I’ve never fooled with them much but wanted to play with this technique. I been testing all kinds of baits in the sink. None of them really “stand up” like I thought they would. Any shaky head gurus on here want to share what baits and heads you like? I’m just about to the point of saying to hell with it and sticking with my Ned rigs.
I’m like you never really fooled with them but hear people catch fish on them often.. my question is what type of water/cover do most people prefer to fish these on? I wouldn’t think you would fish them in the same cover as a Texas rigged or such?
Friend of mine told me he was catching them on a shakeyhead about a month ago. I couldnt get them to bite one. I did catch some fish texas rig. Ive never had much luch with largemouth bass on a shakeyhead. Its about the only way I can catch a spot.
Stand up? Do you goobers think you fish one sitting on bottom ? LOL Lawd oh Lawd think about it, its name indicts its not meant yo sit still on bottom. Its a wonder some of you ever catch anything.
If you shake it more’n twice you’re playing with it. Shaky head in the right places will load the boat on Lake Martin on days when nothing else will get bit.
Owner or Davis Head, 1/8-3/16, unless a bit of wind, then might go 1/4. 6" Original Trick worm, no salt ,tail floats better. Have also used Berkley 4" Chigger Craw with success
Funny how things trend, I remember 20 years ago making what ppl call a shaky head. When the bite would get slow I'd rig it with half of a lizard (back legs and tail). Theyd eat it when they wouldn't touch anything else.
Similar to a drop shot, you don't or should not impart a great deal of action with a "shakey" head.
The name doesn't mean you shake it like fillets in the bag of meal before going into the grease. Whippin' that 4- or 5-inch finesse worm or lizard around like a shoelace in a windstorm won't do anything but frustrate you.
Cast, subtle movements, let it sit momentarily on a tight line, let the waves (if any) or your natural movement do the work since we humans cannot be perfectly 100% still. Drag it a little. If you're in the right spot and they're there, they'll either bite it or you're not in the right spot.
Other thing I've seen about dipping the tail is not to dip half an inch or more. Just do the tip.
Pretty much the same with a drop shot, too, in regard to movement. Subtle is better. Minnows and 4-inch worms/lizards/craws aren't gyrating like molly-fueled rave fans. Go slow and easy.
We had 10 guys fishing the last weekend of March 26-28 at Lake Martin and got 565 spots on mostly shakey head's. Guy that I been going fishing with wouldn't fish with them till proved to him how good they work
Some of my biggest fish and most fish have from just dropping a shaky head beside bridge pilings. Sometimes you can catch one or more off each side of a piling, and if water is moving they can be stacked behind it out of the current. You may have to test different weights to find what rate of decent they prefer. I like a 4" green pumpkin with a chart tail. this works best when they are suspended, once it hits the bottom bounce it once then get back in and drop again. i usually use 1/8 oz unless there's current. Oh, and if you're in 20' of water and it stops after sinking a few feet, Set the hook, don't get in a feeling test with a fish. You're feeling thru a rod with your hands, it's feeling with its mouth, who do you think has the advantage ?
We had 10 guys fishing the last weekend of March 26-28 at Lake Martin and got 565 spots on mostly shakey head's. Guy that I been going fishing with wouldn't fish with them till proved to him how good they work
I've been with guys who say stupid chit like "I'd rather not catch anything than use that" or "I ain't fishing no fairy worm."
I don't get that. You'd rather zero than catch fish? How f'king stupid is that? It's just a worm and different presentation.
I don't care for a Carolina rig. But if it works, I'll throw it.
Dammit, abolt, don't give away ALL the secrets! LOL.
I've never actually caught a bass before (largehead, redeye, F1 or spot). Not a single one and i've been trying for a number of years now. Maybe someday it will happen for me. I just read somewhere that those combos might occasionally work.
Do you guys find that you hook fewer on a shaky head than a Texas rig? I've had days this year when they definitely hit the shaky head better, but I hook fewer of them. It may be due more to the type worm I'm using.
Do you guys find that you hook fewer on a shaky head than a Texas rig? I've had days this year when they definitely hit the shaky head better, but I hook fewer of them. It may be due more to the type worm I'm using.
If you’ll bend the shank of your hook just a couple degrees it’ll increase your hookup percentage. I’ll post a link of a video where it’s explained. Fast forward to 3:05 if you don’t want to hear his other info.
Do you guys find that you hook fewer on a shaky head than a Texas rig? I've had days this year when they definitely hit the shaky head better, but I hook fewer of them. It may be due more to the type worm I'm using.
G loomis shakeyhead rod helped me alot with that but yes youre right
I completely quit using a shakey head. Now I use a jig rig. It’s not the same but close. Plus i can use it for about everything I do. Use the same baits on it and have far more hookups and far less getting hung.
Do you guys find that you hook fewer on a shaky head than a Texas rig? I've had days this year when they definitely hit the shaky head better, but I hook fewer of them. It may be due more to the type worm I'm using.
If you’ll bend the shank of your hook just a couple degrees it’ll increase your hookup percentage. I’ll post a link of a video where it’s explained. Fast forward to 3:05 if you don’t want to hear his other info.
Thanks, I'll try that. I fished this morning and they seemed to quit hitting my Texas rig, so I switched to a shaky head and caught 3 in just a few minutes. Then I started missing them and missed the last 4 or 5 bites I got. But a couple of them bit half the worm off, so my technique wouldn't have mattered on those. I find that I wind up with half the worm more often with the shaky head. I would rather fish with a Texas rig, but you gotta go with what they will hit.
We had 10 guys fishing the last weekend of March 26-28 at Lake Martin and got 565 spots on mostly shakey head's. Guy that I been going fishing with wouldn't fish with them till proved to him how good they work
I've been with guys who say stupid chit like "I'd rather not catch anything than use that" or "I ain't fishing no fairy worm."
I don't get that. You'd rather zero than catch fish? How f'king stupid is that? It's just a worm and different presentation.
I don't care for a Carolina rig. But if it works, I'll throw it.
Honestly Clem, sometimes I will intentionally fish a certain bait while knowing that I could be throwing something else and getting more bites. Sometimes, I just want to see one blow up on a topwater or roll up on a big waking swimbait. I might could catch way more on a soft plastic or jerkbait but if I decide I want to see some hit a topwater that morning, that's what I am going to throw. I've caught so many bass in my lifetime that I'm not mad at them anymore and I dont have to catch a limit just to prove I'm a skilled fisherman or that I can do it. I guess just knowing that I can catch them whenever I want and having been blessed with a ton of time on the water, makes it not as important to me. I've had this same conversation with my son. He'll be wearing them out on something and I'll be throwing something completely different just because I want to see if I can make them eat it. He'll say "man dad, I'm reallly spanking you this morning, you need to switch baits and I just laugh and tell him that I'm throwing what I want them to eat and what I want to catch them on. If he gets too mouthy or cocky about it, I'll put it down and catch 4 or 5 real quick just to prove a point, then go back to fishing whatever it was I wanted to make them hit.
We had 10 guys fishing the last weekend of March 26-28 at Lake Martin and got 565 spots on mostly shakey head's. Guy that I been going fishing with wouldn't fish with them till proved to him how good they work
I've been with guys who say stupid chit like "I'd rather not catch anything than use that" or "I ain't fishing no fairy worm."
I don't get that. You'd rather zero than catch fish? How f'king stupid is that? It's just a worm and different presentation.
I don't care for a Carolina rig. But if it works, I'll throw it.
Honestly Clem, sometimes I will intentionally fish a certain bait while knowing that I could be throwing something else and getting more bites. Sometimes, I just want to see one blow up on a topwater or roll up on a big waking swimbait. I might could catch way more on a soft plastic or jerkbait but if I decide I want to see some hit a topwater that morning, that's what I am going to throw. I've caught so many bass in my lifetime that I'm not mad at them anymore and I dont have to catch a limit just to prove I'm a skilled fisherman or that I can do it. I guess just knowing that I can catch them whenever I want and having been blessed with a ton of time on the water, makes it not as important to me. I've had this same conversation with my son. He'll be wearing them out on something and I'll be throwing something completely different just because I want to see if I can make them eat it. He'll say "man dad, I'm reallly spanking you this morning, you need to switch baits and I just laugh and tell him that I'm throwing what I want them to eat and what I want to catch them on. If he gets too mouthy or cocky about it, I'll put it down and catch 4 or 5 real quick just to prove a point, then go back to fishing whatever it was I wanted to make them hit.
I understand throwing a jig or topwater or something because you enjoy it. I go out with a giant swimming rat topwater here and don't catch anything, but hope to because I like the topwater blowups. And I understand a tourney situation throwing something different, maybe trying to catch a 4- or 5-pound (or bigger) kicker with a big jig while your partner catches 2- or 3-pounders.
What I'm talking about is a guy who stubbornly won't fish a lure or technique because of his ego. He won't use a spinning rod because he thinks it's "a fairy rod" for sissies. Or he will continue to throw a jig while his partner or friend is catching them on a finesse worm, but he won't do it because he doesn't like finesse worms.
I have been that guy. I was with a buddy who was throwing a Carolina rig and was catching them one after another, while I stubbornly threw a Texas-rig until I finally realized that was insane. Why zero because of your ego? We caught the hell out of them and had fun, and I learned something.
I've been with a guy who doesn't like finesse worms because he says he can't feel the bottom. He'll throw a 3/8ths ounce jig with a trailer but not a 3/8ths ounce jighead with a 5-inch worm. That makes no sense to me. Same weight, almost similar jighead. He's just being stubborn and egotistical.
