would like to broaden my horizon with lures and am trying out the wacky worm. what i like to do is go to my favorite lake or pond and bring just the one type of lure im practicing, nothing else. have done this twice with the wacky worm, but no luck yet. couple questions, are these suppose to be fast? slow? i have been trying a real slow presentation. letting it flutter down, and then twitching it back up a couple feet and so on. have been going weightless. have been fishing it around weed beds too. thanks!

Here is a good article on wacky rigging.

http://www.insideline.net/weeklynews/2009/09-0415.html

I prefer using a fin-acky hook with a 1/32 oz weight on the hook shank or if I'm using a #1 gamy hook without a weight, then I use a roofing nail or similar weight. I do want them to fall slightly faster than weightless, but thats just me.

the art= dont fish fast. slow down with this technique.

okay, what type of soft plastic do you guys like to rig wacky? i personally went to academy and bought the weedless wacky worm. its just like a regular plastic worm, but has an extra attachment in the middle which serves like an "arm" to rig your worm hook into

heres the exact one i prefer. this is, has always been my goto for wacky worming. confidence bait for me on this technique.

http://www.lftlures.com/categories/soft-plastics-lft-twitch-worm/products/979

Senko type baits. But you can wacky just about any soft plactic worm type bait.

I like the Netbait salt lick. But if you want to save money I also like the Rat Tail baits that Barlows sells. 100 count for less than $15.00 for the 4 inch and around $25 for the 5 inch.

http://www.barlowstackle.com/3-5-inch-soft-plastic-worms.html

Zoom trick worms are generally my go to worm for this, you can also use the Lake Fork worms for this as well. I use the slugo weights.. they are soft lead sticks that can be broken off at different lentghs to provide you a different rate of speed for the fall you are seeking..
When twitching.. do not twitch much.. no need to raise if by FEET... you want inches...

Get a Falcon weightless rod (about $100) or GLoomis Poppin Rod $275... ...nice PFlueger real.. and some BPS 12lbs flourocarbon.

I use Gamakatsu Shiner hooks and I rig it long ways. through the egg sack of the worm.. Spike the tail most of the time...

and just twitch!!!!!

Keep a semi tight line as it falls.. cause they generally hit on the fall.

Don't get too complicated with it. A 1/0 strait shank hook and a small 3" senko. You probably think that you are fishing it slow but slow down some more. I sometimes dead stick it. If I think that there is a fish there, I will let it just sit on the bottom. Sometimes, I pick up a sandwich and a drink in between casts. I let the fish tell me what they prefer. Sometimes that don't work and they just want it to hit the water and shake it a couple of times before reeling it back in. Don't be affraid to try anything.

Lot's of good info above. One thing I might add is, be a line watcher. With this technique, a lot of times you will never feel the bite and sometimes just a light tick. The fish will pick-up the bait and swim off with it. The Zoom Trick Worm works the best for me.

Wacky rigged is the only time I prefer Yamamoto senkos over other brands. They're really soft and give a lot of wiggle on the drop. Most fish I catch when I use them are on the drop. The first drop or retrieve drops.

I like the Zoom trick worm, with a small Owner weedless wacky hook. I also use a small O-ring around the body of the worm and run the hook through the ring and worm. The o-ring will allow you to use the worm MUCH longer, and save a ton of backlashes while you are learning. The finish nail for weight is a great technique, but I find if I am wacky rigging a senko using the weight is not necessary.

I probally fish wacky about 80% of the time I am fishing for whatever fish and its great.

I only use yamamoto senkos they are pricey but work everywhere.
In your case of a small pond I use a 3" and just a plain eagle claw hook. If I cast it deep I let is sink for 5-8 seconds and twitch twice reel slack and contiune to do that. Most hits like others have stated are on the drop and very light watching the line and have that gut feeling there is fish on normally means it.

Bigger lakes I like 4"-5" and then picking the right color is key but white/silver shad, watermelon colors, chartruce (SP) are good bets.

You will lose plently of the worms when the bass jump or they get torn apart but I use them until they fall off.

I fish almost always weightless expect deep waters in Caynon lake and Borne lake.

Ghost Baits Deadshake or the AIR

Wacky is my go to bait for all times of year. I like a Zoom Watermelon Red Fleck Trick Worm on a red Gamakatsu 2/0 hook. No weight. Be patient, dead stick it completely and line watch. The initial fall is normally when a strike will occur. Sometimes a quick rise and slack line dead stick. I have caught a lot of fish pulling out backlashes. You have to figure out the bite. Either one quick tick, or they will be swimming off with it, or they will just be there. It is a great all around bait. Take it out in the spring and throw it to the bank, I mean ON the bank. I hope you figure it out. i was in a tourney co-angler and the guy I ished with had never done it. After I caught a few fish to his none, he tried it and caught his first one. Good luck!

I don't wacky rig all that often. When I do, recently it has been with a Jackall Flick Shake rig. A 1/16 to 1/8 oz tungsten head with a small hook and a Flick Shake worm. I have thrown Zoom Finesse and Trick worms on this rig, but the Flick Shake worm seems to catch better fish. They are pricey though. Some of my friends up in Omaha have been doing well wacky rigging Lake Fork Ring Frys (both sizes). Reaction Innovations makes a bait called the Ball Breaker than works well. Lake Fork has a bait in their Hyper line of plastics for this as well. Senkos work great.

For me this technique is used when I think I am around fish, but they are not biting for some reason. I sure don't use it to locate fish. The reason is that I have found the slower you fish these rigs, the better they are. I can fish a Texas rigged Senko much faster than a Wacky rigged Senko for instance. That is what it is for me though, others that fish it more often probably have better advice for you. I do think you are trying to learn it the correct way (fish it until you start catching fish on it). Stay at it, eventually you will figure it out.

One hint, using a good fluorocarbon line might improve your catch. Fluorocarbon line sinks, which helps you in fishing a weightless (or lightly weighted) rig like this. Plus it stretches less than Mono.

+1

+1 on the zoom trick worm and slow. You want the worm to do the work.
Good luck

I use the Mustad Finaky worm hook with either with the 1/32 oz wieght or weightless. I generally will use a Zoom Trick work but a Senko works better in some conditions. If I'm fishing deeper than 6' I'll put 1/2"-1" finish nails in both ends of the worm to help it sink quicker. Finish nails are ALOT cheaper than the lead stick weights.

Lft makes a ring weight that you put the worm through it and hook the hook on the weight, it does not tear up the worm and you can catch numerous fish on one worm, I like the Wave Worms Tiki Stik 4" in Sweet Potato pie color or watermelon seed, and LFT now has a wacky worm that is pretty awesome

It takes some patience to fish it.

I use a small octopus hook and usually a 4 or 5inch yum dinger. And if i want to speed up the fall i use around a half of a slug-o weight to add some weight into it.

Do name search on "The Fishing Physicist". This is his favorite technique, and he has devoted a lot of time to perfecting what works for him. And he is willing to share what works and what doesn't. Send him a PM.

My own experinces with WW:

I can't fish that slow! The best I ever did with one was down on Amistad fishing the bigger trick worms on a 5/0 hook. A friend of mine showed me how to rig an offset shank hook "Weedless Wacky" style.

If you are like me, and can't stand to fish slow, try inserting a nail weight in each end of the worm. THis will allow you to work it fast, but still keep it down.

WW's catch some hawgs! Have fun!

This is the best hook for wacky worm. No moore nails and it is a weedless hook.CHECK IT OUT www.Bayoutackle.com

(THE WACKY WEDGE)

All good info and as you can see there are several different ways to rig and present the bait.

My personal preference for baits is always the Senko or the
Zoom Trick worm. In the spring do not overlook the bubblegum, chartreuse/blk flake colors either. But anything watermelon/green pumpkin will be get you bit most of the time.