Wacky Rigs
Go to a weigh-in at any lake with lots of vegetation and you'll usually find that most of the winning fish were caught on this rig. Sometimes called a trick worm, it actually got the name wacky from the way it's rigged.
Using no heavier than 12- or 14-pound test clear line, many people use a Mustad Finacky hook. It has a 1/32-ounce lead molded on the shank with two wire weed guards built onto the hook. A 1/0-hook works best, but the most important part of the rig is how you put the plastic bait on it. Most plastic worms have an egg sack. The trick is to go into the rear of the sack and continue inside the worm, staying parallel, then come back out the egg sack on the same side. The point of the hook and the shank end are both lined up parallel to the worm and facing you.
The best part of this rig is the weight in the worm. If you use a Finacky hook you won't need a weight, but with a plain hook you'll need just a little weight. There are zinc nails available for this purpose. I use a 1/2- to 10-penny finishing nail pushed into the center of the worm body on the head end. This rig works well fished around scattered grass, under boathouses, and around rocks. The slow fall coupled with the unique bending action when you pull on the worm makes this rig irresistible to finicky bass.
Split-Shotting
Perfected on the West Coast, split-shotting is especially popular when fishing is really tough. The magic is in the bait you put on the hook. Small worms, 3-inch salt craws and others are perfect for the gentle application required. Often called stitch fishing because you move the bait in increments no larger than a sewing stitch and made just as slowly and patience is the key. Use a small #5 split-shot and crimp it about 18 inches above a light wire 1/0 or lighter small hook. Spinning tackle is a must. In summer months a windy point can produce some monster bass on the tiniest of baits fished ever so carefully and slowly. Position your boat in deeper water out from a point and stay out where you can't cast but half the distance to the bank. Let the bait settle after your cast and then simply move it as slowly as you can stand. I promise you, big bass can't resist this tantalizing rig. Mojo Rig
This rig is simply a Carolina rig without all the weight. A mojo sinker is a small, long cylindrical sinker from 1/8- to 1/4-ounce. The addition of a glass bead in front and another between the sinker and swivel is followed by at least 18 inches of clear light line tied to a light wire offset shank wide gap hook.
The small sinker gets hung up less and the good part for fishermen is that everything from a 10-inch worm to tiny finesse baits can be fished on it. By using less weight the fish feel less resistance when they pick up the bait and will hold it a little longer. I like to use 6- or 7-mm, red beads as they are about the same diameter as the sinker, which helps reduce hang-ups.
Don't use a hook any larger than necessary for the best results with this rig, but otherwise just about anything goes. The Drop Shot
This is the hottest new rig and technique around. Designed to be fished in deeper water near humps, tank dams, and other structure shallower than eight feet, it can be rigged on baitcasting or spinning tackle, but line no heavier than 12- to 14-pound is best. Tie a 1/0, wire hook directly on the line with a palomar knot leaving the tag end three inches below the hook. Attach a small bell sinker to the three-inch tag, kind of like you used when you were a kid catfishing.
This rig would likely work with just about any soft plastic, but the best choice is The Reaper, made by Stinger Worms. This rig works in shallow or deep water, but it isn't one that allows you to feel a bone-jarring strike. Nonetheless, it works. You simply cast it out and let it settle then, instead of reeling you just give it three or four shakes. Then you can move the bait forward again a few feet, let it settle and shake it again. Always pause long enough for the bait to settle back to the bottom each time. For finicky fish or on a day when the bite is slow this bait really shines.
Glenn Olson, of Stinger Worms, the manufacturer of The Reaper can be reached at 209-585-1146. Texas Rig
The favorite worm rig of many anglers, not all of them in Texas. I prefer a 1/8-ounce bullet-style weight and no heavier than 12-pound super clear, small diameter line fed through the sinker. Finish this off with a light wire offset shank wide gap hook no larger than 1/0 and a small worm or craw in a bright flashy color with a wiggle-type tail.
The Texas rig, while fished with heavier weights and larger worms, can be just as productive with lighter tackle and plastics during certain times of the year. Using color and brand you have confidence in, the slow fall with a light weight allows fish to get a better look at the lure and it's easier to pull through cover. This rig is usually easier to use in heavier cover than its cousin, the Carolina rig, but both can be fished with lighter plastics and lighter line, hooks, and equipment, or on more sturdy setups when necessary.
I hope your next trip to the lake will be a memorable one using the finesse method of catching - not fishing for - bass. If you have any questions or need assistance with the concept of finesse fishing, please contact me through the Honey Hole Magazine office. I will be happy to help you.
Wacky Rigs
Mojo Rig
The Drop Shot
Texas Rig