Soft Plastics Are My Downfall...need Some Advice.

[Luna2406]

I've been fishing for bass for about 2 years now, and I consider myself to be a decent fishermen. I like fast reaction baits, from crank baits to spinner baits, to most recently chatterbaits. Hand me a worm...and then I'm in trouble. Last week I decided to stop by a small lake on my way home from work, didn't have all my confidence baits with me but I always carry my poles. One of my poles had a YUM 5" worm wacky rigged on it (weighted). I decided I was gonna try it out. I tried some random crank baits I had, some poppers, and nothing was biting. Set the worm up Texas rigged annnnd nothing...Decided to try wacky rigging it. Second cast in, I land a 3lb Bass! (picture attached) He swallowed the worm! I couldn't believe it I had finally done the impossible hahaha so now I'm on a mission. I want to be a better worm fisherman. I've had decent results with creature baits like the Rage Craw. Worms are my rival right now. I have a few questions, and any advice would be great. I have read a lot of the senko forums on here and they've helped out a lot. Here's something I haven't found info on:

 

Weighted vs. Weightless

When I wacky rig, what conditions call for weight and when do I go weightless?

 

Retrieve?

When I wacky rig senkos (weighted) I cast to the target, let line out so it falls freely, let It hit the bottom then jerk the rod tip up and work it back to where I am? Are there other ways that might be better? I've heard that if you are working a worm and its texas rigged, you wanna drag the worm on the bottom using the pole to move it not the reel.

 

A quick thanks in advance, I appreciate all the help I can get to be a better all around fisherman.

 

 

[Jar11591]

When I wacky rig Senkos or similar stick baits, I always go weightless. I want the slow sink and shimmy action you get from a wacky rigged weightless stick bait. And your right as far as retrieves, but you can always play around with speeds and action you give it while retrieving. If I find that I'm getting bit on the fall most of the time, sometimes I'll cast it out, let it slowly fall and sit for a few seconds, then just real it in and throw it again. Other times they get hit more on the retrieve so I'll slow it down.

Texas rigged worms: you can hop, drag or swim it with various speeds. No real wrong way to do it. You just have to experiment it. Just like Senkos, T-rigged soft plastics get hit a lot while falling after the cast.

[MickD]

You haven't mentioned tackle, but the sensitivity of braid makes feeling what's going on down there much easier than mono or FC.  I use 10-15 pound braid with a FC leader.  

 

 

Regarding weighted vs unweighted, Senkos and similar will sink pretty well without weight, and if I'm in shallow enough water , I'll be weightless.  When the water gets so deep that waiting for the lure to get down is impractical, I'll put a BIG snap about 1 1/2 feet in front of the lure to get it down faster, yet allow it to have almost normal action.  Even deeper water, use a pinned small bullet sinker instead of the swivel.  

[gulfcaptain]

All comes down to conditions.  Sometimes a dropshot or powershot work better then just a t-rig worm or wacky rig.  Sometimes a wacky rig dropshot works good too.  Just have to experiment and try different things.  You really want to learn to fish a worm, leave everything else at home and go out with just a few types of worms and fish.  That way you don't give up too quickly and fall back to your other baits.

[Catt]

Rate Of Fall: the speed at which our lures fall through the water column

ROF is determinded by the bass not by the depth of water!

Don't be surprised when a bass in 10' of water inhales your 1 oz. T-rig before it hits bottom!

It's called "reaction strike"

But Catt t-rigs/jigs are not "reaction baits"

All lures are reaction lures; bass sees lure moving through the water column (vertically or horizontally) and reacts!

If you are throwing an un-weighted Wacky rig and aint getting bit, add weight, or vise a versa!

Once on the bottom we must now determine the speed of retrieval. Do we slowly reel it along the bottom, drag it with the rod, hop it, stroke it?

Think of it this way, with moving lures (spinners, lipless, buzz baits ect) we have to determine the speed at which we retrieve to get the bass to react.

With Texas rigs, Wacky rigs, Jig-n-Craws ect we have to determine vertical (ROF) and horizontal speed.

[jonnyblazex]

  ^{I agree that most bites will come on the initial fall, or within a few seconds after the worm hits the bottom.  I always work it back to me though, because there will be plenty of times they could hit it half way back, or even when you are about to take it out of the water to make another cast.  My go to bait used to be tx rigged and wacky senkos, and threw those for years, but now find myself beating the bank with a jig much of the time, but I always have a tx rigged worm tied on and ready to go.}  

[roadwarrior]

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/13845-guaranteed-to-catch-bass/

[F14A-B]

You don't need to feel a strike on Trigged soft plastic worms.. Watch your line. Sure, you will feel some strikes, but I prefer to line watch & strike faster.. It helps alleviate the swallowed/gut hook & I catch way more fish by line watching.

Who doesn't wanna catch more fish?

[bigbill]

I c-rig my senkos, brushogs using a 1/8oz brass bullet weight with a clicker and a 24" leader plus a weedless hook. We can adjust the rate of fall by using a heavier leader. I wacky rig the senkos. On the cast I keep the line taunt to the rod tip and watch the tip for the slightest nibble as it falls.

With worms I'm old school with the split shot rig.

[Darren.]

Weighted vs. Weightless

When I wacky rig, what conditions call for weight and when do I go weightless?

 

Retrieve?

When I wacky rig senkos (weighted) I cast to the target, let line out so it falls freely, let It hit the bottom then jerk the rod tip up and work it back to where I am? Are there other ways that might be better? I've heard that if you are working a worm and its texas rigged, you wanna drag the worm on the bottom using the pole to move it not the reel.

 

 

 

I primarily fish weightless; however, when conditions are

windy and there's chop where I want to cast, I'll tie on a

weighted wacky hook, or I'll pinch on a bit of lead a short

ways up the line.

 

Have a look at Shin Fukae and his weighted wacky wizardry

via Google. He is quite good at the technique.

 

Wacky is best letting the bait do its thing; but as you grow 

more experienced in it, you'll discover times when adding

twitches to the worm action will work better than dead-

sticking.

 

Experience is the best teacher here. Try different things.

With weighted, let it hit the bottom then slowly raise your

rod tip, let it fall again.

 

Other times you may give three quick twitches up, then let

it sink. There's no real "this is the only way to fish it wacky"

or else we'd all be in trouble.

[Luna2406]

This is one thing I really enjoy about this forum, I know if I have a question it will get answered and things will get thoroughly explained. Thanks for the input everyone, really appreciate it.

 

 

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/13845-guaranteed-to-catch-bass/

 

Read every single response on this forum, and I'm definitely going to try it! Thanks for showing me that I appreciate it, learned a whole lot on it.

 

 

I primarily fish weightless; however, when conditions are

windy and there's chop where I want to cast, I'll tie on a

weighted wacky hook, or I'll pinch on a bit of lead a short

ways up the line.

 

Have a look at Shin Fukae and his weighted wacky wizardry

via Google. He is quite good at the technique.

 

Wacky is best letting the bait do its thing; but as you grow 

more experienced in it, you'll discover times when adding

twitches to the worm action will work better than dead-

sticking.

 

Experience is the best teacher here. Try different things.

With weighted, let it hit the bottom then slowly raise your

rod tip, let it fall again.

 

Other times you may give three quick twitches up, then let

it sink. There's no real "this is the only way to fish it wacky"

or else we'd all be in trouble.

 

Will definitely look into trying weighted wacky rig hooks, I've seen them just never paid much attention to them. Thanks!

[Darren.]

 

Will definitely look into trying weighted wacky rig hooks, I've seen them just never paid much attention to them. Thanks!

 

Believe me, you can spend a lot of $$ on the hooks.

Personally, I really like Buckeye's Flick-it jigs as they

have a football style head which for some reason

just really works for me. The only problem is with

the wire guard. It will bend out of shape, and will 

weaken as you put it back every time.

 

 

If you need weedless, that is. I've yet to pull the trigger

on Gamakatsu's Wacky Jig Head, or Jackall's. 

 

I have tried the Owner Wacky jig head, but I must caution

you against them. Price is good, but the hook is very

thin/weak. It'll bend very easily on a snag, and once

it's bent, it'll bend even easier the next time. I bought

a lot of these on sale before and tho they're nice, I can't

recommend them much around cover. Oh, I've even had

a good size bass bend the hook on me. I'm sure others

have had positive experiences, so just take my experience

as mine -- unless others share it.

 

Good luck experimenting! That's part of the fun

[gulfcaptain]

Also, try a nail weight (1/16oz) in one end of say a 5" Senko and wacky rig it.  Gives it a different way of presenting the bait as well.  And if you like moving baits, can't remember what it's referred as, but trim the back end of a Senko or any 5" Senko style bait, and add a #3 willow blade with a small barrel swivel attached by a Owner Twistlock bait keeper.  Then fish it with a 3/16oz pegged bullet weight and swim it though grass.  I've had great success with that when they wouldn't eat anything else.

 

Just remembered.  It's th MJ rig.  Look it up and check it out.  

Edited November 1, 2015 by gulfcaptain

[Luna2406]

Decided to stop by the lake on my way home from work again this morning...6 fish in an hour, 5 of those on...wait for it...wacky rig senko!! Lol it was a blast. Started with weight on it and wasn't getting bites, tried weightless and that was the ticket! Wish I could've been out ther longer but had to get home to the family.

[Darren.]

Decided to stop by the lake on my way home from work again this morning...6 fish in an hour, 5 of those on...wait for it...wacky rig senko!! Lol it was a blast. Started with weight on it and wasn't getting bites, tried weightless and that was the ticket! Wish I could've been out ther longer but had to get home to the family.

 

Nice! Were you on NNPK, or Harwood's Mill?

 

I've done well at NNPK this week, all wacky.

[hatrix]

You haven't mentioned tackle, but the sensitivity of braid makes feeling what's going on down there much easier than mono or FC. I use 10-15 pound braid with a FC leader.

Regarding weighted vs unweighted, Senkos and similar will sink pretty well without weight, and if I'm in shallow enough water , I'll be weightless. When the water gets so deep that waiting for the lure to get down is impractical, I'll put a BIG snap about 1 1/2 feet in front of the lure to get it down faster, yet allow it to have almost normal action. Even deeper water, use a pinned small bullet sinker instead of the swivel.

Ya braid does make it more sensitive and it doesn't. You can't feel anything if they grab it with slack but then sometimes no matter what line or rod you use you can feel hits at times. It's crazy when you watch a fish grab something 5' in front of you and feel nothing. It probably happens way more often then we know. It might make you crazy if you actually knew you were getting bit and not feeling it.

[Luna2406]

Actually I was at Sandy Bottom, today was the best day I've had there. We should meet up sometime Darren! My usual kayak fishing days are Monday and Tuesday.

[Darren.]

Actually I was at Sandy Bottom, today was the best day I've had there. We should meet up sometime Darren! My usual kayak fishing days are Monday and Tuesday.

 

Might could arrange something one of these days!

 

We can pick it up via PM (personal message). I could

probably swing a M or T for a couple/few hours in the

late morning or early afternoon.

[monkeyman3dee]

Thanks for info on here, never caughta  bass on a worm (barring dropshot) then again i hardly fish em. I love my jigs. 

 

Anyone use a wacky worm as a trailer for a jig? Im talking 1/2 oz jig dragged along the bottom (football/brush head)

 

 

 

 

-Joshua

[stkbassn]

This is helpful and somewhat inspiring. I haven't fished a worm in a long time. It used to be my go to bait and I caught a lot on it. Now I've gotten so much into glide baits, cranks, swimbaits, spinnerbaits, etc. that it makes the worm seem awfully boring. I've lost my confidence in it and need to get it back. I will try the wacky worm and see how it goes. I haven't given it much of a chance in the past but I hear it's productive. Same with the ned rig...I tell you guys, if you had to fish in the few places that I do I swear you'd leave with a complex most of the time....nice bodies of water with excessive, constant pressure and if you don't have spots marked in your gps and brush piles you might as well go home. Junk fishing is rarely productive. However I don't get to go much so I don't get to choose best conditions so the odds are the day I go is gonna be tough anyway.  Maybe I just suck!! LOL

[F14A-B]

Actually I was at Sandy Bottom, today was the best day I've had there. We should meet up sometime Darren! My usual kayak fishing days are Monday and Tuesday.

Glad to hear of your success. Plastic worm fishing has been my bait of choice for decades.. Give the wacky trick worm ( zoom ) a try as well. Good fishing.

[F14A-B]

This is helpful and somewhat inspiring. I haven't fished a worm in a long time. It used to be my go to bait and I caught a lot on it. Now I've gotten so much into glide baits, cranks, swimbaits, spinnerbaits, etc. that it makes the worm seem awfully boring. I've lost my confidence in it and need to get it back. I will try the wacky worm and see how it goes. I haven't given it much of a chance in the past but I hear it's productive. Same with the ned rig...I tell you guys, if you had to fish in the few places that I do I swear you'd leave with a complex most of the time....nice bodies of water with excessive, constant pressure and if you don't have spots marked in your gps and brush piles you might as well go home. Junk fishing is rarely productive. However I don't get to go much so I don't get to choose best conditions so the odds are the day I go is gonna be tough anyway. Maybe I just suck!! LOL

It's like riding a bike.. It's time to revisit a old friend ( plastic worm ).. get back to it & your catch rate will go up.

[Luna2406]

Thanks for info on here, never caughta  bass on a worm (barring dropshot) then again i hardly fish em. I love my jigs. 

 

Anyone use a wacky worm as a trailer for a jig? Im talking 1/2 oz jig dragged along the bottom (football/brush head)

 

 

 

 

-Joshua

 

I've never tried dropshot, then again the lakes around here aren't very deep. (not sure if that matters lol) I've never tried a wacky work as a trailer on a jig, but i've actually had a lot of luck using a KVD Caffeine shad as a trailer. 

[Luna2406]

Fished again today at a different lake while it was raining, and the only three fish i caught today was on the wacky rigged worm haha I'm starting to think there is something to these worm things. I tried throwing my usual cranks and other confident lures but didnt get anything on them, just weeds..lots and lots of weeds. Now im starting to think of all the fish i've probably missed because I haven't used a worm. 

 

Here's another question:

 

All the fish i've been catching have been on a wacky rigged worm (weightless). I've tried it texas rigged (weightless) and got no bites. Does texas rigging only work with weight on it?? And under what conditions would you use the weighted texas rigged worm? The lakes I fish dont have hard bottoms, its all weeds, not sure if that matters.

[Darren.]

Fished again today at a different lake while it was raining, and the only three fish i caught today was on the wacky rigged worm haha I'm starting to think there is something to these worm things. I tried throwing my usual cranks and other confident lures but didnt get anything on them, just weeds..lots and lots of weeds. Now im starting to think of all the fish i've probably missed because I haven't used a worm. 

 

Here's another question:

 

All the fish i've been catching have been on a wacky rigged worm (weightless). I've tried it texas rigged (weightless) and got no bites. Does texas rigging only work with weight on it?? And under what conditions would you use the weighted texas rigged worm? The lakes I fish dont have hard bottoms, its all weeds, not sure if that matters.

 

TX rigging can be weighted or weightless, just like Wacky.

 

At NNPK, and Harwood's Mill worms work great rigged

wacky, TX, mojo, Jika, etc. Extremely productive there

especially when fished by laydowns, etc.

 

I can show you spots on NNPK one of these days.