Best brand for wacky worms?

I prefer Yum look really good in the water. Bought some Big Bite Wacky worms did not catch many on them they seemed very stiff and not as pliable the Yum brand seem very wiggly in the water. I think Big bite are a good brand but just don’t seem to appeal to the bass as much any one else have any favorites or ones that don’t catch as much. I don’t care about durability as much I would rather fish then worry about replacing worms. Just wondering what you all use and like. Wish I would have only bought an 8 pack instead of a whole set of the Big Bite’s they just don’t seem to catch fish for me the Yum outdid them by far.

Hate to be boring but it is hard to beat ol’ Garry Yamamoto. If you put your finger out and hang that worm perpendicular, no worm sags down as much as GY,the 2 ends wag like crazy because the plastic is so soft. That said i have other brands that I use like Bass Pro Shop and Yum. Yum sinks slower, also I like how the smaller size of BPS balances well on a mushroom jig worm. Sometimes they are just hot on a wacky worm, when that happens why not put on a worm that is half the price and does not tear as easily? Their is a baitstore that gets hand poured
stickbaits that are about as soft as GY and cheaper, last time I was there they were sold out on the color I like, so will I post the name of the baistore? hmm, no.

Yamamotos are good but there are so many that will catch the same amount of fish at a quarter of the cost. I like the yums, but I buy most of my wacky worms at the bait shop that a local guy pours and I buy them in bulk bags. Again the motos are great but they tear so easily at 8 bucks a bag, a guy goes through 4 packs on a good day and that gets old.
When the wacky worm is on, it’s hard to beat and is alot of fun.

Kind of depends on how I am going to use them. If I’m wacky rigging, I use an o-ring and prefer to use the original yamamoto senko. The fall rate is just better than other stick baits. Unfortunately, the durability is poor so if I am Texas rigging them, I use another brand like yum or stick o.

Z man elaztech has the best durability by far, but it’s also buoyant.

Yamamoto for me, but I also really like the Googan Lunker Logs. Their’s nothing worse than a worm with no salt that won’t sink.

Senkos are great day-in and day-out but when the fish are numerous and shallow and super spooky, I’m going with an unweighted 4” zoom finesse worm. Fall rate is half that of a Senko and you have to be prepared to let it soak soak soak without imparting any movement to the bait. At times, it’s magical, and better than even livebait, but confidence and patience are essential. Watching your line for 30 seconds to a minute without moving the bait seems dumb…until your line starts peeling out with a fish on the end. Situational presentation for sure but always in the back pocket when you can see em and they won’t eat anything else.

I use either Kalin’s Wac-O-Worm or Berkley Maxscent Generals. Last longer than Yamasenkos, less expensive and easily catch as many fish. Skip well weightless too.

I’ve had good luck with the Scheels brand ones. Used to fish exclusively Yamamotos, but that got expensive.

If I am fine with using a weighted wacky worm hook Z-man if not Yum just because they are cheap. Tried out the strike king stick baits this weekend they were great as well. Love skipping docks with weightless wacky’s and dropping them in between pads is always great as well.

I don’t use them but the Yammammoto senkos are specifically designed for wacky rigging if I remember right. They have a buoyancy specifically for wacky rigging.

gim wrote:

Kind of depends on how I am going to use them. If I’m wacky rigging, I use an o-ring and prefer to use the original yamamoto senko. The fall rate is just better than other stick baits. Unfortunately, the durability is poor so if I am Texas rigging them, I use another brand like yum or stick o.

Z man elaztech has the best durability by far, but it’s also buoyant.

DO NOT put a O-ring on a Zman stick bait in advance. I did that last year and the oring melted into the bait and nearly cut them is half. The bait also tends to slip on the oring a lot

fishthumper wrote:

DO NOT put a O-ring on a Zman stick bait in advance. I did that last year and the oring melted into the bait and nearly cut them is half. The bait also tends to slip on the oring a lot

Haha. Oh I can imagine that happening with Zman stuff.

I wish more major brands would place integrated rings inside the Senkos. A few off-brands do but I don’t really like their worms. Also, I can’t remember the brand but someone put an integrated mesh/reinforcement near the egg sack where you hook the worm wacky style. I personally would pay a little extra for this…

Look up MG Lures and you want to order the 5 inch Pachinko’s. You can chose your scents and he has great colors and sink rates.

Instead of using an o-ring, I use a small piece (about 1/4″ long) of 1/4″ or 5/16″ diameter heat shrink tubing. I do not heat the tubing, leave it “raw”. The material is tough so the hook doesn’t tear it apart and the worm will last many times longer than with an o-ring or nothing at all.

I’ve seen people use two o-rings, cross them, and then place the hook under where they cross. Anyone tried this?

gim wrote:

I’ve seen people use two o-rings, cross them, and then place the hook under where they cross. Anyone tried this?

I have and it’s a little better than the single o-ring, but not significantly better IMO.

blank wrote:

I have and it’s a little better than the single o-ring, but not significantly better IMO.

Thanks

blank wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>gimruis wrote:</div>
I’ve seen people use two o-rings, cross them, and then place the hook under where they cross. Anyone tried this?

I have and it’s a little better than the single o-ring, but not significantly better IMO.

I think sleeves are better, they grab more surface area and seem to last a little longer for me..

gim wrote:

I’ve seen people use two o-rings, cross them, and then place the hook under where they cross. Anyone tried this?

This is what I’ve been doing. Its really hard to break the o-rings when rigged this way. I’ve had bass on Beds have just one end of the bait in their mouth and make a big Hookset and the O-rings still held up. Its crazy the # of fish you can catch off one stick worm when rigged this way. I think the hook up ratio is much better when using O-rings as well.

If you have not already purchased a Wacky rig tool, Don’t. They are simple to make yourself with the top half of a old Pen. You can even add a screw and end up with one just like the store bought ones at a fraction of the cost. See video and Attachments for details:

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   Wacky-rig-tool-2.jpg
   

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   Thread-cutting-pan-head-screw-1.jpg
   

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   Wacky-rig-tool.jpg
   

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   Thread-cutting-pan-head-screw.jpg
   

Here’s another to consider… no tool required:

http://cadmansjigs.weebly.com/wacky-worm-sleeves.html

With the O ring having the hook across the worm instead of thru the middle doesn’t your hooking percentage go down? I have done the O ring but felt like I had less hook ups?

mrpike1973 wrote:

With the O ring having the hook across the worm instead of thru the middle doesn’t your hooking percentage go down? I have done the O ring but felt like I had less hook ups?

I don’t notice a decreased hookup. I used to put the hook right through the plastic in the middle but as soon as you stick a hook in it, the plastic gets ripped easily. My stick baits were lasting about 1-2 fish. With the o ring, I can make one stick bait last for several hours sometimes and land a couple dozen fish now.

gim wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mrpike1973 wrote:</div>
With the O ring having the hook across the worm instead of thru the middle doesn’t your hooking percentage go down? I have done the O ring but felt like I had less hook ups?

I don’t notice a decreased hookup. I used to put the hook right through the plastic in the middle but as soon as you stick a hook in it, the plastic gets ripped easily. My stick baits were lasting about 1-2 fish. With the o ring, I can make one stick bait last for several hours sometimes and land a couple dozen fish now.

X2. I actually think my hook up % is better with the o ring than hooking thru the center of the worm. More hook exposed and can use a smaller thinner gage hook

Sounds good, just me thinking but the hook sticking straight out verse just one to the side I guess is what’s confusing to me but I will try it now. I know you guys would not steer me wrong. Thanks Are you guys using small wacky hooks or smaller Neko straight shank hooks?

Savage Gear Armor Tube worm has the reinforced mesh in the center of the worm. $4,28 for a pack of 8 at Tackle Warehouse. Been using them for a couple of years, seem to hold up pretty well.

mrpike1973 wrote:

Thanks Are you guys using small wacky hooks or smaller Neko straight shank hooks?

I use the VMC neko hooks, preferably in size 2 (not 2/0). The longer shank helps improve the hooking rate in the top of the mouth. I previously was using the VMC wacky hook, but I would get hooked up more commonly in other places besides the roof of their mouth.

Shout out to Frydog for that suggestion a couple seasons ago.

gim wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mrpike1973 wrote:</div>
Thanks Are you guys using small wacky hooks or smaller Neko straight shank hooks?

I use the VMC neko hooks, preferably in size 2 (not 2/0). The longer shank helps improve the hooking rate in the top of the mouth. I previously was using the VMC wacky hook, but I would get hooked up more commonly in other places besides the roof of their mouth.

X2 – I also use the VMC Neko hook for my wacky rigging. I also use the #2 size the most.

Shout out to Frydog for that suggestion a couple seasons ago.

If you haven’t tried them yet, I’d highly suggest either the Arsenal worm tube shields or VMC crossover rings. Both allow the hook to be rigged perpendicular to the worm, as opposed to parallel. This results in a better fluttering “wacky” action, as well as better hookup ratios and added durability.

I can’t stand the original o-rings.