Went this morning and threw everything i had then went to a Wacky Worm and had a great day. I don’t know what they think it is but they eat it. Strike King shimme stik .  Tried out a a weighted Wacky hook it helped in the current 1/16 ounce made a difference. Biggest was a 3 and a half. Pretty good for small river fish 

Glad you kept trying different baits until you found something that worked, that's what it's about.

 

Every fish is a clue. The instant you think you have it all figured out, these fish will make you look like a dummy, just do the best you can, grind away on the tough days, soak up the good days, this thing is a marathon not a sprint. 

I went from having never fished a wacky rig in years past to not being able to put it down this year and fish it with the utmost confidence.  It's a fish catcher for sure and glad it made a great day for you throwing it.

Wacky rig is always in my bag of tricks. Its what I go to when i think they want a slowed down presentation, not looking to chase because i can make it look like something struggling/dying. Skmetimes it seems like they prefer that style of presentation.

After 60 years of bass fishing, I can say with confidence that a straight worm is the best bass catching bait ever created.   Back when Creme worms first came out before bullet weights and the Texas rig, we fished them weightless. The Mitchell 300 spinning reel made this possible.  This bait works everywhere.  It works year round.  There are a million ways to rig it...  Wacky, Carolina, Mojo, Swimming and Dead Sticking.  There are many ways to catch bass, nothing works better.  The reason angers don't use it more than they do is they have to fish slow. 

The Shimme Stik is a good bait. The BPS Stick O’s are great also. Pick up a pack of 3” and 4” that you like in case you have to scale down. 

I bought a bag of GYCB senkos to wacky rig. But after a dozen casts the senkos were all torn up.

 

Or so it seems to me now.

 

1 hour ago, PaulVE64 said:

I bought a bag of GYCB senkos to wacky rig. But after a dozen casts the senkos were all torn up.

 

Or so it seems to me now.

 

Personally I don’t wacky rig but do you use an O ring, shrink tubing or any of the other rigging options to help with durability? 

1 minute ago, TOXIC said:

Personally I don’t wacky rig but do you use an O ring, shrink tubing or any of the other rigging options to help with durability? 

I’m happy to hear you don’t wacky rig, beginning to think I was crazy haha. I’ve always found they work just as well rigged weedless 

16 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I’m happy to hear you don’t wacky rig, beginning to think I was crazy haha. I’ve always found they work just as well rigged weedless 

Thats how I fished em when they first got popular back in '06-'07. Gut hooked and caused bleeding on so many big largemouth and smallmouth it was sick. Partly why I don't use the things anymore. The presentation is similar to live bait. I wouldn't mind if soft plastics were banned, just like how live bait is banned in some circles.   

15 minutes ago, MassBass said:

Thats how I fished em when they first got popular back in '06-'07. Gut hooked and caused bleeding on so many big largemouth and smallmouth it was sick. Partly why I don't use the things anymore. The presentation is similar to live bait. I wouldn't mind if soft plastics were banned, just like how live bait is banned in some circles.   

I’ve never had that problem, the last time I recall throat hooking one was 2020 and I ate it so…….. a win for me. And live bait still gets a green light anywhere I have bass fished. You’ll have to pry the plastic worms out of my cold dead hands 

4 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I’m happy to hear you don’t wacky rig, beginning to think I was crazy haha. I’ve always found they work just as well rigged weedless 

There’s an argument to be made that the smaller wacky hook gives it a slower fall and hooking midsection gives it more action but I’ve never had the fish be picky enough to prefer the wacky rig over the Texas rig.  I also fish around a lotmof grass/wood/rocks so Texas rigging keeps me from getting hung up as much.  

This morning I fished a 5" Senko Texas rigged and didn't get a bite. After a while I switched to rigging the worm Wacky style and immediately there was some action and I caught several bass on the Wacky rig. I have had this same thing happen before.

Just now, B-Gee said:

This morning I fished a 5" Senko Texas rigged and didn't get a bite. After a while I switched to rigging the worm Wacky style and immediately there was some action and I caught several bass on the Wacky rig. I have had this same thing happen before.

Did you use a sinker while Texas rigging? 

A Texas rig has a sliding bullet sinker by definition. Without a sinker, it's just weedless. This is an age old argument, lol. Pitching, flipping, structure, cover, petal, pedal, peddle, paddle...

A deadly but not often seen worm presentation is to fish a straight tail worm with a swivel twelve inches above the worm.  Looks like a Carolina rig without the sinker.  Fished on light line, this becomes a weedless wacky rig.   The swivel is just enough weight to slowly sink the worm.  Some people kink the worm so it spins.  

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

Did you use a sinker while Texas rigging? 

No, I didn't use a sinker on either the Texas rig or the wachy.

Weedless worm is like a 4 wheel drive.

Sometimes when I fish alone I make engine revving sounds too.

 

On 7/6/2022 at 5:57 PM, PaulVE64 said:

Weedless worm is like a 4 wheel drive.

Sometimes when I fish alone I make engine revving sounds too.

 

 

I'll have to try that. ☺️

I'm a fan of the Gary Yamamoto 5" senkos.  I use a 1/16oz. VMC weedless wacky jighead, sometimes even 1/8oz. if I'm fishing more than 8ft-ish of water.  I use a band and can get dozens of fish on one bait, whereas with no band I was getting 2-4 at most.   The YUM Dingers are also great for the price.  I've found I do a little better sticking with one brand of senko, as I'm used to the fall rate.

I was using this set up just yesterday with great results, never fished a wacky rig before..I'll give it some more tosses for sure.

On 7/6/2022 at 2:57 PM, PaulVE64 said:

Weedless worm is like a 4 wheel drive.

Sometimes when I fish alone I make engine revving sounds too.

 

What sound do you make when the check engine light pops on?

4 hours ago, The Baron said:

I'm a fan of the Gary Yamamoto 5" senkos, but they're so salty they actually float if rigged with just a bare hook (20# braid with 10# fluoro leader).  So, I use a 1/16oz. VMC weedless wacky jighead, sometimes even 1/8oz. if I'm fishing more than 8ft-ish of water.  I use a band and can get dozens of fish on one bait, whereas with no band I was getting 2-4 at most.   The YUM Dingers are also great for the price.  I've found I do a little better sticking with one brand of senko, as I'm used to the fall rate.

Senkos do not float

2 hours ago, dodgeguy said:

Senkos do not float

They don’t stay on a hook, either. I think both characteristics were intentionally designed into the bait ? ?