Whiskey River Bait Company's Outlaw Angler, Brian Jones, talks about his favorite, go to technique for catching bass under tough conditions - the Shaky Head Finesse Rig.
Soft plastics are my favorite go to baits. When fishing conditions get tough or in highly pressured waters, soft plastics are the category I will often choose to catch fish. They are available is a wide variety of styles, colors, scents, sizes and materials. Soft plastics can be fished in every section of the water column from top water to dragging along the bottom and everywhere in between. They are perfect from open water to the thickest cover, for most any species of fish and in any water temperature. No other type of artificial lure can match the lifelike action and realism of the soft plastic bait. Whether you are fishing a shaky head, Carolina rig, Texas rig, tube, grub, swimbait, frog, flipping mats, or simply adding a trailer, soft plastic baits are where it’s at!
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| Whiptail in Pure Agave (top) & Big Whiskey (bottom) & 3/16oz shaky head jig |
My favorite soft plastic rig is the shaky head. I prefer a worm/jig head combination that will let the worm stand upright. The upright worm allows for a lot of action with very little movement of the bait, allowing you to keep it in the strike zone longer. I generally use a 3/16 oz. jig head and will adjust the weight according to the depth. One of my favorite worms for this technique is the Whiptail from Whiskey River Bait Company. This worm has an incredible amount of action and a fantastic upright position. I will always use fluorocarbon line which allows greater feel of the bait and easier detection of a bite.
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| Whiskey River Bait Company Whiptail rigged on a 3/16oz shaky head lig |
A shaky head is normally fished with a spinning rod on 6-10 lb line, using the lightest line you can get away with. Simply cast this rig out and allow it to fall to the bottom. Be alert as often the fish will grab it on the initial fall. Shake your rod tip to impart action to the worm without moving it off of the bottom. Periodically pick up the worm, move it a few feet and repeat the shaking motion. Pay attention to your line for any irregular movements that generally indicate a fish has picked up your bait. Often the fish will pick up the worm and swim off with it. A nice sweep of the rod will be all it takes to get a good hook set. This technique will catch fish of any size and is often times the best way to fill the live well quickly.
Whether fishing a shaky head or any other technique I would suggest you take a hard look at your tackle and stock up on your soft plastics!
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| The results from a Whiptail fished on a shaky head finesse rig |
Brian
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