Soft Plastic Rigging Guide: Wacky Rig

What Is It?

The Wacky Rig is a unique finesse fishing style that involves hooking a soft plastic worm right through the middle. The presentation creates a shimmying and wiggling worm as the bait falls through the water column that is excellent at triggering strikes from bass.

How To Rig It

There are a few different ways to set up the Wacky Rig. The most simple way is to pierce the hook through the center of the worm. The biggest problem with rigging wacky worms this way is they get torn up pretty quickly, and you can find yourself burning through worms way too fast. 

Now, more often than not, you’ll see anglers using O-rings as harnesses to Wacky Rigs. Some anglers choose to still pierce the worm so that the ring acts as the reinforcement. The rings are put on with an O-ring tool. Octopus/drop shot hooks, worm hooks, and wide gap hooks are all great hook-type choices for the Wacky Rig. There are even hooks created specifically for Wacky Rigs and weedless Wacky Rigs. For a weighted option, try a Wacky Rig jighead.

How To Fish It

Simply cast the lure at or past your target and allow it to sink on a semi-slack line. Be sure to give the lure enough slack that it is allowed to fall freely and straight downward. Not enough slack will result in the lure falling unnaturally, gliding toward you instead of straight down. Too much slack will not allow you to watch your line for bites in the fall. Experiment with a few casts until you find the sweet spot.

Tips & Tricks