Few techniques in the world of bass fishing can compare to the wacky rig’s ability to get bit. Wacky-rigged soft plastic worms and stick baits have a tantalizing allure to them, one that is typically irresistible to even the finickiest of bass. However, this presentation does come with its drawbacks.
The primary tradeoff for the wacky rig’s effectiveness is its efficiency, in terms of time at least. Though you can present this bait to bass that don’t often see a bait by skipping it under and around cover, fishing a wacky rig efficiently takes time. Simply because these baits fall very slowly. You can twist the hook and add a nail weight to the nose of the worm to speed things up, effectively turning your wacky rig into a Neko rig. Though if you want to maintain the same horizontal fall of a wacky rig, you’ll need something different.
That’s where a product like the WOO! Tungsten Wacky Jig comes into play. Pairing this with a soft plastic will allow your wacky rig to fall faster so that you can cover more water. Let’s talk more about how the WOO! Wacky Jig in particular holds up to this task.
IT’S IN THE DETAILS
The WOO! Tungsten Wacky Jig has a super sharp, wide gap wacky hook with a vertical eye that has a ball of tungsten molded onto it. These heads are painted either green pumpkin or black and come in three weight options: 1/16 ounce, 1/8 ounce, 3/16 ounce. There’s also a single wire weed-guard protruding from the jig head that provides a considerable amount of protection for the hook point, which trails inline and behind it.
USING THE WOO! TUNGSTEN WACKY JIG
First, tie the jig head on—preferably to a spinning rod combo with a braided mainline and a fluorocarbon leader. You can fish a weighted wacky jig head on casting gear, but most anglers will likely find better success not only casting this rig with spinning gear but also landing the fish that bite. Spinning gear has a more accommodating drag system that allows fish to fight without pulling free from the small hook.
You can rig a worm or stick bait onto the WOO! Wacky Jig by running the hook point through the midsection of the bait. Or, use a wacky tool to add an O-ring to cut down on the risk of your bait tearing free on the cast, bite or fight. Now that you have your bait rigged up, just cast or skip it to any cover you see. Allow the bait to fall on a semi-slack line and wait for the bite. Then you can work it back little by little to your liking. For more on how to fish a wacky rig, read our thorough guide.
WOO!-ED BY THE JIG
The WOO! Wacky Jig has three things working for it that some other wacky jig heads don’t have. The hook is impressively strong and sharp, the weed-guard does a great job at keeping debris off the hook and the tungsten head is far superior to lead — both in reduced size as well as sensitivity.
If you’re using spinning gear and light line, you can’t really lay into a fish on the hook-set. A strong and sharp hook that’s thin enough to penetrate a fish’s mouth easily is imperative. Jig heads with weed-guards are also far better for fishing around grass, wood and other cover when compared with open hooks that snag easily. The dense, small-diameter tungsten head falls faster and provides more sensitivity than lead, helping you to cover water effectively and efficiently.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
I’ve had one of these Wacky Jigs rigged up and on hand for the last month. During the late summer here in Alabama, it can be really hard to get a bite. A wacky rig will certainly draw a strike. Although, the slow fall of a weightless wacky rig (which is sometimes necessary in the spring for talking a fish into biting) isn’t warranted in the summer. The fish are a little deeper now as well. Thus, I’ve found it more useful to keep a shaky head or drop shot on deck to pick up and toss to isolated cover in the summer, instead of a weightless wacky rig.
By adding the weight to my worm, I’ve been able to pitch the WOO! Wacky Jig around isolated cover and catch a few fish that I might not have otherwise. I have found this particularly useful as I parallel grass lines on my home lakes. Every few hundred yards, I’ll come across an isolated log that’s sitting 20 to 40 feet off the vegetation in 12 to 20 feet of water. I’ve been picking up the wacky jig, pitching to the log and getting bit more often by a bass that’s hanging on the cover.
These same fish might well have bit a shaky head or drop shot too, but the slower falling Wacky Jig has certainly been effective on fish that are staging near the surface on this deeper cover. There’s a likelihood that the drop shot or shaky head could have rocketed right by them on the fall.
The hook has proven itself to be stout and sharp, and the point has held up to a couple weeks’ worth of catches and run-ins with cover on the two that I have used. The only negative I’ve noticed is that the paint has chipped off both. The tungsten head beneath the paint has a dull and dark gray color to it, so I don’t think this matters all that much. This is worth noting since many of WOO! Fishing’s weights have a “never chip” finish. The same process is not used on these however, which appear to be painted using a more traditional process.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The WOO! Tungsten Wacky Jigs come three to a pack and range in price from $5.99 to $6.89 depending on the size (1/16 for $5.99, 1/8 for 6.29 and 3/16 for $6.89). The two color choices are green pumpkin and black, but based on what I’ve experienced, the paint doesn’t stay on the head long and you’ll likely end up with a dark metal head over time.
The hook is impressive, in strength and sharpness. Additionally, the single wire weed-guard is both effective and low visibility, making it a better selection for a finesse technique than the bushier weed-guards that some other wacky jigs use.
At the end of the day, the WOO! Wacky Jig catches fish and provides an additional tool to add to the arsenal for picking up a random bass while otherwise beating the bank. I’m able to still cover water quickly, which means more casts and more opportunities to make the most of a tough bite. If you’re OCD about your tackle, the paint job might be an issue for you. As far as effectiveness goes, this jig head is top notch.
