First time wacky rigger

[inferiorfisherman]

I keep reading that wacky rigging senkos is the cat's meow in various threads.  I picked up some yamamota senkos (motor oil red flake),  and tied a 10lb FC leader onto my 12lb braid on a M power fast action Expride rod.  I used an Owner sniper finesse hook in size 1/0.  I went to one of the ponds in my subdivision to try it out before I take the boat out this coming weekend.  It made me feel like a bass fishing super hero.  First cast I caught a LMB,  3rd cast another.  I caught about 8 in 2 hrs including my PB.  It was like magic. 

 

The only reason that I didn't stay out all day catching them is I kept gut hooking them.  I struggled to feel them biting until they had already swallowed it completely, or maybe they just immediately swallowed it.  If I kept my line taught I didn't seem to get the bites, but I could feel the bluegill pecking at the bait.  If I kept the line slack I couldn't feel anything, but the bass seemed much more interested.  I spent my evening feeling bad that I probably murdered a 3.5lb bass.  I watched at lot of videos on how to remove hooks afterwards, but I would like ideas on how I might be able to perfect my technique.  I keep hearing semi-slack line.  I have no clue what that means to be honest.  I tried many other lures, but nothing could get the bites I wacky rigged senko could. 

 

Any pointers for me?

[WRB]

Use your braid as a strike indicator, line moves at all set the hook by reeling with a firm rod lift. Don’t wait to feel line movement.

Tom

 

[Darth-Baiter]

Watch your line.  I use yellow braid.  It moves sideways.  Slamma-jamma time. Set that hook. 
 

and I use a Moto-hook made for wacky.  I get nice lip pins.  So far.  

[Bankc]

Semi-slack just means there's a bow in the line.  It's enough slack so that the bait isn't effected by the line, but it's still tight enough that you can see something happening to your line.  It won't help much for feel, but you can see when something is going on.  

 

You can try going straight fluorocarbon.  That has a better slack line feel than braid.  So you'll have a better chance at feeling stuff without having to keep the line taught.  It may not be enough to help, however, since they're not really attacking the bait, so much as swallowing it.  You can also try a circle hook.  You don't set the hook on those though.  You just wait for the fish to turn and run off with it, and they hook themselves.  You're landing percentages will likely go down, but you'll greatly reduce the risk of a gut hook since the hook doesn't point out.  Or go barbless.  Same thing with the landing percentage.  And you'll have to keep constant pressure on the fish or the hook will slide out.  But if they do swallow it, it's a lot easier to remove without a barb.  Or, you can just cut the line and drop the fish back in the water with the hook still intact.  They'll rust out after a while.  

[padon]

like others have said use hiviz flouro and watch your line.

[FishinBuck07]

You have to be a line watcher!  Any tick or movement of line from side to side, set the hook!!

[BrianMDTX]

I tried braid-to-leader for wacky rigs and did not like it. I use 6 lb Berkley XL or 8 lb YZH on a 1/0 circle octopus hook. Semi-slack is key. Sometimes they hit and run hard (easy to detect). Sometimes they don’t, which on a completely slack line is hard to detect visually. Semi-slack you’ll see the twitch. Raise the rod and reel it in and the hook sets. 

[Bubba 460]

I usually fish swallow so I use mono but braid will work if your leader is not too long. After you cast watch the line for a twitch, You'll get "some" hits on the sink. Most of the time you'll see it, especially on calm days. if you don't see a hit watching the line give a slight pull as it falls, say every 5 seconds just enough to feel the bait. Once you get to whatever depth you want to fish at do a pull or two then pause for 2or 3 seconds then repeat. if you do not feel the bite you WILL feel the fish on the next pull, before he has had the chance to throat it. Sometimes you feel the very slightest of a "tick".OR... if you pull and feel nothing~ set the hook. I catch lots of bass on wacky and almost never throat one.

[gim]

Try a vmc neko hook. The longer shank seems to hook them in the mouth instead of the throat. As others have mentioned don’t wait when setting the hook and try to remove the hook quickly if possible. Using a finesse technique like this is simply going to result in more deeper hook sets than a moving lure would.

[CrankFate]

Since the only two things everyone ever throws around here are spinnerbaits and wacky rigs, they don’t really work.

[Russ E]

53 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Try a vmc neko hook. The longer shank seems to hook them in the mouth instead of the throat. As others have mentioned don’t wait when setting the hook and try to remove the hook quickly if possible. Using a finesse technique like this is simply going to result in more deeper hook sets than a moving lure would.

^^^^ this

I have not had a gut hooked bass since switching to the Neko hook.

for senko style baits I use 1/0. if i am throwing thinner worms like a trick worm, i use #1 hooks.

[michaelb]

I haven’t tried neko hooks and will have to look them up. But circle/octopus hooks will significantly reduce gut hooking when wacky rigging. 

[inferiorfisherman]

Thanks everyone for the tips!  This place is pretty great.

 

I have some of the VMC neko hooks, but I didn't try them this time.  I didn't consider that the longer shank might help prevent gut hooks.  I'll give them a try.  I have both the ones with the keeper and without.  I ordered the ones without on accident as I bought them for texas rigging senkos.  One this is for sure, they are very large for the listed size.  They are about 2 sizes bigger than other hooks of the same listed size.  I have been waiting on a certain tackle retailer to finally send me the O-rings I ordered 2 weeks ago.  I was thinking that they might help as well.  having more hook exposed and not having so much  hook buried in the senko.  

 

What everyone is saying about line watching makes sense to me.  I am historically a crappie guy and have been using hi-viz lines for crappie fishing for 2 decades now for that reason, but when i started bass fishing last year I chose braids that are dark green.  I will continue to do that for most, but next time I buy braid for a finesse setup I'll go hi viz since I recently started tying leaders on most of my rigs.  I never needed a leader fishing for crappie,  They bite anything as long as you put it in the right spot at the right time. 

 

One thing is for sure,  I am a braid man.  I have used it for so long that any attempt to use anything else as a mainline leaves me very frustrated.

[CM-fisher]

You do not feel bites on a wacky rig with your rod, but with your line. Hi viz yellow braid if you want to use a fluoro leader, but I prefer straight 15 lb braid. It's ultra-sensitive and I don't really notice a difference between it and a leader.

[inferiorfisherman]

I was able to get back out today and fish more wacky rigged senkos.  This time I came armed with mustad O-rings.  They worked fantastically.  I didn't gut hook a single fish and caught 9.  I used the same owner sniper hook as the last time out.  The o-ring seems to make all of the difference for me.  The rig was a bit more prone to catching grass, but it was well worth it for the great hookup % and the fact that I didn't injure any bass.