Wacky Rig and Neko Rig: How to Rig and Fish Them

A wacky rig is a soft plastic stick bait hooked through the middle with no weight, so both ends wiggle as it slowly falls. A Neko rig is the same kind of bait with a small nail weight pushed into one end and the hook placed forward of center, so it falls head-first and stands up on the bottom. Use the wacky rig for shallow fish, docks and bass that bite as the bait falls; use the Neko rig to fish the bottom in deeper water, around rock, grass edges and sparse cover.

The bait: stick worms

Both rigs usually start with a 4–5 in soft plastic stick bait, a thick, straight worm with no tail. The best-known is the Senko, introduced by Gary Yamamoto in the mid-1990s (1996 is the date most often cited), and the wacky rig became popular with stick baits around the same period. Today almost every soft plastic brand makes one. Heavily salted stick baits sink faster and fall with more wobble but tear easily, which is why O-rings are so common.

Wacky rig vs Neko rig

	Wacky rig	Neko rig
Weight	None (or a tiny weight in the middle)	Nail weight in one end, roughly 1/32–1/8 oz
Hook position	Middle of the bait	Forward of center, toward the weighted end
Fall	Slow, horizontal, both ends quivering	Faster, head-first
Best depth	Shallow, roughly 1–10 ft	Mid to deep water, roughly 8–25 ft
Where	Docks, laydowns, grass edges, shallow banks	Rock, gravel, grass edges, points, ledges
Retrieve	Let it fall, twitch, let it fall again	Drag and shake along the bottom

How to rig a wacky rig

Choose a wacky-style or octopus-style hook, size 1 to 1/0 for a 4–5 in bait. Pick a version with a light weedguard if you fish wood or docks.
Slide an O-ring onto the middle of the bait. An inexpensive O-ring tool makes this quick, or roll it on by hand.
Find the balance point by holding the bait on your finger. The middle is standard; moving slightly toward one end changes the fall.
Slip the hook under the O-ring so the point faces out, away from the bait.
No O-rings? Hook straight through the center of the bait. It works, but the bait tears sooner.

How to rig a Neko rig

Push a nail weight fully into one end of the stick bait. Start light (about 1/16 oz) and go heavier for deeper water or wind.
Slide an O-ring onto the bait forward of center, toward the weighted end. A common starting point is about a third of the way back from the head.
Slip a wacky, drop shot or Neko-style hook (size 1 to 1/0) under the O-ring, with the point facing toward the tail end.
Use a weedless Neko hook if you’re fishing around brush or grass.

Line and gear

A 7 ft medium-light or medium spinning rod with a fast tip suits both rigs. Use 10–15 lb braid with an 8–12 lb fluorocarbon leader, or 8–12 lb fluorocarbon straight. Braid helps you skip baits and see line movement; fluorocarbon sinks and is less visible. Around heavy dock posts and cover, lean toward the heavier end.

How to fish the wacky rig

Most wacky rig bites happen while the bait is falling, so watch your line more than your rod tip.

Cast or skip the bait to the target and let it sink on slack line.
If the line jumps, swims sideways or stops sinking early, reel tight and set.
When it reaches the bottom, give two or three gentle twitches to lift it a little, then let it fall again.
Reel in and cast again once it’s away from cover. The first fall near the target is the most important.

How to fish the Neko rig

Fish the Neko like a slow bottom bait. Let it reach bottom, then drag it a few inches with the rod tip, shake gently on slack line so the bait stands up and quivers, and pause. It shines on hard bottom, scattered grass and points where fish are feeding on the bottom. It’s a close relative of the drop shot and the Ned rig, and many anglers rotate among all three on a tough day.

Fishing docks and cover

A weightless wacky stick bait is one of the best lures to skip under docks. Use a sidearm cast so the bait hits the water a few feet in front of the dock and skips into the shade. Target the shady side, the corners, walkways, floats and the posts at the deep end. Our guide to fishing docks for bass covers patterns and etiquette in more detail.

Docks are often private property. Fish from the water, don’t tie up to or climb on docks without permission, keep lures away from boats and lines, and give people using their dock plenty of space. Wear your life jacket and stay off flooded or unstable structures.

Near laydowns and grass edges, use a weedguard hook and work the bait along the outside of the cover first before casting deeper into it.

Setting the hook

With an exposed, light-wire hook on spinning gear, a hard overhead jerk isn’t needed. Reel quickly until the line is tight and sweep the rod firmly to the side. Keep steady pressure and let the drag work. Our article on how to set the hook explains the difference between sweep sets and hard sets.

Bottom line

Hook a 4–5 in stick bait in the middle for a wacky rig or add a nail weight to one end and hook it forward of center for a Neko rig. Use O-rings to save baits, a size 1–1/0 hook and light spinning gear. Fish the wacky rig on the fall around docks and shallow cover, and drag and shake the Neko rig along the bottom in deeper water.

FAQ

Where do you hook a wacky worm?

In the middle, at the bait’s balance point. Using an O-ring there makes the bait last much longer.

Do I need O-rings?

No, but they help. Salty stick baits tear quickly when hooked directly, and an O-ring lets one bait catch several fish.

What’s the difference between a Neko rig and a wacky rig?

The Neko rig adds a weight to one end and moves the hook forward, so the bait falls quickly and stands up on the bottom. The wacky rig is weightless and falls slowly.

What size hook for a wacky rig?

A size 1 to 1/0 suits most 4–5 in stick baits. Go slightly larger for 5–6 in baits and heavier line.