Last summer, success stories began to circulate about wacky-rigging thin worms on finesse jigheads, enabling anglers to catch bass when other techniques failed. Toward the end of the season, I obtained the specialized heads and worms, along with many tips on their use, and eagerly tried them out. I was amazed to catch largemouth and smallmouth bass nearly everywhere I tossed this rig, on my first trip.

I caught bass that were chasing baitfish in open water, casting to rises and letting the worm slowly fall; I caught them deadsticking it on bottom; they bit as I shook the lure nervously, as several experienced wacky-jiggers suggest you do; I caught fish on weedlines, and while retrieving worms just above bottom on deep points and ledges. It seemed almost too easy.

Later I found that wacky jigs also work in current, the jig providing weight to pull the worm into the feeding zone behind bridge abutments and boulders. These initial tests were eye-openers about the potential effectiveness of this tactic, though sometimes other presentations worked better. But I feel that this new rigging wrinkle is so versatile, and at times so irresistible to bass, that it deserves attention from every avid bass angler.

Wacky-rigging is an old trick. I first fished worms rigged this way more than 30 years ago. And ever since Falcon Lures offered their Weighted K-Wacky Hook, I’ve been using weighted versions in windy conditions or to get baits deeper.

Wacky-rigging makes a bait drift as if helplessly. The two ends of a Senko or other soft stickbait throb as it falls. I’ve become convinced that nearly any elongated softbait can score when wacky-rigged.

Wacky jigs, however, offer an entirely new look, especially when manipulated by anglers taking the time to study the presentation in detail. A jig provides a pivot point around which a supple worm can be wiggled by shaking the rod tip. Watch its rolling action in a pool or tank to get an idea of the lifelike appeal possible. Variations in presentation and tackle are expanding rapidly, as often occurs in fishing today.

Wacky-Jig Origins

In-Fisherman Field Editor Ned Kehde, of Lawrence, Kansas, is a die-hard finesse angler, mastering a variety of tactics to catch bass that refuse standard offerings. Kehde’s also known for his detailed observations, which reveal how top professional anglers approach diverse situations. He’s become a student of wacky-jigging and guardian of its lore.

According to Kehde, the wacky-jigging system seems to have originated in Japan around 2004, as Toshiro Ono of Jackall Brothers Tackle and Takuma Hata of Zappu designed jigheads for this presentation. “That year, Masahiro Yanase, a professional bass angler from Nagoya, Japan, also enjoyed success at Lake Biwa and other Japanese waterways,” Kehde reports. “Shin Fukae, ranked among the world’s top-10 bass pros, also began working with wacky jigs about that time.”

Meanwhile, West Coast anglers in the U.S. caught wind of this tactic. David Swendseid of Oregon is a member of Jackall’s pro staff, so received early intelligence on the rig’s effectiveness from Seiji Kato and from Kota Kiriyama, Jackall’s pro staffer who’d been clandestinely using it on the Bassmaster Elite Tournament Trail. Swendseid has used wacky jigs in northwestern reservoirs and rivers, catching big largemouth and smallmouth bass as well as walleyes and trout.