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I've had some frustrating experiences with fluoro and am considering making the switch to copoly mostly for wacky rigging with my spinning rod on shallow waters. I'd appreciate any advice/recommendations on which line provides the most reliability when paired up with a spinning rod, as well as brand recommendations. I also believe that you (should) get what your pay for and don't mind investing in a high quality line. Additionally, please share any insights related to the role of the reel that I should take into consideration too. My current set up is a ML/EF spinning rod with an old Shimano Sienna FD 4000. Thank you.

I’ve been trying out the wacky rig fishing for spawning bass, and I like this technique for when the bass are skittish. Very easy to make a quiet entry into the water, and easy to control when trying to place it in a bed. The slow fall really aggravates the males and females. My problem is I’m fishing around tons of grass, and the usual hooks I use for a wacky rig are pretty light wire. Not good for trying to stop a 4 or 5 pounder from darting into a grass mat. Any suggestions for a stouter hook that is good for a wacky rig? Thanks in advance everyone!!!

I typically fish with two rods one for Texas rig the other for wacky. In the past I've always done 7 ft MH F for both but not sure what is best for my wacky set up. I do fish heavy cover, in MA and NH, every time and use green braid line. Whats the best spinning rod (length and action) and braid (lb. test and brand) for wacky rig in heavy cover?

I'm just learning wacky rigging, and I've seen multiple times WayneP post his weedless rig, so I thought I'd give it a try. I got 5 bites in a short span this morning, but I didn't hook a single one of them. I must be doing something wrong. Please help! I start with 1/4" heat shrink tubing and cut about a 3/4" strip. I slide it up over the tail of a Zoom trick worm and position the front edge of my tubing at the back edge of the egg sac. I take a size 1 wacky hook (no weedguard) and insert the hook just past the barb into the front edge of the tubing (the part closest to the egg sac), where my finger is pointing in the first picture. I only take a small bite down into the worm, just enough to get the barb into the tubing, and immediately bring the hook back up through the back edge of the tubing. This distance ends up being about 1/4". I pull and turn the hook point, and pull the eye of the hook through the front hole I made, but NOT through the second hole. The eye of the hook ends up 'trapped' under the heat shrink tubing. I pull the eye of the hook up to but not through the second hole, and then measure up what distance/angle I need to re-insert the hook so it lays straight in the trick worm. I threw this on a Medium Light baitcaster on a BPS PQ1 with 20# braid and 10# yo-zuri leader. Like I said, I got 5 bites in short order, and was unable to hook any of them. I could believe maybe 1 or two of them were sunfish, but the last fish held on long enough for me to see it was a bass, but it was not hooked. My hook ends up looking like the last picture. I can see teeth marks all up and down the trick worm, including on the heat shrink tubing. ** So what am I doing wrong? Is my rod/reel/line incorrect? I find it difficult to cast a trick worm with my PQ1 and medium light rod, so I'll probably try it with my Medium spinning rod next time. Am I hooking the worm incorrectly? Is the eye of the hook not supposed to be left under the heat shrink tubing? Is it supposed to come out of the second/back hole? - I can see that if I pull on the main line, as if setting a hook, the eye of the hook pulls back towards the front hole, but is unable to come back up through the front hole -- is this preventing the hook from traveling far enough to hook the fish? Am I not traveling far enough when I go in and then come back out of the heat shrink tubing? I feel like if I use any significantly longer stretch of tubing, it's going to create an unnaturally long/straight portion in the middle of the trick worm. Am I using too small of a hook? I just fish small ponds -- fish are on average 2.5#. Am I setting the hook wrong? I usually just reel-set with an exposed wacky, but with this weedless rig I was setting the hook over my left shoulder (LH reel). Not a huge hookset like a jig or texas rig, but certainly more than a reel-set. Am I supposed to just set the hook straight up? Any input would be appreciated. My waters don't necessarily mandate a weedless presentation, but I'd like to learn how to use it effectively.

Good evening, it's my first post despite being a long time lurker. Well enjoy everyone. Also I'm looking for some early June fishing tips from folks that fish South East waters https://goo.gl/images/V9PF6a

How do you guys set the hook with a owner wacky hook?(or any wacky style hook) Do you set it vertical and hard or just a reel set or a slight sweep motion? I fish my senko's vertical so I find it easy setting the hook upwards. I usually yank decently hard since I'm pretty used to it but many times the hook pops out of the fish's mouth. Sometimes it will seem like its on for a second or two and then its gone. I'm switching to these wacky hooks because I heard they have a high hookup percentage and I want to maximize it by doing it right!

Where can you buy owner wacky hooks other than online? And I'm talking about the normal 1/0 ones not the weedless ones. And where would you get it the cheapest? The nearest bass pro to me is like 20 miles away so I don't want to go there to get those hooks. And I've checked in Walmart but it wasn't there, they only had Gamakatsu and Eagle Claw. Dicks seems to have discontinued selling fishing tackle because recently I haven't seen any fishing stuff in their stores. Any place that sells them in stores other than bass pro. I'm in Illinois btw. Also, is there a point to get weedless wacky hooks? Do they lessen hook-up ratio and are they worth the extra $?

So whenever I Texas Rig my senko I use a Gamakatsu EWG worm hook. But recently I have been wacky rigging with o-rings and I was wondering if there is a difference between using a wacky hook such as the owner wacky rig hook or if the EWG hook I am using is fine. As of right now I'm still catching a lot of bass on the EWG hook wacky rigger. It does look a little odd and big but it hasn't been failing me. Is there a specific reason to use the wacky hooks when wacky rigging? Like does using a EWG hook affect the action as compared to a wacky hook. And also is there a difference in using weedless vs non-weedless because I have heard that weedless hooks don't help much anyway.

I know this question has probably been asked multiple times, but how do you guys fish your wacky rigged senko's. And by that I mean the technique you use not how to rig it up or anything like that. Me personally I cast it out and let it sink on slack line and after a bit I'll reel in slack and twitch it multiple times upwards and then let it sink again. Rinse and repeat. So I basically just copy what everyone does but I noticed they usually do it with Texas Rigged Senkos not wacky rigged ones. I was wondering if this is the best technique for getting a fish to bite? I know that you're supposed to let the senko do all the work since it has amazing action. I've also heard of just lifting the rod tip up after letting it sink rather than twitching it up. Which way works better in your opinion? Another question I had was how do O-ring's affect the senko's action? I have been using o-ring's to save my money since senko's rip easily and I noticed the hook goes in along the worm length wise instead of like a t-bone style without the o-ring. Does that affect hookups and the senko's action while falling? And is it fine to keep fishing the same senko even if it gets a little ripped in the middle where the o-ring is? Sometimes the senko gets a little torn up where its sort of dangling but I still use it until the senko either falls off or rips in two. Am I just wasting my time or does a ripped senko not affect the action much?

We are all aware that an O ring can help your stick baits last longer for wacky rigging but does it also help with hook up ratio ? The conventional perpendicular hook threw the middle of the bait or the side ways hook threw the O ring parallel, does it make any difference when hooking up is one way better than the other?

I need a spinning setup specifically for weightless worms, wacky and t-rig mostly. What'd be the best weight line to buy for this setup? (I mostly use braid, but I'll take mono suggestions as well) Also, what'd be the best leader line weight? Also, while I'm at it, what reel would you suggest in the 50 dollar range?

This summer I fished the wacky rig almost exclusivley and had a blast. We caught bass using 5'6" Ike the Dude Combo, 6'6" St Croix Triumph and 7' MH Vendetta. I liked using the smaller rods more so. I want to now purchase a nice rod/reel combo that is light and fun to fish with; reel less than 8.0 OZ. A nice setup to me is around $200-$250 total. I was considering the following three rods; I do like Abu Garcia and Saint Croix products, the reels I have used are Abu Garcia, Pfleuger Priesident(really like) and cheaper Lew's reel which I like but is on the heaver side. Any suggestings for a Wacky Rigging setup would be great. Abu Garcia Veritas Spinning Rod; 6'9", Medium-Light Extra Fast $79.99 St. Croix Mojo 6'8" M-Power Extra Fast $109.99 St. Croix Rage Spinning Rod, RS68MXF $149.99

I am in the market for a new spinning rod that will be used for wacky worms and hard jerkbaits.I will be getting a 6'6 Medium Power/fast action rod. I am debating between the St. Croix Premier(130$) and the Abu Garcia Veritas(on sale for 80$). The Veritas would be 50$ cheaper which is huge for me but I would have to get extra-fast action(Thats okay with me). Which rod would you guys reccomend? P.S. I used to hear a lot about the Veritas line breaking, is that still an issue? Not a huge concern because they have great customer service but still... Thanks for any advice

I posted a similar topic earlier but now know more about my set-up. I need a line for my 6'6 medium power fast action spinning combo that will be used for wacky-worms and hard jerkbaits. I'm debating between 10-12lb. fluorocarbon, or 20 lb. braid with a fluoro leader. Keep in mind that here in Minnesota the lakes I fish are all dirty and stained. I don't really need invisibility so much as i need sinking line that wont screw up the wacky worms action. I'd was going with the 12 lb. fluoro but am worried it may be too heavy for wackies..any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I'm wondering what type of line to get for my spinning rod and reel. Haven't bought them yet, but it will be pflueger president 6930 and a 6'6 medium-fast rod. I'll be primarily fishing wacky worms, but will also throw small 1/4 oz. spinnerbaits, cranks and jerkbaits. What type of line and lb. test would be best for primarily wacky fishing but also the others? Thanks so much for any help!

I'm looking for a spinning rod to pair with a pflueger president 6930 or 6935. I plan on only having one spinning combo in my yak so i need something pretty versatile. Something that will cover wacky worms, small texas rigs, spinnerbits 1/4 oz. and smaller, anything too small for a baitcaster. I know extra-fast action is best for wacky worming but will that be sufficient for small spinnerbaits? I'm thinking a meium power, would you suggest 6'6, 6'8, or 7'? I know I will either purchase an abu garcia veritas, st. croix mojo bass, or st. croix premier. Say I decided on the mojo bass, would the wacky worm or tubes and grubs model be best? I know this was a lot of questions so thank you to anyone who offers some help.

Preface: I throw wacky GYCB senkos and wacky Zoom finesse worms about 75% of time. Until recently I only fished from the bank. My wacky senko setup: 20# braid > 10# fluoro > Gamakatsu weedless finesse WG hook (http://www.amazon.com/Gamakatsu-Finesse-Weedless-Hook-5-Black/dp/B0010G283A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391917685&sr=8-1&keywords=gamakatsu+weedless+hooks) > o-ring > 4" or 5" senko. Hook sizes: I used to use 2/0. Recently downsized to Size 1. I have confidence in the rig from the bank. I've had very few missed hook sets or spit hooks with either hook size. --- My last two kayak fishing trips (which included my first tournament outing today) have chipped away at my confidence. Using the Size 1 hook last week, I lost two fish after setting the hook. I felt the weight and was reeling in when they popped off early during the retrieve. Using the Size 1 today, I lost two good fish as they jumped out of the water. A friend mentioned that he has had difficulties setting the hook and subsequently losing fish after he started fishing from a kayak. That leads me to question whether I am setting the hook well enough from a seated position. Question 1: Any suggestions on setting a hook from a seated, water-level position? Question 2: And/or should I go back to the larger 2/0 weedless hook? Question 3: And/or should I switch weedless hook brands or find a hook without a weed guard? I tried throwing o-ringed senkos with the open Gamakatsu Size 1 drop-shot hooks that I use for wacky finesse worms, but I didn't like the results. Thanks for the insight.

I recently purchased a St. Croix Mojo Bass Wacky Style Rod off of ebay. The rod's tip was snapped and then repaired, but the rod lost 6 inches in the process. It is originaly 6'8, its now 6'2. I purchased it for 50$ including shipping, was this a mistake? The rod is originally an extra fast action, is it an even faster action now that it is shorter? Thanks for any advise.

Is the st. croix mojo bass wacky style spinning rod a good rod? I can't try it out because i'm gonna bid on it on ebay. I'd be using it for wacky worms and tiny spinnerbaits. Is it sensitive? Thats my main concern because I'll need to detect light bites. How does it compare to the abu gacia veritas? Thanks

<img src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/1002735_10200516132000728_403241153_n.jpg"> One of two bass I caught Sunday afternoon at Lake of the Woods on my parents boat. had 4 back to back bites in the span of 10 minutes, missed the first two fish (passed the rod to my GF so she could catch her first bass, and he got off). But the last two fish I landed, were both gut hooked. Fortunately I was able to get the hook out with little damage to the fish, and they both survived. I'm setting the hook as soon as I feel the fish, but maybe I'm using the wrong type of hook for the application. its a small #1 J hook. I think its more of a drop shot type of hook, but its all I have on me to fish Senko wacky style. For those of you who do alot of wacky rigging with Senkos, what type of hook is best to still ensure good hook up ratio, but with out the fish swallowing the hook? Thanks!

Has anyone ever tried putting a wacky rigged worm on a carolina rig set up? Do you think it would work? It would combine the 2 best ways to rig a plastic worm. If anyones tried this, or has any other 'wacky' ideas about rigging a plastic worm, please add them.