
If you fish freshwater bass, you know that you need to be up to speed on a never ending list of new lures, rigs and techniques. If there is a particular fishing scenario for largemouth or smallmouth bass, someone has come up with a specialty rig to address it.. Now, the nomenclature of the various rigs rarely give any hint as to how to rig or how to fish. The good news is, most end up fairly easy to rig and easy to fish regardless of the exotic name. The Wacky Rig falls into that category.
Many Goose Hummock customers already understand , at least conceptually, what the basic wacky rig looks like. However , like most things fishing, the Devil's in the details and some of the subtler points of making this finesse presentation work, as well as some of the best gear to use, isn't universally known. The wacky rig system isn't complicated, but if you know exactly when, where and how to use it, it can really elevate your results. Arguably, it can be one of the most effective fishing techniques for spawn, post-spawn, and even deepwater fishing if fish are oriented to structure.
Most fisherman in the know find that the wacky rig is probably at its best during spawn and post-spawn when fish are concentrated in skinny water. That's because the wacky rig allows you to keep the bait in the strike zone longer and with a lot more action than a standard rigged worm.
Weedbeds, pockets in lilly pads, docks, rock strewn bottom, or wherever fish are spawning or have moved into a post-spawn state in your favorite cape Cod pond, are ideal scenarios for wacky worm fishing. Particularly post-spawn, when most bass get downright finicky, rigging up with a wacky worm can often turn a certain shut out into a decent trip. If you aren't getting hits on your typical go to lures because the fish are holding in much shallower water than you are used to fishing in, it's a good bet if you switch over to the wacky rig and start fishing it like it's your favorite lure, you will likely turn your luck.
In our experience, the wacky rig seems to work better in gin clear water than it does in dark, stained water. This makes sense because it is a subtle, light presentation. Of course, fishing in dirtier water, you're going to want something bigger that will cause more of a ruckus and get their attention.
Perhaps the best wacky rigging rod and reel set up consists of a 6.6-7-foot spinning rod with 6- to 10-pound mono with a Fluorocarbon leader. As far as hooks go, we use an Owner wacky rig hook: a super high quality short-shank, wide-gap hook with a round bend. Just stick the hook thickest portion of the bait. We think the Yamasenko is the best worm for the wacky fishing because it has the best profile, colors and best natural action
For deep water applications, we sometimes use small jig heads for fishing open-water, deep structure fish. For small mouth bass, it's probably one of the best worm techniques that you can use when they are deep. You can fish 4- to 6-inch worms wacky rigged but you put a small jig head t in it and you can fish that bait very effectively in 15 to 20 feet of water.
The wacky rig catches fish. It takes some practice and patience in the beginning, but it is so effective at catching both shallow and deep fish from the spawn through fall that it will certainly become one of you go to techniques on your favorite Cape Cod pond or lake.

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