A wacky rig is probably probably the most delicate, pure, and non-invasive presentation bass anglers use. It’s a really gradual and finessed presentation not like a crankbait or chatterbait.
However the true great thing about the wacky rig is that bass will chew it whatever the situations. They’ll chew a wacky rig when the chew is extensive open, and after they received’t eat anything. It doesn’t matter what temper the fish are in; they’ll’t resist the gradual sinking wiggle of a wacky rig.
Whether or not you’re fishing boat docks, laydowns, grass traces, or rock piles, having a wacky rig tied on and able to deploy is a should. Right here’s every little thing it’s essential learn about fishing a wacky rig.
The Wacky Rig
The usual wacky rig is a 2/0 octopus-style hook rigged via an O-ring that’s been positioned within the middle of a 4- or 5-inch stick bait. Whereas the O-ring isn’t all the time obligatory, it’s useful in prolonging the lifetime of your stick bait. O-ring or not, the wacky rig works so nicely as a result of it’s easy. Because the bait slowly sinks via the water column each ends of the stick bait shimmy, driving bass nuts.
Rig a Wacky Rig
A wacky rig ought to take not more than 30-seconds to be able to fish. The longest a part of the method is attaching the O-ring to your stick bait of selection. Beneath is a step-by-step information.
Step 1: Choose your hook. Some choices embrace weed guards, which could be useful when fishing round grass and heavy cowl.
Step 2: Take your stick bait of selection and slide it into an O-ring tool. With this instrument, you’ll merely slide the O-ring down the shaft and place it in the course of your stick bait.
Step 3: Thread your hook between the O-ring and stick bait.
Step 4: Utilizing a Palomar knot, tie your line to the hook.
What Makes the Wacky Rig Efficient?
Scott Einsmann
There are numerous baits and lures on the market which are made to catch fishermen reasonably than fish. As you stroll down the aisle at your favourite deal with store, you’ll see precisely what I’m speaking about. Topwater baits with flapping arms and spinners, jerkbaits with blades on the again treble, and lures that imitate animals like rats and ducks. Whereas a few of these baits may go in sure conditions, oftentimes they’re greater than you want.
A wacky rig is the precise reverse.
Its simplicity makes it arguably the simplest tender plastic fishing method to ever exist. The delicate, slow-sinking shimmy tugs on a bass’s instincts and triggers them to feed. Whether or not they consider the stick bait is a baitfish, a leech, or perhaps a snake, they’ll’t resist the motion of a wacky rig.
Bass are ambush predators, and so they usually stage close to cowl like dock pilings, laydowns, and grass traces ready for unsuspecting prey. The wacky rig appears to set off their ambush reflex because it slowly sinks close to the quilt. The reason being within the motion.
In my view, the wacky rig represents a dying baitfish. The slender profile resembles a shad, and the shimmy of the stick bait because it falls on a slack line seems precisely like a baitfish sinking via the water column — wiggling its head and tail concurrently.
For a deep dive on the wacky rig, take a look at this nice video from my pal Flukemaster.
When to Throw a Wacky Rig
In case you’re making an attempt to resolve when to throw a wacky rig, ask your self this straightforward query: Am I fishing for bass? If the reply is sure, whatever the time of yr, a wacky rig will get you bites.
Now, as with all year-round strategies, there’s a prime-time to fish a wacky rig, and to me, that’s the post-spawn. Within the post-spawn, bass get torpid. They’re recovering from the spawn and so they don’t have the vitality to go offshore and chase faculties of baitfish in deep water. Sometimes, as soon as the spawn ends, the bass head to the primary piece of canopy they’ll discover in 8 to 12 toes of water to recuperate and feed on straightforward prey.
That’s why fishing a wacky rig through the submit spawn round dock pilings and laydowns could be among the greatest fishing you’ll expertise all yr. The wacky rig is a simple meal for drained bass. It’s much like operating a marathon and being supplied a cheeseburger half-hour after you cross the end line. You in all probability can’t resist.
Another excuse as to why the wacky rig is a go-to through the post-spawn is that there are many bass nonetheless within the shallows guarding their fry. When your bait approaches the small college of child bass, the fry-guarding larger bass will deal with the bait like an intruder and eat it to guard their offspring. It’s not usually that you simply’ll have the rod ripped out of your arms when fishing a wacky rig, however that is a kind of instances.
The Greatest Wacky Rig Rod Setups, Baits, and Gear
Scott Einsmann
Right here’s the rod, reel, line, hooks, baits, and O-ring instrument you’ll must fish a wacky rig.
Selecting the Proper Rod
When confronted with choosing the precise rod on your wacky rig, you’re in luck. A lot of the best spinning rods will do the trick. When you’ve got a favourite spinning rod for fishing gentle Texas rigs or weightless worms, you then in all probability don’t must buy groceries. However, if you happen to’re trying to improve to the proper wacky rig rod, look no additional than the Bass Pro Shops Johnny Morris CarbonLite Wacky Rig spinning rod. At 7 toes, 2 inches and a medium motion, this rod is particularly designed for making lengthy, correct casts with a wacky rig. It’s received a stiff sufficient spine to verify the fish is hooked nicely, however a tender sufficient tip to verify they don’t come off through the struggle.
Selecting the Proper Reel
Equally to the rod you select, your reel could be nearly any of the best spinning reels you will have in your arsenal. However, if you happen to’re on the lookout for the proper wacky rig reel, I’d suggest going with a light-weight spinning reel that provides a high-speed gear ratio. That might be vital for rapidly selecting up the slack in your line after you’re feeling the chew to make sure a superb hook set. For me, the Lew’s HyperMag Magnesium spinning reel in a dimension 200 is the proper selection.
Baits
In my expertise, the saltier the stick bait, the longer they’ll maintain on after a chew. With that in thoughts, I’ve virtually solely used a Gary Yamamoto Senko. The excessive salt content material of their tender plastic stick bait simply appears so as to add extra motion and will increase the autumn fee when in comparison with another stick baits. In case you’re on the lookout for another choice so as to add to your stick bait arsenal, I’ve additionally had some nice luck with a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent The General Worm. Whereas the salt content material won’t be fairly as excessive, the addition of the MaxScent can typically be the ticket, particularly when fishing extra closely pressured our bodies of water.
So far as the scale of your stick bait goes, selecting between a 4- or 5-inch bait is all you really want. I personally choose the 5-inch choices as they have a tendency to supply extra motion, however will go together with a 4-inch bait if I’m fishing a smaller pond or lake that provides smaller baitfish. All the time attempt to match the scale of your bait to the everyday baitfish within the physique of water.
Hooks
The hook you resolve to make use of on your wacky rig is crucial. Whereas there are many choices on the market, I’ve all the time had luck with the two/0 TroKar weedless wacky worm hooks. I choose the weedless possibility as I’m sometimes fishing a wacky rig round heavy cowl, laydowns, or docks which are surrounded by grasses like hydrilla and milfoil. The weedless hook won’t hold each strand of grass off, however each little bit helps.
One other nice possibility in wacky rig hooks for people making an attempt to step up their terminal deal with sport is the VMC wacky rigging kit. The equipment provides common wacky hooks, weedless hooks, and even weighted wacky hooks for deep water functions.
O-Ring Device
The O-ring is an non-compulsory addition, however one which I are inclined to lean on because it extends the lifetime of my bait. There isn’t a lot to the O-rings themselves, however getting them on the stick bait with out an O-ring instrument could be taxing. My favourite O-ring instrument is the Bass Pro Shops Floating Quick Rigger Tool. The truth that it floats offered me on it, and it really works precisely the way it’s imagined to.
Line
The final piece of drugs you’ll want is the road in your reel. Avid bass anglers usually fish spinning reels with a braid-to-fluorocarbon chief. For my braided line, I wish to go together with 10-pound Daiwa J-Braid, however most braided traces will do the trick. As for the fluorocarbon chief, I lean on 8-pound Sunline FC.
Closing Ideas
Throwing a wacky rig is rarely a foul possibility. There are many skilled bass anglers that also depend on a wacky rig over the course of a four-day match to get a lot wanted bites to money checks. If the professionals are utilizing it, that’s a superb signal that you must comply with swimsuit. Tie one on and it received’t allow you to down.
