not successful with shaky head

[yourkiddin]

I am mostly a live bait and crank bait fisherman. The live bait produce the bigger fish, the crank baits are hit and miss. By no means am I a tournament fisherman. I also have a fair amount of luck with carolina rig. I have a buddy that does nothing but shaky head. He wears me out with it. I have left everything else at home and tried this method. I can't seem to be able to feel the jig on the bottom. I haven't caught one fish yet with shaky head. Got a nice sensitive tip spinning rod. Then this afternoon I tried a baitcaster. Still no luck. To add salt to the wound we swapped rods and he caught one on my pole. I'm usually successful at things when I put my head to it but this is wooping my tail.

 

[Ithica DB]

Re: not successful with shaky head

I have nothing for ya on this one but I always try to pick the right side of the boat to fish from. Believe this or not it sometimes makes a difference. I don't know if it is the shading of the boat or the slight current, it has me baffeled. Maybe I just stink and fishing.

 

[yourkiddin]

Re: not successful with shaky head

So i done some research and swapped out my 6 lb mono with 10 lb flouricarbin. I can feel the jig on the bottom now. Yet to catch a fish but making headway.

 

[BuzzStPoint]

Re: not successful with shaky head

So i done some research and swapped out my 6 lb mono with 10 lb flouricarbin. I can feel the jig on the bottom now. Yet to catch a fish but making headway.

IMO, your 1st mistake was leaving everything at home.

I went out fishing with my boys. Spent hours with no bites. All we has was the crank baits on our lines. Left the takle box at home. Oops. If one lure doesn't work try another.

 

[lncoop]

Re: not successful with shaky head

So i done some research and swapped out my 6 lb mono with 10 lb flouricarbin. I can feel the jig on the bottom now. Yet to catch a fish but making headway.

You'll feel it even better with braid.

 

[yourkiddin]

Re: not successful with shaky head

I thought about braid. But didn't see anyone giving that advice. I'll try it. As for leaving everything else at home, its so I don't give up and go back to cranking. I have got to learn this because I fish with at least 4 other guys that do it and it produces fish in 15 -25 feet of water in these hot months. On what lb and brand braid u suggest?

 

[lncoop]

Re: not successful with shaky head

I've always liked Fireline. 15 lb test would probably work well for you. One thing to consider with the braid though; it's more visible to the fishies, so you might end up tying on a fluorocarbon leader anyway.

 

[yourkiddin]

Re: not successful with shaky head

I caught my first fish on shaky head this afternoon. Actually three spots in 15 ft of water. My buddy caught the first one then I got three in a row. Then he got one more. All in about 20 min. Then storm forced us to go in. I hadn't tried the braid yet though. Man that fire line is quite high. I looked it up on line.

 

[Onebigjp]

Re: not successful with shaky head

I have never liked the shaky head jig. I still use a 3/0 offset with a 1/8oz egg sinker and stick a toothpick in the sinker to hold it on the hook. You need to use a floating work with the shaky head technique because what makes this work is bouncing the head of the worm on the bottom and sticking the tail in the air. I use 8lb floro because it is heavier than mono and it stretches less. I would stay away from braid unless you are fishing heavy cover. It looks like you found a pattern so stick with what is working, just adding my penny to the pot.

 

[yourkiddin]

Re: not successful with shaky head

So now I'm using braid with floricarbin leader. Im doing pretty good with it. I am now getting a good feel for the bite. I'm missing quite a few though. I'm use to using a eagle claw kayle hook with live bait and hardly ever miss a striper. How do you know which finesse worms are floating. I'm doing petty good with the worn my buddy uses. The zoom green pumpkin.its all he uses. But I've thought about a floating worm also.

 

[dingbat]

Re: not successful with shaky head

IMan that fire line is quite high. I looked it up on line.

Braid is cheaper than mono in the scheme of things. Mono you change once or twice a year. Some of my braid is going on 5 years old.

 

[yourkiddin]

Re: not successful with shaky head

I'm catching more fish now using this method. Wanted to get some ideas what worms to try on the shaky head. Maybe brands and color.

 

[nimmor]

Re: not successful with shaky head

As far as worms go I like a floating type worm like the Trick worm or a finese worm. I also prefer a straight tail worm for this techique. As for colors I use natural colors like a watermelon flake or green pumpkin in clear to stained water. In darker water I like a dark color like a purple or black. A jighead designed for shakey head will also give you better results, they have a longer shank.

 

[j_martin]

Re: not successful with shaky head

Fish don't care about brand. For color my go-to's are motor oil (changeable green - brown) purple, and black.

Load them up with a good oily scent, like Kick-n-Bass crawfish.

Often when fish are in a funk and deep, they are suspended off the bottom. Try running the same small worms on a drop shot rig. One advantage of drop shot and wacky worm fishing is that the fish will gently pick up the lure and try to swim off. You detect the bite by seeing the line move, and if the bait tastes and feels good to the fish, he's probably already trying to swallow it. Biggest problem I have is gut hooking them.

On the expense of braid. I put 75 yards of 20 lb on the level wind reel, backed up by 12 lb mono. After it gets all bleached out and questionable, I pull it all out across the lawn, and put it back on bleached end first. I get 8 fills out of one 300 yd spool of line. Learn the palomar knot. It's the only one you'll need with braided.

 

[canoemang]

Re: not successful with shaky head

You'll feel it even better with braid.

+1 on that.

I just convinced a buddy to try one of my rod's with braid.. he went home and swapped out all of his flouro n mono with Spiderwire..

 

[jigngrub]

Re: not successful with shaky head

Yourkiddin: You should try a dropshot rig in that depth of water, you may start wearing your buddy out and have him switching rigs.

 

[yourkiddin]

Re: not successful with shaky head

I have seen drop shot on tv. I even tried it probably 6 years ago. Once again i was not successful at it. So now I guess I should be doing some research and leave the shaky head at home. LOL. I need to first learn that knot. Didnt master it before.

 

[relocyo]

Re: not successful with shaky head

I always liked the "nuclear chicken" color, I dunno if they do worms in em tho... Plus when someone asks what your using and u tell em nuclear chicken, always get a strange look and the person walks far away from me so I keep my spot to myself

 

[j_martin]

Re: not successful with shaky head

For drop shot the only know you need is a palomar knot. it's like tying your shoes. With drop shot, you hang a small plastic worm in front of the fish's nose, a long ways away from the boat, and with a slack line shake your rod to make the worm wiggle. When the fish picks it up to check it out, you don't feel it, you see your line move. After you give him time to get comfortable with his free lunch, you paste him. I taught my 8 year old how to do it in about 10 minutes.

Any place a shaky head will work, drop shot will work, only better and with heavier line.

 

[relocyo]

Re: not successful with shaky head

Paste him! +1