Shakey Head/ Jig Worm

[Mobasser]

I've been doing some expermenting with shakey head jigs, switching between those, and my standard t rig.                                       I've got four different heads, Owner screw lock, Big Bite Baits screw lock, Strike King Pro heads, and Big Bite baits, standard round heads.                                             What I've found since trying these styles is its made no difference in numbers caught between screw lock or standard style. Both hold the worm on well. Another thing, it's also made no difference in using a floating worm, as opposed to one that lays over when the jig is at rest on the bottom. Most all the fish strike on the fall, after a slight lift off the bottom.                    I've also caught very few bass by " shaking " the worm in place or during the retrieve. All have been caught with a slow, lift drop retrieve. I have caught more bass on heads with a forward line tie, and, it seems like a size 3/0 hook is best for 4" and 6" worms and 3" craw baits. A 4/0 hook works also, but I can't see ever needing a bigger hook.                                                    With baits like a Zoom Trick or Finesse worm, I've been cutting back the head around 1/8" to give a flat surface to snug up against the jig head.  The Strike King heads have a bigger barb on the hookshank. With some baits, this may cause the worm to swell when you slide it over the barb.                        A pair of sidecut pliers will trim back the barb slightly if this looks wrong, but I havnt noticed that it makes a difference in fish caught.                                                  What I've found that makes the most difference is rigging the worm as straight as possible, and when inserting the hook, push the hook through to form a small channel, then back it out a little, and reinsert the hook again. This seems to make hook setting a little easier, especially with some thicker plastics.                                      All these heads have a good quality Gama hook, and most fish stay hooked well. When shakey head fishing became popular years ago, I remember thinking" what's the big deal"? With different shaped heads, and top quality hooks sized for bass, it's an improved version of a jigworm, which was popular years ago here in the Missouri Ozarks, and Im sure other parts of the country also.  Shakey heads can be deadly at times, and along with a t rig, are a great way to fish plastic baits along the bottom.                     What shakey jigs are you throwing these days, and, have you found any of my own observations to be true for your shakey head fishing?                                            

[roadwarrior]

 

[whitwolf]

Siebert outdoors 3/16 Zenith shakeyhead. Multiple baits depending on what I want to do.

 

For me it's been the best shakeyhead I've ever used.

[Jig Man]

Mine are never straight.  I bring the hook out the underneath side of the worm, glue it to the head, take the hook through the worm, back it up and skin hook it.  That puts a hump in it.

[5/0]

54 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

The Strike King heads have a bigger barb on the hookshank. With some baits, this may cause the worm to swell when you slide it over the barb.                        A pair of sidecut pliers will trim back the barb slightly if this looks wrong, but I havnt noticed that it makes a difference in fish caught.

I’ve used the Frenzy heads and rig them weedless. There was a bulge and the worm was crooked. I started putting the hook in at an angle and running the keeper barb completely through the worm before bringing the hook back up through the bottom. I do run the channel through the worm and it’s on straight.

[Team9nine]

Just for historical context, I want to post a couple pics of what "jig worms" were originally. Ned has written about this extensively, which can be found with a simple search on the internet. I still have some in their original packages which you will see in the pic below. Marlynn out of MO is largely credited with the first packaged design, but you can see DeLong from OH also had their version. There were several similar versions floating around the upper Midwest at the same time, with various credits to Ron Lindner, Jack Crawford, and a couple others. This would be from the early 1960s.

 

The second pic is from a 1968 story detailing the specifics of the jig worm in regard to details and construction. You'll notice all the original "jig worms" used the "horse hoof" shaped jig head, paired with plastics from Delong, MarLynn, Creme and Burke, among others, always threaded onto the shank of the hook, not like today's traditional weedless rigged shakyheads. From this design morphed the mushroom head jig, a creation that I believe was born in the upper Midwest (MN), and which was also called a "jig worm," the next generation if you will, taking hold in the 1980s. This is where Ned got the Gopher "Ned rig" mushroom head idea from via Ron Lindner for his Midwest Finesse approach.  

 

As for "shaky heads," I only use two; Jewel's Squirrel Head designed by Jeff Kriet, and the VMC Rugby Jighead, which I believe is an Ike design.

 

 

[Mobasser]

6 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

Just for historical context, I want to post a couple pics of what "jig worms" were originally. Ned has written about this extensively, which can be found with a simple search. I still have some in their original packages which you will see in the pic below. Marlynn out of MO is largely credited with the first packaged design, but you can see DeLong from OH also had their version. There were several sinmilar versions floating around the upper Midwest at the same time, with various credits to Ron Lindner, Jack Crawford, and a couple others. This would be from the early 1960s.

 

The second pic is from a 1968 story detailing the specifics of the jig worm in regard to details and construction. You'll notice all the original "jig worms" used the "horse hoof" shaped jig head, paired with plastics from Delong, MarLynn, Creme and Burke, among others, always threaded onto the shank of the hook, not like today's traditional weedless rigged shakyheads. From this design morphed the mushroom head jig, a creation that I believe was born in the upper Midwest (MN), and which was also called a "jig worm," the next generation if you will, taking hold in the 1980s. This is where Ned got the Gopher "Ned rig" mushroom head idea from via Ron Lindner for his Midwest Finesse approach.  

 

As for "shaky heads," I only use two; Jewel's Squirrel Head designed by Jeff Kriet, and the VMC Rugby Jighead, which I believe is an Ike design.

 

 

I actually know where the old Mar Lynn building is in Blue Springs Mo, a suburb of Kansas City. Agree they made several jigworms. I have a few, with a plastic Y werdgaurd. Our modern shakey heads are hot rodded versions of these old baits. I've also seen this type of Y weedgaurds on some small " Catch Am Quick " worms made in Indiana.

[Catt]

Jig head...dealer choice ?

 

For the worm I prefer one that floats

 

Double Z Magnum T-Worm!

 

https://doublezlures.com/t/mag-t-worm

[Team9nine]

11 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

I actually know where the old Mar Lynn building is in Blue Springs Mo, a suburb of Kansas City. Agree they made several jigworms. I have a few, with a plastic Y werdgaurd. Our modern shakey heads are hot rodded versions of these old baits. I've also seen this type of Y weedgaurds on some small " Catch Am Quick " worms made in Indiana.

An argument can be made that the original shaky heads originated around the same time, and in the same area. Creme had a "bottom bumping worm" called the Shimmy Gal which was a 7" plus worm threaded on to a weedless jig head. One modification of that was to remove the weed guard, or to use it after the guard broke off, and rig the worm weedless just like a modern day shakey head. This pic (below) is from Grits Gresham's 1966 bass book showing the different modifications to fishing the Shimmy Gal style ("bottom bumping") rig. A Creme catalog I have from 1967 also shows their Scoundrel rigged weedless on a weighted head ala Brewer style, about 10 years before Brewer started to popularize his rigging style of Slider fishing in the TN area.

 

[lo n slo]

this is so cool 

[Mobasser]

51 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

An argument can be made that the original shaky heads originated around the same time, and in the same area. Creme had a "bottom bumping worm" called the Shimmy Gal which was a 7" plus worm threaded on to a weedless jig head. One modification of that was to remove the weed guard, or to use it after the guard broke off, and rig the worm weedless just like a modern day shakey head. This pic (below) is from Grits Gresham's 1966 bass book showing the different modifications to fishing the Shimmy Gal style ("bottom bumping") rig. A Creme catalog I have from 1967 also shows their Scoundrel rigged weedless on a weighted head ala Brewer style, about 10 years before Brewer started to popularize his rigging style of Slider fishing in the TN area.

 

These pics are cool. The removed weedgaurds model is basically a shakey head, from.1966. Great info!

It goes to show that as much as we think something is new in bass fishing, it's probably not. It's more than likely been done before. Sometimes, years before.

[FryDog62]

Good post.  Credit to Rusty_Shackleford got me on a new worm that I have used recently as both shaky head and T-Rig.  Caught a 20.5 incher on second cast.  Airtail Rattler

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/GrandeBass_Airtail_Rattler_Stickbaits_8pk/descpage-GBAIRRA.html

 

 

[roadwarrior]