(Editor's note: The following is the latest installment in a series of fishing tips presented by The Bass University. Check back each Friday for a new tip.)
Fresh off of his Elite Series victory at the Potomac River, there can be no doubt that Justin Lucas is one of the modern masters of spinning-tackle techniques. He earned that recent victory largely with a dropshot rig, but he’s just as enamored of the wacky-rigged worm – just don’t ask him to pick a single way to throw it.
Indeed, Lucas has three key wacky-rigging setups, each with its own situational purpose. He fishes them all on the same rod, reel and line, but other than that they’re distinct, except for in the fact that they all catch lots of fish, including a lot of big ones.
His favorite includes a tungsten nail weight shoved into one end of the worm, either a 1/16-ounce version (for water 3 to 10 feet deep) or the heavier 3/32-ounce for 10 feet or deeper. Neither of those sound like a lot of weight, but he said that the streamlined presentation allows it to fall faster than an equally heavy bullet weight would.
This is the only version where he uses an O-ring on the worm. With his preferred Berkley Havoc Bottom Hopper, that’s a size No. 37 from Lowe’s or Home Depot.
“You don’t want the worm sliding down,” he said, before admitting that the hook-up ratio is compromised. Fortunately, it “gets bit so much” that you can afford to lose a few fish.
He rigs the hook approximately two-thirds of the way from the tail, which maximizes action. It’s ideal on calm, clear days in the pre-spawn and spawn periods, and he looks for isolated cover to throw it at. That could be a lone dock, whether it’s in 10 inches or 50 feet of water, or it could be a small patch of lily pads. “Even if you don’t see the fish, they’re still around,” he implored.
He keeps his colors simple: Shady watermelon candy is his clear favorite, with green-pumpkin/gold a close second. In dark water, he likes black, especially black emerald, and in clear water an overlooked giant is any sort of smoke.
The second way he employs the wacky worm is on a dropshot, but unlike the nail weight where he prefers a 5- or 6-inch model and doesn’t like to go down to actionless 4-inch “nubs,” here he goes shorter. Favorites include the smaller Bottom Hopper, a 4-inch Roboworm, and he noted that some of his peers successfully employ the smallest Flickshake worms.
There’s not necessarily a rhyme or reason to when he wacky-rigs his dropshot worm versus a Texas-rigged or nose-hooked version, but usually it’s in high pressure situations. Perhaps he’s fishing a crowded area or it’s the second day of a tournament and he wants to show the fish something different.
The third way he wacky-rigs is weightless. In this case it’s important to use a lure with a high salt content to ensure that the lure does sink. He likes the Havoc Flat Dawg and the original Senko. Again, he spears this one right in the middle with his favorite hook, the Cover Finesse HD Worm from Japan’s Decoy.
This, he said, is the absolute best choice when the fish are “cruising, not locked onto anything, swimming, looking for a lover.” Again, he keeps his color choices simple – something that replicates a shad, some form of black, and of course watermelon and green pumpkin. This presentation has no negative cues, and if you’re patient enough to fish it, and comfortable with spinning gear, it can load the boat in a hurry.
If you’d like to learn more of Lucas' keys to wacky-rigging success, including his tackle choices and his favorite knot, check out the full video seminar by subscribing to The Bass University TV.
