Best Hooks for Wacky Rig – If you’ve done a lot of bass fishing, you know that wacky worms work well for most bass species. Depending on the time of year and how the fish are biting, it can be hard to find the best hook and wacky worm for wacky rigging.
Wacky rig hooks with worms now come in hundreds of different shapes and sizes, which makes things even more confusing. Depending on who you ask, there are also a lot of weird ways to rig things, and some work better than others. If you love to fish for bass on the weekends and want to fish like a pro, these tips for worm rigging should help.
Key Takeaways
Key takeaways:
- A wacky rig is a fake rubber worm threaded onto a wide-gap hook and rigged by putting the hook through the middle of the bait so that both ends hang down.
- Wacky worms work well for most bass species and draw the attention of nearby bass by moving and wiggling like a real worm as they fall through the water column.
- The Senko brand of wacky worms is popular among experienced anglers because of its unique details and better sinking ability.
- To make the best rig for wacky worm fishing, consider factors such as location, time of year, bass behavior, and water clarity.
- Use a good bait-casting rod with a medium-heavy action, a good reel, and a 15-17 lb test line, along with size 4/0 Wacky Rig hooks from trusted brands like Kitana Hooks.
What do “Wacky Rigs” mean?
A wacky rig is just a fake rubber worm that is threaded onto a wide-gap hook. Most of the time, a wacky worm is rigged by putting the hook through the middle of the bait, which makes both ends hang down. Depending on how they want to fish with their wacky worm rig, some experienced fishermen like to place the hook off-center.
When you throw the fake worm into the water, it moves and wiggles just like a real worm as it falls through the water column. This action makes it look like the bait is really sinking, which draws the attention of the bass nearby and makes them strike as they take the bait into their mouths.
Even though this traditional method works well for anglers of all skill levels, wacky worms get torn up quickly when set up this way, especially when fishing near weed beds or docks. And that’s where weedless wacky-rigs come in. This article will talk more about them later.
It also matters what kind of wacky rig hooks you use. A hook that isn’t very sharp or the right shape won’t do the job. As wacky worm rigs have become more popular over the years, people have wanted better hooks, fake baits, and ways to set them up.
The best Wacky Worms for Bass
Since bass really like wacky worms, it’s hard to make a mistake. But just like with any other bait, you’ll catch more fish if you change the size, color, and way you fish based on the temperature, clarity, and time of year of the water.
Like bass, many experienced anglers like the SENKO brand of wacky worms because they sink better than other brands and have unique details on their bodies. Even though there are other good brands of wacky worms, theirs are hard to beat.
With a 5-inch SENKO worm, you can catch most of the smallmouth and largemouth bass in your range. There are more than 100 different colors of SENKO worms to choose from, which is more than enough for any freshwater bass fishing trip.
How to Pick Wacky Rig Tackle
Once you’ve chosen your bait, it’s time to put together your fishing gear. First, find a good bait-casting rod from the Bulldawg Rods Trophy Series that has a medium-heavy action. Use a good reel and 15 to 17-pound test line with your rod.
Next, get a Kitana Hooks collection package of size 4/0 Wacky Rig hooks. Many professional bass anglers trust Kitana hooks to hold their caught fish because they are chemically sharpened, very strong, and resistant to rust.
How to Fish for Bass with Simple Wacky Worm Rigs
To make the best rig for wacky worm fishing, you have to think about things like your location, the time of year, how the bass act, the weather, how clear the water is, and how deep you want to fish.
But it also depends on how much you know about fishing and how good you are at it. Even if you are a beginner fisherman, these simple wacky worm rigs should help you catch more big fish:
Simple wacky worm set-up
Even though it’s the most basic rig, a basic wacky worm rig works very well. Find the smooth part in the middle of the worm and put your wide-gap Kitana Wacky Hook, size 2/0 to 4/0, through it. Attach the wacky worm hook rig to your leader, and you’re ready to go!
Cast your “weightless” rig out once you’ve found a good spot, like a shallow feeder channel bed during spawning season.
The rig will sink very slowly in the water column because it isn’t weighted. The looser your line, the more likely it is that you’ll catch a bass. While you wait patiently for your line to fall, keep the tip of your rod pointed toward the surface and be ready to lift the rod and set the hook if the line moves or you feel a tug.
If the falling rig gets to the bottom without a strike or hook set, give it a short break before starting to retrieve it and show it to the fish.
Make your worm live longer!
Instead of threading the hook through the wacky worm, you can also tie it to the hook with an O-ring or small elastic band to make it last longer.
The Texas worm rig
When there is a strong current or there is a lot of wind, a Texas wacky worm rig adds just enough weight to make sure that cast-and-retrieve is accurate. Because it’s a weedless wacky worm rig, a Texas rig is great for casting into shaded structures or under docks, where bass tend to hang out when it’s hot.
If the weather is still making it hard to cast and reel in, add the least amount of lead possible to your rig. During the cold winter months, when bass moves deeper into the water column, you’ll have to be more patient or switch to a Carolina rig.
Once the water warms up in the spring, you can catch a lot of basses that are spawning by skipping your wacky worm Texas Rig under docks in shallow water.
Best Hooks for Wacky Rig
One of my favorite ways to catch bass with finesse is with a wacky rigged Senko. I’ve used this method in tournaments as well as when fishing with family and friends for fun. I have a lot of faith in this rig because I’ve caught a lot of fish with it.
But when I first started throwing the wacky rig, I didn’t know what hooks to use or how important they were to my overall success.
After years of trying things out and making mistakes, I’ve learned which wacky rig hooks work best and when to use each one based on a number of factors.
Here are the wacky rig hooks that I think are best for each type of bass fishing.
Finesse Wide Gap Hooks
The finesse wide gap hook is the one I probably use the most, and I’ve had a lot of success with it. This hook is great for fishing with a wacky rig in water less than 10 feet deep and where there isn’t much cover.
When it comes to hook size, I usually use a 1/0, but I’ll also use a 2/0 if I’m fishing with bigger fish or if I want my wacky rig to fall a bit faster. This strong hook is made to keep the bass from moving. It works great with the wacky rig.
Wide Gap Finesse Hook Weedless
A wide-gap finesse weedless hook is the best wacky rig hook to use when fishing in and around grass and cover. At the top of this hook is a weed guard that helps keep grass and other things away from your bait and hook.
Will you still get snagged and hung up? Yes, but the weed guard will make it much easier to work around plants and structures. This is my favorite hook to use on my wacky rig when I’m fishing around grass and other structure where a normal wacky rig will get stuck.
G-Finesse Series Wacky Jig Head
Using a wacky rig jig head can be a great way to catch fish that are deep or when you want more of a reaction bite. This hook is different from the others on this list because the top of it has a weighted jig head. With this extra weight, your bait will sink faster, letting you use this rig in deeper water.
In addition to being heavier, this hook has a weed guard to keep you from getting caught in the weeds. This will help you catch fish near grass, cover, and other types of structures.
