We've had pretty good luck overall with standard green pumpkin TRDs and Zoom jig head Ned Rigs. We usually fish a Rocky bottom reservoir and get a lot of hang ups.  Several people suggested that we' d probably do just as well using green pumpkin plastics on Shakey Head rigs without near as many hangups.  Never fished Shakey Head baits before but am willing to give it a try.  Can I expect less hang ups with Shakey Heads?

Nope, rocks love Shakey Heads too.

Agree with @GreenPig. Lost many a shaky head in rock. 

Both are snag magnets around rocks.  I would suggest a small swimbait weightless or with a light weighted hook, fished on a slow retrieve.  If it stays on an even keel, it will snag less.

I fish highland reservoirs with lots of rocks and wood.  I fish Ned and shaky a lot.  I carry several different weights of heads and use the lightest one possible for the situation which lessens hangups.  I also rig them as weedless as possible.

Thanks to all for the info.  I'll give them a try with 3/32 and 1/16th heads if it's not too windy.

1 hour ago, learnin said:

Thanks to all for the info.  I'll give them a try with 3/32 and 1/16th heads if it's not too windy.

If it's rocky, the smaller heads won't help you much. My last outing, I lost two 1/16oz tungsten shakeys to the rocks...caught only one fish for all that.

Try a neko or something called a tiny child rig.  They do much better in rocks than a jighead of any kind.

I was going to suggest a Neko rig, using the Gamakatsu Cover Neko hook. They're pricy, but they work fantastically well. 

Ned hooks will bend and free themselves mostly, shaky head won't.

Try a drop-shot where you only lose the weight.

34 minutes ago, JackstrawIII said:

I was going to suggest a Neko rig, using the Gamakatsu Cover Neko hook. They're pricy, but they work fantastically well. 

You'd probably like the Hayabusa Wacky SP hooks...

 

 

The VMC Rugby jigs are slightly better in rock with their football type head but not much since they are really small.

Try a shakey head with a trick worm.  You never know, it might be the best thing ever for you.  By the way, tubes with an inserted jig snag a bit less than beds.  FFT.

Again,  thanks to all that responded.  A lot of helpful info here.

16 hours ago, Columbia Craw said:

 tubes with an inserted jig snag a bit less 

worth repeating...

On 7/1/2025 at 6:35 PM, GetFishorDieTryin said:

tiny child rig.

 

On 7/1/2025 at 10:22 PM, JackstrawIII said:

I was going to suggest a Neko rig, using the Gamakatsu Cover Neko hook. They're pricy, but they work fantastically well. 

I use the Decoy Neko 128.  As long as you rig the worm straight and dont try to burn the bait in, it doesn't have a tendency to spin.  Gotta give Decoy credit, they include open eye barrel swivels in the pack.

Did ok yesterday.  Fished five hours before it got too windy. I tried a 3/32 Gamagakatsu "Tricky Head", "shake&glide" Shaky head hook with a 4" green pumpkin TRD Ned Rig bait. The guy I was fishing with used a standard 1/6th oz Ned Rig set up with a 2&3/4 green pumpkinTRD.   We caught seven,  I got five including one that measured 21&1/2" that we figured was an easy 5LB+.  Big difference in hang ups.  I had three he had a lot more.  Will try this again.