Wacky Worm Set Up

[Bartableman7]

I've never tried the wacky worm.  It's time to learn.  What hooks (Weedless?) and what size for what size worm. 

Can I baitcast these or stick with spinning gear?  Thanks all.

 

[gunsinger]

I fish the wacky worm frequently. You can use a variety of hooks, both weedless and not. You can fish it weighted or weightless.  You can fish it on a baitcaster or a spinning rod. 
 

I prefer a baitcaster for precision with casting but I know a lot if guys that can throw a spinning rod just as well. I will typically toss a weighted wacky rig with a 3/16th oz bullet weight but it depends on how fast I want it to sink through the water column. 
 

I have taken to using a o-ring on my Yumdinger as the one downside with using a baitcaster is worm loss on the cast as you typically have to fling it harder when baitcasting as compared to spinning rods. That’s been my experience…YMMV. 
 

I fish a wacky anywhere from shoreline 10’-15’ deep using a hopping technique and sometimes a dragging action. On occasion, I’ll drop a weightless wacky rig on scrolling bass. 

[Bird]

When I throw weightless wacky, it's always on a VMC #2 weedless Neko hook.

Also throw wacky on a 1/16 wacky jig, wide gap but usually with finesse worms.

I prefer spinning tackle for wacky rig because it's a bait that skips so well and I can't skip with casting.

[Wprich]

I use the Owner Sniper Finesse hook in a 1/0 size usually a 5 inch senko on a NRX 852s.  I have weedless and regular versions of that Owner hook but try to stick with the regular when possible.

[gim]

1 hour ago, Bird said:

When I throw weightless wacky, it's always on a VMC #2 weedless Neko hook.

Also throw wacky on a 1/16 wacky jig, wide gap but usually with finesse worms.

I prefer spinning tackle for wacky rig because it's a bait that skips so well and I can't skip with casting.

This is me too. The only difference is that I don’t use the weed less version neko hook.

[WRB]

Wacky rig is simple the hooking technique going through the worm body about 1/3 back of the nose end.

You can wacky rig any soft plastic worm from tiny 3” to longer 12” that can weight a few grams to a ounce. Worm can be floating or sinking types, almost always straight tail.

Wacky worms that are weighted were originally called the nail rig, now referred to as the Neko rig....same thing when the weight is inserted into the worm nose.

Senko’s sink on there own so no weight is needed other to increase rate of fall. Floating wacky rigged worms tend to twist the line therefore a swivel in used about 12” above the trick worm.

Wacky hooked soft plastics usually come off the hook when fighting a bass. To reduce losing worms a o-ring, piece or plastic tubing can be used to hold the hoook.

Spinning tackle is my preference for anything weighing less the 1/8 oz and for weightless wacky rigged 5” Senko’s. Easier to cast and pull off slack line to let the Senko swim straight down.

I use Owner size 1 Jungle weedless Wacky hook for 5”  Senko and size 1 Owner Mosquito hook for drop shot Flick Shake 4.8 worms.

Tom

[T-Billy]

7' MH XF casting. 20# Sufix 832 braid. Berkley fusion 1/0 wacky hook.

[BrianMDTX]

5” Senko

Gamakatsu 1/0 circle octopus hook

20 lb. braid (Seaguar Smackdown or Sufix 832); 8 lb. mono leader

MF spinning rod; 2500 reel 

[Jar11591]

Size 2 wide gap finesse Gamakatsu hook, 6lb hybrid line on a 7’ medium/fast spinning rod is the set up I use to throw wacky senkos. 

[Clumsy fisherman]

In other words there is no wrong rig. ML, M and MH rods all mentioned in this thread, anything from 6# hybrid to 20# braid, #2 hook up to 2/0. This is a great thread.

[Darth-Baiter]

I use surgical tubing and the 1/0 Moto Hook, which is a hook built off of a Gamagatsu. 
 

I typically throw it on a spinning rig but the past two times, casting.  The 5” SENKO flies well.  It’s a heavy bait. 

[throttleplate]

Throw the wacky out and swim it back in like a jerk bait. As you jerk it the worm will fold itself into a U shape and then sink, repeat.

I use mosquito hook snelled with a swivel.

[gim]

I used to use a VMC wacky hook until I tried the VMC Neko hook.  I'll never go back to the wacky hook again.  The neko hook gets the fish in the roof of the mouth 99% of the time.  When I used the wacky version, it would get hooked in the side, down the throat, etc.  I think the longer shank is the key.

[Boomstick]

I will fish wacky rigs a few ways.

 

#1 and the most common way for me is on a drop shot on spinning gear, 12# braid with usually a 8# fluoro leader and usually an X-Zone Deception worm on a 1/0 Owner mosquito hook.

 

#2) A weightless wacky rig, on either a straight shank hook on a M-MH/XF (M/F works too) casting gear with 12# fluorocarbon or a 1/0 Owner mosquito hook on my above spinning rod.

 

#3) The weighted version: Throw it on a jig head. The Strike King Squadrons work great as they stand up in the water. My same M-MH/XF rod works for this, but generally a MH/F is also acceptable (12-16# test).

[RHuff]

7'2 Medium Spinning Rod with 8lb Berkley Fireline and 8lb Trilene XL leader with a Berkley Fusion Finesse Wide Gap #2..   Always Berkley the General MaxScent wacky rigged directly through the top 1/3 of the worm.... I may or may not have learned this setup from a certain shallow water stick on Bass U... and it absolutely works

[Dye99]

1/0 Gamakatsu hook, Megabass Kirisami/stragic 2500 for heavy cover, NRX 852s/Stragic 2500 for most everything else.

[CrashVector]

I use a VMC neko hook with a weightless presentation on a spinning reel with 10lb braid tied to the hook.

[MN Fisher]

President XT-30 on a Dobyns 703SF loaded with 8# Seaguar InvizX and a #2 or 1/0 Owner SSW hook depending on worm size.

[r83srock]

I throw a 5” wacky rigged senko mostly around docks. I use a 4/0 Gamakatsu wide gap finesse hook, 20 lb power pro moss green braid, a St. Croix Mojo Bass 7’1” MF spinning rod, and a 35 size Pfluger reel.

[The Baron]

VMC weedless wacky 1/16oz. jig heads (don't need to be weedless, but I just buy one type to keep it simple) 90% of the time, sometimes weightless if I really need to fish it painfully (for me) slow.  Gary Yamamoto 5" senko (or a Yum Dinger or an XZone True Center Stick) with a rubber o-ring.  Fished on #15 or 20# braid to a 10# Seaguar Blue Label fluorocarbon leader or a 6'6"-7ft. M/F spinning rod with a 2500 reel.

[Catt]

Powell Inferno 703C MH X-Fast 

Lew's Tournament Team Lite TLL1SH 

Berkley Big Game 15#

VMC Weedless Neko 2/0

Bass Assassin Tapout Worm

Zoom Trick Worm 

Double Z Magnum T-Worm 

[NYWayfarer]

St Croix Triumph 6’6” Medium Fast rod

Shimano Nasci 2500 reel

8# mono

Owner Wacky Worm hook 1/0 size camo color (green)

4” or 5” GYBC Senko

2 O-rings crossed

hook worm where the rings cross.

 

 

[Jar11591]

Gamakatsu 1/0 Finesse Wide Gap hook, 6lb Yo-Zuri hybrid line, Pflueger Supreme 25 reel on a 7’ medium-fast Fenwick Elite Tech spinning rod seems to be the perfect set up to me. 

[Aaron_H]

Mostly along the same lines as others here.

 

7' Shimano SLX spinning M/XF

Quantum Smoke S3 PT Inshore 25

15lb PowerPro super slick to a 12lb Big Game mono leader

2/0 Gamakatsu Wide Gap Finesse hook.

 

I use 3/8" clear heat shrink tubing for all of my wacky senkos. Incredibly inexpensive and very solid. I prefer it over crisscrossed O-rings, personally.

[Drew03cmc]

I normally use the Crossover Rings in the center. Can someone explain why using the top 1/3 is better? I do that when Neko rigging, but for weightless wacky, I don't see it being different enough to make a difference, but maybe I'm wrong.