Tactics

Reports from experienced wacky-jig tacticians emphasize the importance of shaking the worm. Indeed, the jighead acts as a fulcrum that allows an angler to impart action on the fall or on bottom. Some fish it as a fall bait, casting to targets. Others retrieve it above bottom, shaking to tempt strikes from finicky bass.

In fishing Minnesota lakes, Ross Evans has found that when bass seem aggressive, a large worm and heavier head (3/16- or 1/4-ounce) are more efficient, due to the faster fall and dramatic wobble. “And the larger offering attracts more big bass,” he says.

“One downside to a heavy jig,” he adds, “is that energetic shaking can generate so much movement that finicky bass seem reluctant to eat it. In my experimental fishing last year, the best rod action was a nervous coffee twitch that makes a worm pirouette like a live crawler. At times, however, I did better when I didn’t shake the rod until the worm landed.”

Like other anglers, Evans finds it very effective for enticing bites from key spots that had produced fish on other techniques then turned unproductive. He uses a Humminbird Side Imaging Unit to locate high-percentage spots, then fishes them patiently with a wacky jig. In the clear, weedy, natural lakes of Minnesota, he found his most productive depths to be 8 to 15 feet.

Mark Tyler is a veteran bass pro who’s lived in California, Arizona, and now

in Oklahoma. He holds the mark for the largest bass ever taken in a Bassmaster tournament, a 14-pound 9-ounce behemoth from the California Delta. After fishing with a Japanese co-angler four years ago, Tyler was inspired to try wacky-jigging. His inspiration came as his “amateur” outscored him in bass by an astounding 10:1 ratio. “The key is to use the lightest line and lightest head you can get away with,” he says. “This rig gets you bites in highly pressured waters. You can fish it behind other anglers and catch bass.

“I let it fall on slack line while I shake the rod. A worm like Optimum’s Twin Teaser or Zoom Finesse Worm moves with a dual-cam action when rigged on the Zappu Jighead Wacky. It flickers horizontally and vertically, an action bass haven’t seen. When it lands, keep shaking it and move it along a few feet. Strikes usually come on the initial fall, though.”

While bringing this report together, we received more accounts of new tactics and successes with wacky jigs from pro anglers, tackle industry personnel, and inquisitive anglers across the land. More tactics will be forthcoming. In the meantime, refine your own repertoire with this new and promising presentation.