This story is about how wacky rig fishing saved the day on a desert river here in Arizona.
Have you ever had one of those days where you had it in mind how you were going to catch the bass and it just didn’t work out? I know I have and this day was no exception.
I went out ready to throw a micro jig and I thought that was going to be the ticket. From past experience, I did pack more baits though.
Well, after about 30 minutes of no bites and breaking off on a rock I decided to tie on a wacky rig stick bait. Boy was this the right decision.
Wacky Rig River Bass Fishing Video
I’ll have to admit that Wacky Rig Fishing is one of my fallbacks and it works well, especially as the water warms. It’s kind of like a drop shot to me, except I prefer to fish it to a drop shot.
How To Fish a Wacky Rig?
The cool thing about wacky rig fishing is that you cast it out and let it fall. It really does all the work. The stick baits have this hypnotic shimmy as they fall that drives the bass crazy.
Get Your Wacky Rig Stick Baits Here
I typically throw it at a target like shade or structure and let it fall to the desired depth before giving it a pull or some hops. If you watch the video above you can get an idea of what I mean.
One of the biggest tips that I can give you is that most of your hits come on the fall so be a line watcher. Watch for a jump in your line or just for something that isn’t normal. Reel up and set the hook.
Wacky Rig Fishing Terminal Tackle
Today I was fishing it weightless with a VMC Neko Hook. I really like this hook because it is sticky sharp and the longer shank seems to really get the hook in a little better. you can also get the weedless version in the VMC Neko Hook too.
Get Your Weedless Neko Hooks Here
I was throwing it on 10-pound test fluorocarbon and it worked really well. A lot of times I will drop to 6 or 8 if the fish are finicky, but today I took this one rig and it worked well. If I am around heavy cover I will jump up in line size too.
Get Your Budget Fluorocarbon Line Here
If the current is strong, or the bass are deeper or want the bait to fall faster, I will go to a weighted wacky rig hook.
Get Weighted Wacky Rig Hooks Here
What Rod and Reel to Use for Wacky Rig Fishing
On this trip, I was using a Shimano MGL 7o baitcasting reel on a 13 Fishing Fate Black 6’7″ medium fast power rod. It actually performed well. If you are looking for an amazing baitcaster that can throw light baits then the Shimano MGL 70 is an amazing workhorse.
Get Your Shimano MGL 70 Reel Here
Get Your Fate Black Casting Rod Here
A good option for using a spinning setup for wacky rig fishing is a 7′ medium fast action spinning rod and a 2000-size spinning reel.
Get My Favorite Spinning Reel Here
Get My Favorite Spinning Rod Here
Wacky Rig Fishing can be an amazing and fun way to catch bass. Grab yourself some hooks and your favorite stick baits and go catch some bass.
To your Wacky Rig Fishing success,
Jonathan Burke