How do you work a wacky rig?

[Fisher0517]

How do you fish it? Like reel pause, jerk pause?

[MN Fisher]

How I do it

 

Cast out and let it flutter to the bottom - let it sit for a bit - quick jerk upwards...not a huge amount - let it settle - rinse-&-repeat until it's close to the canoe. Retrieve and cast again.

[huZZah]

I always start with cast out let it sink...wait...bring it in repeat. With wacky, for me most hits come on the initial drop. 
 

If that gets nothing I do same as above. Or change rigs. 

[gim]

Kinda depends on how deep you're fishing, the type of plastic being used, and whether you are using a plain hook or a weighted wacky jig.  As already stated though, I also cast it out similarly and let if fall into the strike zone initially at least.

[Fisher0517]

6 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Kinda depends on how deep you're fishing, the type of plastic being used, and whether you are using a plain hook or a weighted wacky jig.  As already stated though, I also cast it out similarly and let if fall into the strike zone initially at least.

Is it a good lure to use when bass are schooling in the shallow by rocks? If not what is a good lure for that case. Also sorry for all the questions 

[Choporoz]

 

[Dens228]

Cast it out, let it sink, give it a few twitches, let it sink, repeat as you want, reel it in and start over.

[huZZah]

8 hours ago, Fisher0517 said:

Is it a good lure to use when bass are schooling in the shallow by rocks? If not what is a good lure for that case. Also sorry for all the questions 

Wacky isn’t great for rocks. It will hang on everything, even if you turn the hook in for “weedless.”  But that really ruins the action IMO.  Rocks I do Trig, shallow squarebill or lipless crank. Maybe a jig if I’m willing to lose it. 

[Deleted account]

"Son, you don't work them, they work for you!"

[@reelChris]

I think with most lures, it's fair to say that if you don't know work them, don't.  Just cast, let sink and sit on the bottom.  If you're in the right spot, eventually, something will come along to eat what you've offered.  

[Kdizzle]

It very much depends on the situation.  If Im specifically casting it to tight spaces in my kayak and fishing it fast, I will cast, twitch reel back in after a few seconds if there is no bite.  If I'm fishing a grass line, I will cast parallel to the grass line, let it sink to the bottom, twitch, and repeat til I get back to the boat. 

 

 

[BigAngus752]

5 hours ago, Fisher0517 said:

If not what is a good lure for that case

If you need something slow in rock a popular option is a football jig or a football-head shaky head with your favorite finesse plastic on it.  Something with a football shape is "better" for working through rock and rip rap.  It can still hang, but not near as much as sliding weights or other jig styles.  

 

 

5 hours ago, Fisher0517 said:

Also sorry for all the questions 

That's what the BR forums is for!  Post more questions!

[BrianMDTX]

80% of the time I cast it in or near cover and let it sink. If no strike, I reel it in and cast again. Every now and then I’ll lift it and let it sink, repeating back to the boat or bank. But mostly one cast and repeat, as almost all strikes are on the initial sink. 

[WRB]

There are several different “wacky” rigged soft plastics, which are you referring to?

Drop shot

Jig

Neko or nail weight

senko or stick worm

Floating trick worm

 

Drop Shot let the weight hit bottom and try to dead stick with slight movements.

Jig, Neko-nail weight worm  let hit bottom on slack line, long pause followed a 2-3” series of jerks and pause and repeat.

trick worm, slowly retrieve across the service and pause and repeat.

Tom

 

 

 

[Cdn Angler]

Chuck it. Let it sink. Wait a bit. Reel in. 

 

I rarely get bit working it, at least not the point where it doesn't make sense to just reel it in faster and cast somewhere else. 

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Im the opposite of a few posting so far, I rarely get bit on the initial fall. I work the senko back twitching the rod tip 2-3 times moving about 2 feet total then  wait and repeat. Im very patient and on long casts can take a few minutes to complete the retrieve.

[Skunkmaster-k]

Usually I cast it out, give it a little line and watch for the line to jump or start moving. Once the line goes limp, I reel up my slack and lift the rod tip slowly feeling for soggy weight or movement. If there’s nothing there I let it sink one more time and then twitch my rod tip a few times. Then I reel it back in and cast it again .

[AManWearingAHat]

On a weightless wacky rigged senko I toss it out, let it hit the bottom. Wait and then pop it two or three times and repeat. Sometimes I get impatient and I will twitch it, give it a two or three count, and then twitch again repeating until it’s back to the shore or boat. 

[Biglittle8]

I use the "Wacky" quite a bit. Most times I'll cast out, let it sink, let it sit a short time.  Lift a little, reel in a little. The main thing to successful hook ups with a wacky rig in my opinion is watching the line... Detecting a hit in slack line can be hard at first. A lot of times even with slack in your line, you can feel the initial tap. Watch for line tighting even just a little, a jerk then slack...etc. when in doubt, set the hook. If your late setting the hook, there is more of a chance the fish will throat it.

[Catt]

First Wacky Rigging does not have to include a Senko!

 

I prefer straight tail worms, two overlooked are Bass Assassin's Tapout Worm & Double Z's T-Worm & Mag T-Worm (they float).

 

Hooks, VMC Weedless Neko 2/0

 

Weights, Lunker City Insert Weights 3/16 oz (adjust accordingly)

 

Unlike everyone else I work it similar to a T-rig with short hops all the way back to me. 

 

I throw a Wacky Rig in 1' of water out to 12-15' of water. Any kind of cover but especially submerged grass.

[BrianMDTX]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

First Wacky Rigging does not have to include a Senko!

 

I prefer straight tail worms, two overlooked are Bass Assassin's Tapout Worm & Double Z's T-Worm & Mag T-Worm (they float).

 

Hooks, VMC Weedless Neko 2/0

 

Weights, Lunker City Insert Weights 3/16 oz (adjust accordingly)

 

Unlike everyone else I work it similar to a T-rig with short hops all the way back to me. 

 

I throw a Wacky Rig in 1' of water out to 12-15' of water. Any kind of cover but especially submerged grass.

Try a Daiwa/GYBC Neko Macho. They are great as a standard WR, a Neko rig or a weightless TR with a 3/0 EWG hook. It’s rapidly becoming one of my favorite soft plastics. 

[Fishes in trees]

In my opinion, when wacky rigging a senko, you don't work it.  It see it as more or less like throwing a knuckleball, in that you throw it at where you want, let it drop and don't do anything.  When it hits bottom, I pick I up and let it drop once, then I retrieve and throw again.   I most often throw it on spinning gear.    I use 20 lb braid and 15 or 17 lb fluorocarbon leader.  I like brightly colored braid, so that the braid works kind of like a strike indicator, i.e. if the line starts doing something funky or different, it is probably a fish.

[MGF]

On 4/30/2021 at 6:08 AM, Catt said:

First Wacky Rigging does not have to include a Senko!

 

I prefer straight tail worms, two overlooked are Bass Assassin's Tapout Worm & Double Z's T-Worm & Mag T-Worm (they float).

 

Hooks, VMC Weedless Neko 2/0

 

Weights, Lunker City Insert Weights 3/16 oz (adjust accordingly)

 

Unlike everyone else I work it similar to a T-rig with short hops all the way back to me. 

 

I throw a Wacky Rig in 1' of water out to 12-15' of water. Any kind of cover but especially submerged grass.

I like the weight of a stick bait and use plenty of them but the action of a trick worm when wacky rigged is really cool!

[MGF]

Why not work it all the way back if you can cast down the bank (or whatever structure/cover) and be in the "strike zone" for some distance? I've caught a ton of fish that way.

 

I work it different ways. sometimes I let it sink while doing nothing. Sometimes I'll bounce my slack line a little. Once on the bottom I might bring it back using short hops or I might raise it several feet and let it sink again.

 

On my last outing I was getting them under the deep end of docks. I'd skip under to a corner and let it sink doing very little. Then I'd raised it once or twice more until I was out from under the dock. Once the bait is in there with the fish I couldn't see any reason to just jerk it out.

 

They often hit on the fall but they often don't.

[ironbjorn]

I cast to my target and let it flutter down. It's all about the flutter. Once it's to the bottom I'll slightly lift up and let it flutter back down again. Once it's a couple yards from my initial target I reel in quickly and cast again, either to the same target/target area or a new one. 99% of your wacky bites come on the initial fall and slowly fishing it all the way back to you is, at the end of the day, a waste of time. Yes, sometimes you'll randomly pick up a fish in a random area slowly fishing it all the way back from your initial target, but not often enough to waste so much time.