There are numerous lure options for bass in shallow cover-rich environments, but Mike Iaconelli stresses that normal baits like Texas-rigged plastics are only good for one or two things. When looking for maximum versatility, Ike reaches for a Tokyo rig. He shares 5 reasons why the unique terminal rigging system gets the nod over standard flipping and pitching setups in a lot of situations.
TACKLE USED (additional products at the bottom):
The strength of the system stems from its unique rigid wire dropper and o-ring connections which work in unison to provide the following benefits:
- Keeps the bait off the bottom. Unlike a short drop shot, the rigid wire doesn’t collapse, so while the weight at the end of the dropper may bury in the mud or grass, the hook and soft plastic are visible and accessible to a bass.
- Freedom of movement. The hook and dropper wire are connected via a welded ring which allows the bait to swing up and down and left to right without restriction. The plastic is essentially non-tethered and comes to life as designed. More action means more bites.
- Easy in and out of cover. The rig is keel-weighted so the weight punches through cover like a bullet with the bait and line following straight behind (no bend in the line). The same is true when pulling out of cover.
- Ability to shake the bait in place. Similar to a drop shot, the rigid wire allows you to shake the bait in place without moving it. This can be an effective tactic to coax bites from tentative bass or give them more time to find the bait in heavy cover.
- High hooking percentage. The weights don’t impede hooksets. When bass eat the bait, they get the hook and plastic, not the dropper wire and weight. This prevents the weights being uses as a wedge to open the mouth on the hookset which reduces hookups compared to closed-mouth hooksets.
