I usually don't fish much with plastics, mainly cause I don't know much about the technique. But I bought some weedless wacky rigs at Academy and some Senkos. Gave it a shot in our pond. Twice I hooked fish, began reeling it in and about 1/2 way in the wacky rig come flying out of the water and the worm had somehow come off. Am I doing something wrong?? I watched YouTube that your supposed to hook the worm about midway down the body so I was hooking it in that small portion of "smoothness" on the body of worm. After the second time I threw them down and went back to the crankbait!

Maybe in the hook set. I throw and wacky rig on a 7 ft MH. If you have it on a med then you may have not got the hook stuck in the fish good enough to keep him on or somehow while fighting the fish slack got in the line from him or you.

Keep that line tight while fighting a fish and it is hard for them to get off. If the hook has a wire guard on it the wire may have stuck behind the barb on the hook.

Therefor you never got the fish stuck. Or may try and bigger hook. Hope this helps. All the above is IMO

Thanks! They do have that wire in front of the hook. The hooks are kinda small but it was the biggest ones at Academy. I also have a habit of always setting the hook in a "sweeping" motion and rarely a straight overhead hook set (if that makes sense). I'm guessing I'm not getting the hook truly set. Would you bend that wire so that it's kinda offset from the hook??

Just keep a eye on the wire and make sure it is not stuck behind the barb or at least that it will come out from behind it.

Hooks are designed like a cup of water they only catch in the up position. If it is on its side it usually pulls out or never hooks up good IMO.

On a senko type bait I use a 2/0 or 3/0 hook. Practice that hook set at 1 or 2 o'clock position for best result if you are right handed if left handed then 10 or 11 will work best.

go get you some Kicker Fish wacky worms,rig like a texas rig,no exposed hook,and will definitely catch fish in the summer.

Thank you for the info. I'm headed out this evening to give it a shot!

If you want the senko to stay on and not loose them get some shrink tubing to put in the middle. Cut them in 1/2 inch pieces. Hit it with a lighter to tighten it up. put your hook through the tubing, through the worm and out the other side.

O-rings are a must... or shrink tubing like Mr Harper mentioned!

Then, the only other thing I could add is to stay away from VMC brand hooks (they have a weedguard on em that really stinks)... If you can get trokar, gamakatsu or owner, they all make a good wacky rig hook

^^ Those VMC wacky hooks are really crappy. I use a plain old 3/0 straight shank hook and you'd be shocked at how snagless it is. . .

I like a 4 inch zip tie for the band then hook just under and into the worm just a bit. Works for me. All mentioned are good way also.

I also have used the VMC brand hooks hated them. I found a pack of 25 Matzuo hooks at Academy on clearance for $1.99. VMC makes a weighted wacky worm/jig hook with weed guard a those are great when it's a little windy and you need the added weight.

A good sweeping hookset is needed when fishing a wacky worm. That was the hardest thing for me to learn.

Sounds like your hook set. But that guys right about the o rings. They save a lot of backlash and baits

could also have been a big bluegill.

You normally don't miss fish on a wacky worm if it's any size at all. Try to Owner hook with the little weedguard. They bite it and all you have to do is lift your rod and start reeling fast. Hook set is done.

I have spent a lot of time using a wacky rig in 2014. I have used every wacky rig jig head on the market. The gamagatsu sp? Is by far the best one I have used.

I use 10 lbs copoly on a 6'8 MH Custom Angle Wacky rod with a Shimano Chronarch CI4+ reel. This in my opinion is as good a wacky set up you can ask for.

I don't set the hook, I just reel in the slack, give it tension and let the fish do it for me.

I have caught some big fish in 2014 with several several 7s, 8s, a tourney 9.5 and lost a potential SAL in the spring.

The less I move it, the more it gets bit.

Nice going! Don't know where your fishing but, sure not EM!
To say the bite has been off is an understatement.
Hopefully, soon, a LOT more rain and water....new feeding grounds. Who knows, temps may even drop some to 'bearable'??