I do a ton of Dropshot fishing, but really want to try some Shakey Head fishing. I'm going to pick up some MegaStrike Pro Series Shakey Heads and planned to pick up 1/8, 3/16, and 1/4 ounce Shakey Heads. Is this a good place to start? A lot of our lakes here in AZ get pretty deep fairly fast and it seems like a lot of the larger bass are in 10+ feet of water in the summer. Do I need to go any larger than 1/4 ounce?

 

Thanks!

I use the light weight down to about 25' unless it is windy then I have to go deeper so I can feel it.  You might get some 3/8 while you are at it.

1 hour ago, CC268 said:

I do a ton of Dropshot fishing, but really want to try some Shakey Head fishing. I'm going to pick up some MegaStrike Pro Series Shakey Heads and planned to pick up 1/8, 3/16, and 1/4 ounce Shakey Heads. Is this a good place to start? A lot of our lakes here in AZ get pretty deep fairly fast and it seems like a lot of the larger bass are in 10+ feet of water in the summer. Do I need to go any larger than 1/4 ounce?

 

Thanks!

All you need is 1/4 oz.

Tom

7 minutes ago, WRB said:

All you need is 1/4 oz.

Tom

Thanks I ordered all 3 just in case - 1/8, 3/16, 1/4

I rarely use anything other than 1/8oz.

Personally I use 1/8oz about 75% of the time in water up to 30FOW. Occasionally I will use 3/16 or 1/4oz depending on wind or current but that is rare for me.

 

Allen

I’ve just gotten into shakey head fishing but, 1/8 or 1/4 has covered it.  I use mostly 1/4 

Having actually fished most of the AZ bass lake tha are very similar to my local SoCal reserviors a 1/4 oz should work good, shakey heads are bottom contact jigs unlike 1/8 oz dart heads that are swimming jigs.

Tom

 

A shaky worm shines with neutral fish.

I use a 1/8 oz jighead almost exclusively.

 

Roger

Majority of the time I’m using a 1/8 th with a straight tail worm like a strike king fat baby finesse. If it’s windy I’ll step up to a 3/16 sometimes but usually even in wind a 1/8th is good to keep contact. I will throw a 3/16 with a smaller creature bait like a rage bug, rage menace, z craw or a small zoom lizard. I see a shakey head as a finesse bait, a lighter weight is a more natural presentation that I have more confidence in.

Thats a good place to start. Im on the other end of the spectrum from most i like a 3/8 oz owner or Devine with a 3/O hook for trick worms and grande bass air tails. And a half oz 7/O devine shaky in the summer with smash tech mag crawler, and mag trick worms . Ill throw these when football jigs wont get bit and i know im around some fish. 

1/8 - 1/4 is what I use most of the time.  There are times when I "bubba it up" and I'm tossing a 1/2 or 3/4 ounce football with magnum size worm on it.... I fish it then same way.

 

But for all intents and purposes 1/8 and 1/4 are all he needs.  He could possibly split the difference and just buy 3/16

If he can find em

 

Like a lot of others have said, I mainly stick with 1/8oz. I will jump to 3/16oz and even 1/4oz if there is a good bit of wind. The only time I jump up to 3/8oz is when we fish 10" power worms on deep structure. 

On 7/20/2020 at 6:52 PM, CC268 said:

Thanks I ordered all 3 just in case - 1/8, 3/16, 1/4

*You are covered - 1/8th oz. to about 8' , 3/16th oz. 8' to 16' and 1/4 oz. for deeper water . straight tail finesse worms in a small size (4.5" to 5") and larger straight tail worms (6" to 7") will serve you well ... Since in AZ. I would try the FAT Robo Worms in the short & long versions in colors such as : Desert Craw , MM III , Aaron's Magic or Watermelon Magic and Prism Shad would cover the bases for you . If you have aa Bluegill population - then a Bold Bluegill color would be added . 

1/8 to 3/4 oz for 4" to 14.25" worms

On 7/20/2020 at 4:15 PM, CC268 said:

I do a ton of Dropshot fishing, but really want to try some Shakey Head fishing. I'm going to pick up some MegaStrike Pro Series Shakey Heads and planned to pick up 1/8, 3/16, and 1/4 ounce Shakey Heads. Is this a good place to start? A lot of our lakes here in AZ get pretty deep fairly fast and it seems like a lot of the larger bass are in 10+ feet of water in the summer. Do I need to go any larger than 1/4 ounce?

 

Thanks!

3/16 has been the money for me so far this year and I don’t doubt that you will have luck with it too.

My thoughts on shaky head jigs - It is windy more often than it is not windy.   Shaky head jigs are fished on the bottom.  

I want my bit to get to the bottom asap, just to avoid wasting time.   In reservoirs, I fish a 3/8 most of the time and I carry half ounce and quarter ounce as well.   Jigs smaller than that, to me, are better suited for pond fishing, stuff less than 10' deep.    I carry jig heads with "regular" hooks , for fishing standard trick worms & baits of that size and I carry jig heads with 4/0 or 5/0 hooks for fishing magnum trick worms and baits of that size.

 

Most of the time, I'm throwing these 3/8 oz jig heads on bait casting gear with 15 lb or so fluorocarbon.  Occasionally I will use spinning gear, still it is pretty heavy spinning gear, with a 20 lb braid/fluorocarbon leader set up.

 

For me, jig heads lighter than a quarter ounce are for ponds & small rivers & creeks.  (which I don't get to fish very often so all the lighter jig heads are in a separate box and I don't carry them in the boat.

 

Even throwing Slider heads, which is kind of like shakey heads but different, a quarter ounce is as low as I generally go.

On 7/20/2020 at 11:44 PM, Munkin said:

Personally I use 1/8oz about 75% of the time in water up to 30FOW. Occasionally I will use 3/16 or 1/4oz depending on wind or current but that is rare for me.

 

Allen

+1 ... This ^^ . If windy or great depth a 3/16th oz. is about the upper limit weight  I will use . A 3/32nd oz. sees a lot of action as well as even a 1/16th oz. weight as the action will be more natural looking .

Many years ago   I found these really cool 1/4 jigheads with a screw lock on it to hold the worm in place . I did not know they were shaky heads . I used them just like a Texas rig on the same gear and caught the heck out of river smallies  . Sometimes it pays to be ignorant . I still bounce  1/4 ounce ones around like a Texas rig .