Wacky Rig Rod-Setup Suggestions

[jiggz125]

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  

 

 

[Darren.]

Longest rod I use is 6'6"... I like the Bass Pro Carbonlites *a lot* lately, using them the most because they are so darn light and easy on my elbows for a day of fishing. I use Shimano Compre down to 5'9" which I love, as well as a St. Croix Avid which was 6'3" but is now about 5'9". I love shorter rods, but love my Carbonlites more these days.

 

That said, of the rods you list -- based on my hands-on in store -- tells me the Veritas and Rage are the lighter models.

 

Not sure you really *need* to spend a lot on a rod with Veritas quality, Carbonlites, etc. They are plenty good and sensitive for fishing wacky. I'd put them up against my Avid any day. But that is ME!

 

As for the reel, take your pick based on your preferences. Me? I'd go with Shimano or Daiwa because I prefer how they feel in my hands. It's all subjective anyway.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

The Rage in on an SC III (Avid) level blank. Very nice blanks. As you've seen the Pflueger spinning reels are a good bang for your buck. There are a couple light weight offerings from Pinnacle and Okuma that I'd be willing to gamble on if looking for a switch.

[smalljaw67]

There are a lot of brands that are good and we all have our favorites but I found that a spinning rod between 6'6" and 6'10" in a medium power with a fast action is really good for wacky rigs.  My suggestion for a combo for you would be a Fenwick Elite Tech Bass 6'9" Medium power, Fast action with Pflueger Supreme in the 30 size, this will run you $250 at full retail but it will be really light and sensitive as will most anything you get in that price range.

[J Francho]

Not sure there is a Pinnacle short enough to meet the parameters, but they are a great choice for this - especially if you're the braid and heavier leader type.  They have some serious power for a sissy stick.

 

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing_lures/pinnacle-DHC5-performa-review.html

 

and one in action on a MUCH bigger fish than a bass:

 

[Jay Ell Gee]

I own a Mojo bass 6'8 M/XF and the BPS carbonlite 6'8 M/XF feels identical in taper and power.

Visit your local BPS and ask them to build you a Shimano Sahara/Carbonlite spinning combo. It's not on the web or catalogs, but it's in their excel spreadsheet of combo SKU's.

A 2500 or 3000 will suit you fine. Rigged together, the price lowers to 149.99. The setup balances amazingly well and has handled much bigger fish for me than bass.

You'll have enough money left over to put 15/20lb braid of your choice, some Fluoro for leaders, and some senkos/stik-O's to boot!

PM me if you want the combo SKU and I can look it up for you. It's really the best bang for the buck out there without going way up in cost, In my opinion.

[jiggz125]

I own a Mojo bass 6'8 M/XF and the BPS carbonlite 6'8 M/XF feels identical in taper and power.

Visit your local BPS and ask them to build you a Shimano Sahara/Carbonlite spinning combo. It's not on the web or catalogs, but it's in their excel spreadsheet of combo SKU's.

A 2500 or 3000 will suit you fine. Rigged together, the price lowers to 149.99. The setup balances amazingly well and has handled much bigger fish for me than bass.

You'll have enough money left over to put 15/20lb braid of your choice, some Fluoro for leaders, and some senkos/stik-O's to boot!

PM me if you want the combo SKU and I can look it up for you. It's really the best bang for the buck out there without going way up in cost, In my opinion.

Thanks for the suggestions. I am going to have to check around locally as we do not have BPS around here unfortunately! The carbonlites sound nice. I have $200 gift card to Scheels Outfitters so I am going to see if they have anything on sale right now as their online site is atrocious. All the suggestions give me a good starting point.

 

Would anyone recommend medium-light rod; those are the only power I can fine for the Abu Garcia rods in that length range.

[Darren.]

Thanks for the suggestions. I am going to have to check around locally as we do not have BPS around here unfortunately! The carbonlites sound nice. I have $200 gift card to Scheels Outfitters so I am going to see if they have anything on sale right now as their online site is atrocious. All the suggestions give me a good starting point.

 

Would anyone recommend medium-light rod; those are the only power I can fine for the Abu Garcia rods in that length range.

 

I am using a ML Carbonlite bait casting setup for soft plastics (wacky mostly) and it works very well. But not all ML rods are alike. A noodly ML rod would not work well for hook setting (IMO), you want a fast or extra fast taper.

[Jay Ell Gee]

The 6'9 ML/XF carbonlite spinning rod feels like a noodle.

One rod that is high on my list, though, is an abu Garcia volatile, 7'0 ML/XF. It's labeled as a saltwater rod but is one of the best ML rods in the price range.

[RSM789]

Nearly all of my wacky rig fishing consists of skipping Senko's under docks.  I use a shorter (5' 6") medium Ugly Stik with a Daiwa spinning reel loaded with 10lb Nanofil & a fluorocarbon leader.  I didn't specifically pick this rod & reel out, it was a setup that I had for years.  The medium is strong enough for hooksets since it is an exposed hook, is strong enough to get the fish out from under the dock and the shorter length helps with accuracy when skipping through a small opening under a dock.  The Nanofil comes off the reel like butter, letting the Senko skip 7, 8, 9 times before stopping & its low stretch helps transmit subtle takes on the drop.

 

Like I said, I didn't go out & buy these items to create this setup, it kind of evolved from what I had on hand.

[new2BC4bass]

Would anyone recommend medium-light rod; those are the only power I can fine for the Abu Garcia rods in that length range.

 

 

One thing to remember is that there are no standards when it comes to power ratings.  The few Abu rods I have are all heavier than listed.  Based on that I would say a ML should fit the bill.  I have read the new Veritas 2.0 rods are truer to their ratings.  No experience with them, tho.  Another line of rods considered to be heavier than their listing is the St. Croix brand.  Would have to ask my friend Tom about his suggestions in that line as almost all of his rods are St. Croix, and I know he has been doing a lot of wacky rig fishing this year.  His wife, too, but don't think she ever posts.  Maybe he'll see this thread and make a comment or two.  Don't dismiss a woman's opinion as Tom's wife is one hellava fisher person. 

[desmobob]

I'm using a TFO signature edition  6'6" MLF rod and a Shimano Aero Symetre (older reel) spooled with 8 lb. flouro as my spinning rig to toss wacky-rigged Senkos.  The rod has just the right amount of tip action to let me plop them right where they need to be.  I can't imagine another rig feeling as accurate for me.

 

Tight lines,

Bob

[iabass8]

68mxf Avid

Pflueger president size 30/shimano sahara 2500. 

 

Rods more important in this situation. 

 

enjoy

[LunkerFisher]

I use a 6' mf cabelas tourney trail/pflueger president combo that ended up costing $80 on sale. Great for the wacky rig!

[Arv]

Rods I would look at would be the St. Croix avid of rage, Phenix m1 or recon, Powell Max or endurance, fenwick elite tech or aetos, or daiwa tatula. Reels, I would look at spinning reels in the 50 ish range, like the shimano Sahara or Pfleuger President.

[Fishes in trees]

Are you married to the idea of using spinning gear?  Me I occasionally throw the wacky rig on spinning gear.  When I find bass suspended in hard wood timber or locusts ( big thorn trees) I find that the situation screams for a wacky rig.  Spinning gear don't cut it, unless you're using 30 lb or so braid, and even then, I've found that braid and timber don't mix real well.  Braid is almost indestructible in vegetation, in timber, not so much.  My experience has found that 14 to 20 lb fluorocarbon resists abrasion in wood much better than braid.  My current favorite is Seagar Abrazx, but that's subject to change.

 

The original point of this post is wacky rig rod & reel suggestions.  My current reel for this duty is a Chronarch 50.  My current rod is a Falcon Bucco MH rated for 3/16 to 5/8.  It is the Bucco version of the older Eakins Jig special.  It has enough tip that 50 ' pitches with 17 lb abrazx are very do-able.  It has enough backbone that, assuming you recognize the hit prior to the fish running around the tree, it will come out of there.  I think that there is around $300 tied up in that rig - not sure - probably bought the rod & reel on sale, but I don't remember.

 

Another wacky tip, if you boost your line test, you've got to boost your lure weight to get the same drop speed.  Too fast a drop is sometimes bad - too slow a drop is so boring, it becomes easier to put the wacky rig down and try something different.   A good compromise is using weights on your wacky hooks.  For 14 or 17 lb fluorocarbon I find that a 1/16 oz weighted hook helps the casting distance paired with a senko.

The drop speed is reasonable without being too fast and doesn't impede the wavy motion you need with the dropping senko.

 

If you are only or primarily using the wacky rig on weed lines or in vegetation, feel free to ignore this suggestion.

[Wayne P.]

My wacky rig equipment for finesse and Trick worms is medium and medium heavy spinning rods (I use several brands in the 6' to 6'-6" lengths) and Shimano 2500 reels.

I prefer the higher gear ratios for presentations involving using the rod for lure movement rather than the reel.

Every one has superline in 6# or 8# mono equivelent diameters (mostly the 8#). I add about 4' of 20# fluorocarbon line for weight sometimes to make the superline sink a little faster.

 

If I wacky a stick bait, I use baitcasting gear with similar rods and the same line.

[timsford]

Id get a lews team gold spinning reel or tournament hs spin for 80-130 and a powell deisel or st croix premier if i wanted a light weight combo for that price

[tomustang]

The answers are all over, meaning it's up to you on what you'll really want.

 

 

I mainly use a Avid 68MXF with a 2500 CI4+ but have been dropping down sometimes to the 610MLXF since there's less cover around. And as far as my wife, well I took her lead with what to use

[Turkey sandwich]

I have a Rage that I really love. I've been a St. Croix fan for a long time, and might be biased, but follow me....

I've owned or fished Preimier and Mojo rods in the past and have really liked their blanks for the money. The Mojo series is one of the best options for $150 or less, without question. Great feel, great action, well built, and a company with fantastic customer service.

Then I bought a Rage worm/jig rod. The SCIII blank is in a whole different category. There's a ton of backbone, fantastic sensitivity, and a great tip. The SCIII is the same blank used in Avid series rods starting at at $200 or so and going up. Getting those same blanks in he $140-$160 price range rocks.

Similarly, I'm likely going to pick up a ML action for fishing finesse and it'll likely be a either a Rage or Avid X because I like the blank THAT much.

[EmersonFish]

I have that little St. Croix Rage 6'8", MXF rod. It's a pretty sweet little rod for the money. I've read some complaints about the quality of the build not always being top notch, but I bought mine in person, looked it over pretty thoroughly, and didn't see any issues. Put a $60 Shimano 1000 on it (I think it balances perfectly with the smaller reel), and I have a pretty versatile set-up that is fun to catch bass on, but is still enough stick to move fish around if you need to. I prefer a bit longer rod typically, but this Rage will get me by until I can afford to upgrade, which will have to be a really sweet stick to justify spending the money.

[jiggz125]

Thank you for the suggestions. I have yet to order them, I am waiting for my next trip down to Madison, They are building a new Cabellas down there. I think I am going to go with St. Croix Mojo Bass 6'8" and Lew's Tournament High Speed TS100H.

[ChrisD46]

I own a Mojo bass 6'8 M/XF and the BPS carbonlite 6'8 M/XF feels identical in taper and power.

Visit your local BPS and ask them to build you a Shimano Sahara/Carbonlite spinning combo. It's not on the web or catalogs, but it's in their excel spreadsheet of combo SKU's.

A 2500 or 3000 will suit you fine. Rigged together, the price lowers to 149.99. The setup balances amazingly well and has handled much bigger fish for me than bass.

You'll have enough money left over to put 15/20lb braid of your choice, some Fluoro for leaders, and some senkos/stik-O's to boot!

PM me if you want the combo SKU and I can look it up for you. It's really the best bang for the buck out there without going way up in cost, In my opinion.

+1 ...This is excellent advice !!