Wacky Rigging for Bass

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Bass fishing is one of the most popular forms of fishing in North America. It certainly has the largest following on the competitive tournament trail and for most of us who first learned to panfish on small ponds and lakes, it was the prized bonus fish would occasionally sink your bobber. And one of my newly discovered ways to catch these fish is by using a simple wacky rig.

The Wacky Rig

For those who are new to wacky rigging, the rig itself is about as simple as it gets. A plastic worm is basically attached to the center on a large bass-sized hook and then cast and left to sink naturally, waiting for a lunker to take it. As a newbie using this rig, I was shocked as to how effective it is. And although you don’t feel as many of the explosive strikes as you might with other techniques, there is still a huge adrenaline rush that comes from watching your line take off through the water as you anticipate the hook-set.

The Worm

While there are any number of plastics worms that can work, there are some that are specifically designed for this technique. The plastic is more or less balance from from front to back and the worm itself has plenty of weight to make casting at a distance easy.

A great color combo to try is Green Pumpkin. Although there are countless color combos out there, this is one of the most popular and put several fish into the boat the very first time I used it. The flecking that is incorporated into the design of these worms really helps the fish see them.

The Setup

The setup I use for this starts with a backing of high-vis yellow braid. Seeing the line is important with this technique as often the line is the only tell tale sign that a bass has taken the bait. As always, the backing should be the strongest line in your setup and with a large enough diameter to easily see it. For this, I would use 20 lb test high-vis braid, as braid has a very small diameter to strength ratio.

Next, I tie on a ~4′ length of 8lb. fluorocarbon line to the backing as a leader material. I am a big fan of fluoro, especially when fishing the clear lakes of the north. Although bass are an aggressive fish, to me, there is no harm in making the line as invisible as possible to give me every advantage I can get.

Finally, I terminate the leader to a large bass hook with a wide gap. Having an appropriately sized bass hook, ensures a better hookset when the time comes.

As a final note, I just stick the worm with the hook near the center of the worm. However, there are rings that can be purchased to allow the worm to be snugged up to the hook without the hook going through the plastic. This extends the life of your worm while also allowing for easy adjustment of the worm position to better balance it with respect to the hook.

How to Fish the Wacky Rig

This method is particularly popular in shallow water as this is where worms are naturally introduced. If fishing from a boat, first position your boat as far away from the target zone as you can so as not to disturb the fish’s environment. Fish can often see you easier than you think, especially in shallow water.

Next, simply cast the rig into the target water, leaving some slack in the line for the fish to take it and run without feeling any line tension.

Now, simply watch the line for any movement. The knot where the fluoro attaches to the braid is a great spot to focus your attention on as you can see this move in any direction. Sometimes the line itself will take off straight away from you. In this case, the braid will often create slight ripples in the water. If the strike is hard enough, you might even see water splashing away from the line when this occurs.

Once you see that something has it, simply lower your rod tip while reeling in any remaining slack line and then give it a good hard yank in the direction that is opposite from the direction the fish appears to be running. For example, if the fish is running to your left, your rod should be yanked to the right and vice versa. This ensures that hook is pulled back into the side of the fish’s mouth and not towards the front where there is a chance it will pop out.

Good luck with this technique and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Tight lines!