Fishing tip of the week

Fishing Tip of the Week

Monday, 04 March 2024 12:43

Whacky Rig Delight
by Mike Gerry

As we approach the spawn there is one bait that has survived the test of time as the bass move into their lethargic time of the spawn, that being a Whacky rig worm.
The good news is that there are many presentations that you can choose from in order to get the best results. All presentations have a reason and purpose to choose from so you can fish for them and get positive results.
The most common way that most people fish is on an extra wide gap hook, no weight and hooked in the middle of the worm. This allows you to get slow dropping presentation that drops into the middle of the fish and taunts them into biting. There are of course many techniques to hook them in the middle of the worm, but this article is more on the presentation than the rigging of the worm.

Another way to do this is using a weight to present the worm especially on a windy day when you need a little weight to help keep the bait in the place you’re targeting. Also, many times your targeting fish in deeper water says 8 feet or so, forcing you to add some weight. I like using a Shakey head hook as the weight that you need to reach the target. Depending on the depth I will use anywhere from a 1/8 oz. to a ¼ oz. Shakey head. This gets you the depth and wind protection you need to keep the Whacky rig in place and down to the depth so you can target the fish.

The few keys to fishing Whacky rig worms can be summed up easily, let the worm do the work, let it drop slowly into the target area, the movement of a Wacky rig worm alone forces fish to react. Twitch it enough to let the worm entice a bite. Getting the worm to the target, accuracy in casting is key, if you don’t place it where the target is you will not be successful. Lastly don’t be in a hurry, use slow drops, let in lay in the targeted area and be patient, hold your rod tip high and use your eyes as well as feel to sense a bite.
The Whacky rig will delight you!
Captain Mike