How do you guys rig your wacky senkos? I've fished plenty of stick baits and worms Carolina rigged and Texas rigged, but never fished one wacky before. Going to give it a go this year, but I'm not sure if it's best to fish it weightless or weighted? FWIW it will be used in a relatively shallow (>10'), rocky river for smallmouth. Thanks!!

I'm not a fan of fishing stickbaits with weights.  I think it kills the natural action that's built into the bait.  The exception to that would be wacky rigging in deeper water or drop shotting.  For shallow water like you describe, I would fish it weightless.

It's no different than any other plastic bait when it comes to weightless or not.  It depends on currents, depths, and the type of fishing that suits you. 

 

I rarely fish a wacky rig weightless, even in shallow water.  Some of my friends prefer to fish them weightless, even in deeper water.  You'll need to experiment to find what suits you best.

All of the above.     There is no wrong way.     Some days will be different than others so don't get stuck in a rut.

It's no different than any other plastic bait when it comes to weightless or not.  It depends on currents, depths, and the type of fishing that suits you. 

 

I rarely fish a wacky rig weightless, even in shallow water.  Some of my friends prefer to fish them weightless, even in deeper water.  You'll need to experiment to find what suits you best.

 

I have fished with The Man and he works a wacky rig like no one else!

I'm not sharing his secret, but maye Rhino will.

How do you guys rig your wacky senkos? I've fished plenty of stick baits and worms Carolina rigged and Texas rigged, but never fished one wacky before. Going to give it a go this year, but I'm not sure if it's best to fish it weightless or weighted? FWIW it will be used in a relatively shallow (>10'), rocky river for smallmouth. Thanks!!

 

I fish both. Windy days, when the waters are choppy, weighted wacky is a must for me as the bait won't work the spot I want to focus on (unless it's in a calm spot).

 

May I suggest you have one rod with a weightless setup, the other a weighted. And for weighted, I prefer wacky jig heads like Buckeye's wacky jig. But there are other ways you can work a weighted wacky. You can mojo rig it, you can use a split shot. The beauty is there's not just one way to wacky fish. Experiment, explore, enjoy!

no weight for me i fish it every time im out pretty much. If i go some wheres with more depth and i want it deep ill throw a split shot on , or insert a nail in the side of the senko. that will make if shimmy down different then weightless.

No weight for me either. I have an unlimited amount of patience!.

In rocky, shallow, rivers, weightless is the way to go. If the current is strong, a small weight will keep it down but not enough to let it snag.

It depends on the day. I like to fish them a little faster unless I have to slow down more so a lot of times I use a weight. Eco Pro Tungsten makes the Pro Wacky Weight which I really like using. It keeps everything compact and even makes your worms last longer. I mainly used the 1/32 oz. and 1/16 oz. Unless I'm trying to fish one really deep.  

Dude, there´s no "right" or "wrong", weighted or unweighted depends on many factors for example ---> how fast you want the bait to sink, another factor is wind or water current.

 

You have to experiment to find the "right" way and what is "right" maybe "wrong" a few minutes later. 

I find that I get the same amount of bites with a lightly weighted hook compared to an unweighted hook.

I use the Falcon K-wacky hooks with a /16 oz weight molded on the hook shank.  I think that the slightly faster drop adds up to a few more casts at the end of the day.  Also, it drops "straighter" if that makes any sense and makes bite detection easier for me.

Weightless.

1 more for weightless

both ways, but I use a nail weight in the center when the current is stronger than usual..

Mainly weightless but there is a time and place for weighted. No wrong answer.

For those who use weights what weight do you typically use?

Jika Rig.

I'm hooked on the 1/8 ounce brass bullet weight on a Carolina rig with senko's and brushogs. The weight keeps my line taunt so I can feel the slightest nibble on the fall. When the water is moving in the channel.

Jika Rig.

 

 

I'm hooked on the 1/8 ounce brass bullet weight on a Carolina rig with senko's and brushogs. The weight keeps my line taunt so I can feel the slightest nibble on the fall. When the water is moving in the channel.

So y'all fish wacky rigged Senko's on Jika rigs and Carolina rigs?

So y'all fish wacky rigged Senko's on Jika rigs and Carolina rigs?

I use the Jika - works well for me here. I never used a Wacky Rigged on a Carolina Rig but I am sure it would work.

I use the Jika - works well for me here. I never used a Wacky Rigged on a Carolina Rig but I am sure it would work.

I've never thought about fishing a worm wacky style on a jika rig.  I'm sure it would work though.

^{I've never thought about fishing a worm wacky style on a jika rig.  I'm sure it would work though.}

 

^{Works great I always use a floating worm here because it keeps the worm off the heavy weeded floor here in Miami.}

Weight or weightless? Yes.

weightless 100%