You got it folks, Flick Shakin. This is the newest craze in light line, light lure finesse fishing. What this means is, those of you that stick with the ol' jig head and small worm better pay attention. There is a new style in town and it is putting up some huge tournament numbers. The style is called "Flick Shakin". The term comes from one of the leading Japanese lure companies in the industry Jackall. They have developed a new style finesse worm that is just awesome. They come is two sizes and several colors but, the biggest thing is the Tungsten head you use with it called the "Wacky Jig Head". It has a 90 degree line tie that makes it almost impossible to hang up. It comes in either the 1/16 or the 3/32 head and used for rigging the bait "wacky style". They have also even accommodated the grass fisherman as well with the "Weedless Wacky Jig head". This neat little head will not only work as well as the other jig head but will come through the grass like it wasn't there. It sports the same Tungsten compound head as it counterpart but is also equipped with a weed guard to keep it from snagging. One thing I like most about this model is, it has a huge hook custom made for Jackall by Owner that is not only bigger but stronger than the light wire head and also comes in 1/16, 3/32, as well as the new 1/8 size. In this article I will not only give you a couple of ways to use this new bait but, also the right equipment to use it with.
First let's get you started with the right equipment for the job. I like to use either the G-Loomis GLX or IMX spinning rod rigged with the Daiwa Steez reel. I use either 10-12 lb Hi-Seas fluorocarbon line. If I am fishing heavy cover, like Lake Guntersville or big stump and root systems I use a G-Loomis "Mossyback" worm rod with a Daiwa Zillion reel and Hi-Seas 15 lb fluorocarbon line. Personally I like the heavy stuff better but, sometimes the bite just gets tuff and you have to downsize a little to get the bites.
Let's talk about how to fish the bait. There really is several ways this bait has been effective for me while using it. First is the way it was intended to be used. Wacky Style, the reason I say it was intended to be used this way is well, it was designed for it. If you look at the bait you can see the bait was made in a curve design which gives it a squirming action that far surpasses other baits with this technique. It is made to be rigged with a "Wacky Jig Head" and placed in the center of the worm. I use this bait when I find it hard to get a bite from either docks or brush piles that I have already fished or that I know have had a lot of pressure on them. Tossing the bait out and letting it sink a little then twitch the bait a couple of times then let it fall again. Most bites will occur on the fall so it is important you watch your line.
The second way I use this bait is with the ever famous "Shaky Head". I rig it on a Davis HBT long shank jig head in either a 3/16 or 1/4 size and rig it Texas style. This works great when the bass are locked on to cover due to high air or fishing pressure. You can let the bait fall into the cover, such as a brush pile, and then just work it out of it. Where this worm will give you an advantage is the live fish scent Jackall has placed into the bait and the curve gives it a wild action when shaking it on the bottom.
The third way of working this bait I found out by accident and necessity. Those of you, who know me, know I am not much on "dropshots". Well while fishing an event this past year on Lake Martin I had a couple of fish I could see but could not get to bite anything I threw at them. I still had some time left before weigh-in so I pulled out a baitcaster with some 12 lb Hi-Seas Fluorocarbon on it and tied a drop shot rig. Now it was not the way most of you tie this rig seeing as how I never do it I had none of the right things to rig it. I used a Mustad 1/0 EWG hook, tied a regular Palomar knot and ran the tag end back thru the line tie. I then marked off about a foot or so and tied a couple of over hand knots to hold a couple of split shots on the end. I tossed out the bait to a brush pile, shook it for a minute or so and boated a 6.75lb largemouth to move me from 13th to 5th and take big fish for the tournament. So I guess me going outside the box was not all bad. The one thing that was cool about that day was I had fished that same brush pile for about 30 minutes with a couple of other baits and could not get the fish to bite. I truly believe the bait was what made the difference between me getting a check and not.
If you get a chance to use this bait try these techniques and I am sure you will put more fish in the boat. If you want to see these techniques in action and a couple of other things I have learned fishing these baits be sure to give us a call at Fins-N-Grins Freshwater Adventures and we will get you hooked up. God Bless and Great fishing.