Pacemaker Fishing Forum

I prefer a large dropshot hook or a circle hook when wacky-rigging, although you can usually get away with any kind of hook you want. The band around the middle helps to keep the worm from tearing when you hook a fish. My little brother gave me some little dental rubber bands that he used for his braces, but a large split ring that fits snugly around the worm will work just as well. When you fish this rig you don't want to set the hook hard when you get bit, instead sweep the rod to the side and start reeling, just like with a dropshot. I like fishing stickworms texas rigged and weightless too. This works better around heavy cover or when the fish want a faster moving presentation. You can twitch it fast like a jerkbait or fluke to cover water. Stop it every so often and let it fall so the tail quivers back and forth and you will get slammed. For a 5 inch stickworm,  a 4/0 offset shank EWG works best for me with this technique. Unlike the wacky-rig you do have to set the hook with this deal. Two critical things to remember when stickworming are to watch your line and pay attention to how long it takes your bait to fall. If you see your line jump or it looks like the bait stops sinking before it should, set the hook. More often than not, there will be something swimming on the other end of your line. Hope this helps and good luck.

Last edited by purpleworm (Jun-23-09 8:15AM)