New to Wacky and Neko - tool question

[oliverG]

Learning so much reading this forum and I did search for this first so sorry if i missed a post.

 

I am curious about the reasoning behind the o-rings on wacky/neko rigs and the neccessity of using a tool for rigging them on. Why does the o-ring make it last longer? less tearing of the bait i assume? would you still need the o-ring on a Z-Man worm since they are so squishy?

 

Ordering all the stuff soon but is the VMC tool the best one? If you were to have only one rigging tool which is going to be most versatile across multiple worm brands/sizes? or do i need multiple to really do this properly in varying conditions?

 

I just stuck a hook in my first wacky worm attempt and it worked fine, caught several fish with it and still have the whole thing - but it was a zman... and fish were admittedly very small.

 

ALSO, off topic but how do i add a signature to my posts? assuming i need more posts to earn this feature?

[BrianMDTX]

O-rings likely aren’t needed on a Z-man, as they are tough. I use them on Senkos, as one bite on a Senko can rip it up if hooked directly through the bait. 
 

I don’t use a tool. I simply start at the narrow end and roll it up the Senko to the halfway point. I use 1/4” I.D. O-rings. 

[Mike L]

You don’t really need to buy the tool to put the O ring on if you didn’t want to. 
 

Get a fairly fat ball point pen, take it apart and slid the ring over the point with the stick bait in the opposite opened end and slide it on. 
 

Same principle as the tool and works just as well. 
 

 

 

 

Mike
 

 

[PhishLI]

5 hours ago, oliverG said:

Ordering all the stuff soon

If you see yourself wacky rigging larger worms like 6" Senkos then get this tool for sure. 7" worms will fit into it too. Make sure to get #11 O-rings. The smaller O-rings that fit 5" worms properly will cut 6" worms in half rather quickly.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/The_O-Wacky_Tool_The_Brute/descpage-OWACKYTO.html

 

The clear O-rings tend to be more supple than the black ones. Your 6" worm will last longer.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/The_O-Wacky_Tool_O-Rings_25pk/descpage-OWACKYR.html

 

For 5" worms you're better off with this smaller version of this tool. Many standard 1/4" I.D. O-rings will split when fed over the the larger tool shown above. If you're only going to use 5" worms then the VMC tool is fine and is shown in the bottom pic. The clear O-rings that come with it are very soft. However, if you're ordering both the large and small tool you might as well get both in metal.  This one works:

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/O-Wacky_Tool/descpage-OWACKYTOOL.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bird]

I use the VMC crossover rings and pliers.

Why I like it is once the Senko looses it salt it starts to float so I add a nail weight and fish it Neko.

The VMC rings are pre drilled for either technique.

 

Hint: bright colors promote Crappie theft but occasionally you may catch one. Lol

[Bass Rutten]

Rant alert Don’t get sucked into splurging on specialist crap, buy a few yards of silicone tubing off the’bay and cut it into 1/4” pieces and they’re not only better and tougher but you’ll have enough of them to last you half a lifetime for $20-30, as for the “wacky tool”gimme a break lol needle nose pliers does the same thing and to most likely already keep them on you.

[Mbirdsley]

2 minutes ago, Bassjam2000 said:

Rant alert Don’t get sucked into splurging on specialist crap, buy a few yards of silicone tubing off the’bay and cut it into 1/4” pieces and they’re not only better and tougher but you’ll have enough of them to last you half a lifetime for $20-30, as for the “wacky tool”gimme a break lol needle nose pliers does the same thing and to most likely already keep them on you.

This is actually a good idea. 

[AmmoGuy]

2 hours ago, Bassjam2000 said:

Rant alert Don’t get sucked into splurging on specialist crap, buy a few yards of silicone tubing off the’bay and cut it into 1/4” pieces and they’re not only better and tougher but you’ll have enough of them to last you half a lifetime for $20-30, as for the “wacky tool”gimme a break lol needle nose pliers does the same thing and to most likely already keep them on you.

 

Rant all you want, but for $5, you can't beat a "wacky tool". Simple and quick. 

 

They are like $5-8. Just buy one, fill it up with o-rings and throw it in your tackle box. You won't regret it. 

[Bass Rutten]

8 minutes ago, AmmoGuy said:

 

Rant all you want, but for $5, you can't beat a "wacky tool". Simple and quick. 

 

They are like $5-8. Just buy one, fill it up with o-rings and throw it in your tackle box. You won't regret it. 

For zero dollars you can’t beat the pliers every fisherman likely already carries,  open the band, moisten the lure and slide it in, spend that money on silicone tubing, but if needless spending makes you feel better then carry on.

[AmmoGuy]

2 minutes ago, Bassjam2000 said:

For zero dollars you can’t beat the pliers every fisherman likely already carries,  open the band, moisten the lure and slide it in, spend that money on silicone tubing, but if needless spending makes you feel better then carry on.

 

Saying "nEeDleSS sPeNdiNg" on a fishing forum almost seems oxymoronic.

 

It has nothing to do with how it makes me feel, and everything to do with the utility/value of it. Being able to pull the the "tool" (pre loaded with rings) out of my pocket, and slap a ring on a worm is worth $6 to me. How you value your time is up to you. 

 

I used pliers to open o-rings for a while. Then tried to fashion my own "tube". finally I just grabbed a $6 "tool" one day while I was in Academy Sports.  I've never once regretted it. If I lost it, I'd buy another immediately. Heck, a bag of Senkos costs more than that these days. 

 

 

[PhishLI]

3 hours ago, Mbirdsley said:

buy a few yards of silicone tubing off the’bay

This works, but not so great on GY senkos. The VMC saddles have the hook hole so you can set the hook perpendicular to the worm without cutting into it. Crossing over o-rings allows you to do the same thing without nicking the worm. With DIY silicone tube installed it's nearly impossible to not nick the worm when you hook it perpendicularly. That nick is the beginning of the end with a GY senko, especially a 6".  It will rip just from casting it which is a guaranteed blowup if you're throwing it using a baitcaster. BPS Stick-Os, Yum Dingers, and Strike King Shim-E- sticks are far more durable and can take the nick better.

 

If I'm throwing a WR it's going to be a GY senko. A sandwich, side salad, and a large iced tea at my local deli cost more than both tools combined plus extra o-rings, so I'm not sweating it really.

4 minutes ago, AmmoGuy said:

Saying "nEeDleSS sPeNdiNg" on a fishing forum almost seems oxymoronic.

Zactly.

[gim]

I used to put them on manually.  Then Santa left me an o-ring VMC tool in my stocking one Christmas, so I use it now.  If you're using the yamamoto stick baits, they tend to not be very durable and I believe the o-ring tool helps reduce the likelihood of tearing it.  If you don't want to buy or use the tool, then don't.  No big deal.  I have found that it helps me and saves time.

[MN Fisher]

2 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I have found that it helps me and saves time.

Same here - in fact I have two of them with different size rings. One has rings for the 5"-7" stickbaits and the other has rings for the 3"-4".

[Bass Rutten]

Just trying to save a brother a few bucks in a hobby that can get real expensive real fast #monkeypower

[throttleplate]

On 4/26/2022 at 5:35 AM, BrianMDTX said:

I don’t use a tool. I simply start at the narrow end and roll it up

just like rollin on a durex or trojan.

[BrianMDTX]

10 minutes ago, throttleplate said:

just like rollin on a durex or trojan.

Ummm….no. ‘Cause I reuse O-rings! ?

[Skunkmaster-k]

Gross 

[Revival]

I have the VMC pliers and love it.  Got it on sale for $10.  The VMC saddles have holes in them for either wacky or neko rigging.  There are 2 compartments to store the saddles too.  

 

I think it all depends what type of wacky saddles/rings you are going with.

[desmobob]

I have a couple different brands of the "stick the worm inside, then roll the ring off onto it" type tools.  They work great.  When I was fishing Senkos a LOT, I even bought a nasal speculum to see if it would be handier than the popular tools (it wasn't, in my opinion).

 

[fishwizzard]

On 4/26/2022 at 6:54 AM, Mike L said:

You don’t really need to buy the tool to put the O ring on if you didn’t want to. 
 

Get a fairly fat ball point pen, take it apart and slid the ring over the point with the stick bait in the opposite opened end and slide it on. 
 

Same principle as the tool and works just as well. 
 

 

 

 

Mike
 

 

A standard Sharpie body works perfectly for a 4” Senko or a Trickworm and takes up a lot less space in a Plano box then most purpose made tools. It will work for a 5” Senko but you will have to roll the o-rig a bit to center it. 

[Aaron_H]

I use clear heat shrink tubing. 50 feet of it usually runs $10-15 and is good for over 2,000 senkos (I use about 1/4" for each one). The 3/8" diameter is the right size. Just stretch the worm out a little when shrinking to ensure it gets tight to the plastic.

 

This is the one I bought 5 years ago and even after giving some away to people I still have gobs of it left:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0030WCPVM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

[5/0]

On 4/26/2022 at 12:45 PM, MN Fisher said:

Same here - in fact I have two of them with different size rings. One has rings for the 5"-7" stickbaits and the other has rings for the 3"-4".

I’ve found that the standard O ring tools are good for Senko sized baits and rings. But rings for smaller diameter baits (trick worm & robos) are too small to get on the tool. Are there smaller diameter tools available?

[MN Fisher]

9 minutes ago, 5/0 said:

I’ve found that the standard O ring tools are good for Senko sized baits and rings. But rings for smaller diameter baits (trick worm & robos) are too small to get on the tool. Are there smaller diameter tools available?

Not that I'm aware of - it takes a bit more effort to get the smaller rings on the tool, but it can be done...I use the second tool with smaller rings for Trick Worms and even Finesse Worms...got two different colors of the tool so I know which is which. 

[PhishLI]

11 minutes ago, 5/0 said:

Are there smaller diameter tools available?

I'm not sure. I use Haynes Lubri-Film which is food safe. I bought it for the large o-rings on our water filtration canisters. Just a light film on the worm will help the o-rings to slide right onto roboworms, trick worms, etc. Much less of a PIA.