish and a few crappie:


I rescued a small, round, foam float laying in the water and figured I'd put Whiskers beneath it due to the small chop on the water.
Didn't rig it today but tomorrow for sure. I can imagine those little legs quivering under a float, in place driving fish nuts!

Note: these legs are a bit thicker than the ones shown initially but they caught as many fish and the strikes were just as hard!

Note: The usual retrieves are some rod tip twitches with pauses and more twitches - repeat. Today many fish were in the shade under overhanging branches close to shore or close to steep embankments - ideal for subtle lures and presentations in summer. 49 fish were caught under a bright sun from 11 am - 4:30 pm.

These were caught under a float on a different day: