One of the many positive aspects of being an angler is the camaraderie. No matter where you fish or what you fish for, someone at the boat dock will always be willing to lend an ear and share a tip or two. Sometimes they put you on the fish. Other times, they just feed you a load of malarkey. You never actually know until you put their claims to the test.
Last month, I got talking with a fellow angler on Caddo Lake about wacky rigging a soft plastic stickbait like a Senko. I told him I had a pack of circle hooks ready to go, but I didn't want to rip up the worms simply by casting them out. This fella recommended cutting a half strip of electrical tape and wrapping it around the center of the worm. Then run the hook through the tape, into the worm, and back out the other side. There are similar tips out there, but for those of you who want to save money, especially when the available products out there include O-rings and specially designed T-bar shaped worms, a piece of electrical tape really can put the other options to shame.
I tested this setup during my last outing on Cross. I never caught any fish and did not post any report, but I did throw my wacky rig. The tape held. It didn't slip off because the hook held it right where I left it. I did make sure that the two ends of the tape met at the top so it would not serve as a point of resistance on the fall if positioned at the side or the bottom.
There is one caveat. Don't pull the hook loose while the tape is still there. Cut the tape off first. Then remove your hook. You'll damage the worm in the process if you go yanking the hook free while it is still threaded through the tape. The barb simply won't easily slide back through the other direction.
Also, instead of using a half strip, I'd recommend cutting off a 1/4 sized strip. As long as the hook goes through the tape, you should be good. This will be my wacky rig setup from now on.
Last month, I got talking with a fellow angler on Caddo Lake about wacky rigging a soft plastic stickbait like a Senko. I told him I had a pack of circle hooks ready to go, but I didn't want to rip up the worms simply by casting them out. This fella recommended cutting a half strip of electrical tape and wrapping it around the center of the worm. Then run the hook through the tape, into the worm, and back out the other side. There are similar tips out there, but for those of you who want to save money, especially when the available products out there include O-rings and specially designed T-bar shaped worms, a piece of electrical tape really can put the other options to shame.
I tested this setup during my last outing on Cross. I never caught any fish and did not post any report, but I did throw my wacky rig. The tape held. It didn't slip off because the hook held it right where I left it. I did make sure that the two ends of the tape met at the top so it would not serve as a point of resistance on the fall if positioned at the side or the bottom.
There is one caveat. Don't pull the hook loose while the tape is still there. Cut the tape off first. Then remove your hook. You'll damage the worm in the process if you go yanking the hook free while it is still threaded through the tape. The barb simply won't easily slide back through the other direction.
Also, instead of using a half strip, I'd recommend cutting off a 1/4 sized strip. As long as the hook goes through the tape, you should be good. This will be my wacky rig setup from now on.
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