Tokyo rig in winter

[Luke Barnes]

I just received some Tokyo rigs in my fishmas box and I'm really excited to try them out.  I was thinking, I could add more weight to keep it on the bottom and throw it out deep where the bass may be hunkering down. I see people use swimbaits on them and that's probably what I would do. My thoughts are to use a swimbait and reel it slowly along the bottom. 

 

Has anyone tried this in winter for deep bass? 

[Bluebasser86]

Winter time is about the only time I've ever caught a fish on one. I like using a creature bait or stick worm though. 

[Luke Barnes]

11 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Winter time is about the only time I've ever caught a fish on one. I like using a creature bait or stick worm though. 

What kind of retrieve did you use? I was thinking about using a pretty heavy weight to slowly drag the bottom with a craw or rage bug but also a paddletail small as close to the bottom and as slow as I can get away with. 

[Bluebasser86]

48 minutes ago, Luke Barnes said:

What kind of retrieve did you use? I was thinking about using a pretty heavy weight to slowly drag the bottom with a craw or rage bug but also a paddletail small as close to the bottom and as slow as I can get away with. 

I just drug it, no hops or shaking, just straight, slow pulls.

[ChrisD46]

I like what Bluebasser86 has to say about the winter Tokyo Rig retrieve as bass tend to relate to the bottom more in cold water at deeper depths . Good lure choices also. ... I might also try a ZMan soft plastic craw , StreakZ / Z-Too (straight tail shad) or stick worm on a slow drag & stop retrieve for a little more action on the pause . If you want to use a paddle tail I'd opt for a tighter tail action like a 4" Keitech Easy Shiner ... After that , the other 6 rods you might have on deck for the bottom would be a mop jig with living rubber skirt / Rage Craw trailer, a Gene Larew "Biffle Bug" swing head jig , a  C-Rig with a finesse worm or Strike King Zoro / Z-Man ZinkerZ , a Scrounger jig head with a Zoom standard 4" Fluke on the back , an underspin with a Keitech Easy Shiner or straight tail shad like the Z Too or StreakZ trailer and lastly - and lastly a  drop shot with a 3.75" Z Too / Streak Z and a short dropper length ( 4" ~ 6") ; 1/4th oz. weight ... *Rotate through those winter set up options and it will be pre-spawn before you know it ! ?

[Darth-Baiter]

i did okay with a Zoom Finesse worm.  i just moved it so slow.  it was really the breeze moving my kayak and me just sitting there saying...please please please you bass, please please.....tick!

 

to add.  my friend kicked butt with a 3/4 tungsten bullet, and a rage Menace.  he was punching with it last summer.  that tiny thing slipped thru the weeds cleanly.  

[PressuredFishing]

On 12/19/2022 at 11:48 AM, Luke Barnes said:

My thoughts are to use a swimbait and reel it slowly along the bottom. 

That's not a bad thought, I made my own and I really like them near wood, because a dropshot with tag end weight and limp line likes to wrap around limbs underwater. 

[FrnkNsteen]

Lindners did a whole episode on the Tokyo Rig fishing it like that. One had a paddletail and the other had a twist tail worm on.

 

They were casting it out and letting it to sink to the bottom, then slowly swimming it along so the weight ticked off the rocky bottom.

[bx.versatile]

Just think of a Tokyo Rig as a short leader drop shot, but you can change weight faster and feel the bottom better. Like all the rigs that have the weight pointing down (Jika, FreeRig, DropShot) tends to drop at more vertical angle compared to using the traditional bullet style weights. Due to this, I feel the baits stays on the bottom better or you can get away with a step down in weight.

 

I've had lot of success using the finesse Tokyo Rig with lighter worms or threading a swim bait through it. You can find couple videos from Wire2Fish with G-Man and Fieder using it.

[Luke Barnes]

18 hours ago, Shismano said:

Just think of a Tokyo Rig as a short leader drop shot, but you can change weight faster and feel the bottom better. Like all the rigs that have the weight pointing down (Jika, FreeRig, DropShot) tends to drop at more vertical angle compared to using the traditional bullet style weights. Due to this, I feel the baits stays on the bottom better or you can get away with a step down in weight.

 

I've had lot of success using the finesse Tokyo Rig with lighter worms or threading a swim bait through it. You can find couple videos from Wire2Fish with G-Man and Fieder using it.

Lots of great advice from many people.  All pointing to my original thoughts, it would make a great cold weather bottom rig!! Either ticking the bottom with a swimbait or dragging it with a craw or worm. Either way it sounds super versatile and a great rigging option. 

[Deleted account]

First the umbrella, now a bottom bouncer, there is hope for LMB guys yet...  

[Luke Barnes]

1 hour ago, Deleted account said:

First the umbrella, now a bottom bouncer, there is hope for LMB guys yet...  

Yeah yeah. Haha. I don't get to go out and fish much anymore, so when I do I want to have the best shot at catching that I can. That and I like the talk and back and forth about fishing almost as much as actually fishing. I get to shoot the breeze about fishing everyday on here!

 

But the Tokyo Rig was a surprise in my Fishmas box that got the gears turning. Plus a pack of Powerbait Craw Fattys to use on said Tokyo Rig! 

[waymont]

Tokyo rigs are really great coming through any wood/brush cover, and also really great on hard bottoms. Slow dragging them is a very successful way to fish them. In weed and wood cover I like popping them a little, and long drags too. Try them out!

I like the Pit Boss, worms, and swim baits.

[Woody B]

I had to google tokyo rig to see what it is.  Dang bait monkey.   I use a carolina rig is situations where a Tokyo rig might work.   I tried a drop shot a couple weeks ago.  At the suggestion of a friend I used a nose hooked manns spinner bait trailer for bait.  I didn't catch anything but saw several fish hit the WEIGHT on active target.   I was kinda bobbing it up and down.  I guess the weight looked attractive.   Does anyone sell drop shot weights with hooks in them?

[@reelChris]

2 hours ago, Woody B said:

Does anyone sell drop shot weights with hooks in them?

 

I think they're called.. ball head jigs?? 

[kingmotorboat]

Yep. Caught a few last week on it and it’s been a go to For me since its release. Mostly for

punching till I moved up to Tennessee 3 months ago. They eat the thing here quite a bit

[Choporoz]

On 12/22/2022 at 12:51 PM, Deleted account said:

First the umbrella, now a bottom bouncer, there is hope for LMB guys yet...  

Bottom bouncer was first thing I thought of when I saw these a few years ago.  Tokyo rig has worked ok for me, but I've still been tempted to pull out a bottom bouncer and try it....until I remember that those I have are for walleyes, not bass.

?

[GaryH]

Work great for me in colder weather. Experiment with the weight for the best for dragging on the bottom. I prefer craws or paddle tails. Good luck ? 

[Luke Barnes]

On 12/24/2022 at 5:38 PM, Woody B said:

I had to google tokyo rig to see what it is.  Dang bait monkey.   I use a carolina rig is situations where a Tokyo rig might work.   I tried a drop shot a couple weeks ago.  At the suggestion of a friend I used a nose hooked manns spinner bait trailer for bait.  I didn't catch anything but saw several fish hit the WEIGHT on active target.   I was kinda bobbing it up and down.  I guess the weight looked attractive.   Does anyone sell drop shot weights with hooks in them?

I saw a thread on here once about using a Ned rig for the weight on a drop shot. Soft plastic and all on a Ned head tied as the weight for a drop shot. Never tried it but it's a cool idea.