Just like any other type of fishing, you must experiment with presentations until you find what the bass want at that time. Wether I'm fishing or trying to woo the ladies I always consider these three questions: Are they shallow or deep? Do they want it fast or slow? And, do they want something with a lot of action, or very little action? Whatever the answers to these questions are Cactus Wren Outdoors has a bait and presentation that will give you a chance at hooking up with a fatty (if that's what you're into of course...). Here are 7 different ways to rig Cactus Wren baits:
1. The Drop Shot
Rod: 7ft Medium-Fast Spinning Rod
Reel: 5:1 Spinning Reel
Line: 12 lb high-vis braid
Leader: 14 feet of 8 lb flurocarbon
Hook: 1/0 Gamakatsu Octopus Hook
Weight: 1/4 oz Cactus Wren Drop Shot Weight
The drop shot is without a doubt the best producer of these presentations, that's why it's listed here first. It is the only rig that I have a dedicated rod for, and it's the only rod that comes with me on every trip (that's really saying something when you have the limited storage capacity of a 10 foot kayak).
To rig a drop shot, tie on your hook with a Palomar knot, be sure to leave plenty of tag end on your line. Take the end of the tag end and run it back down through the eye of the hook. Give it a little tug and it should pull the knot through the eye. If done correctly the hook will be pointing up and the knot will be below the eye of the hook. In the spring and fall I will generally put the weight about 8 to 12 inches below the hook. In summer and winter, when the bass are holding very tight to the bottom, I'll shorten it up to 3 to 6 inches.
I use both the CW Quail Tails and Talking Sticks with the drop shot rig. Typically if the bass are actively feeding I'll use a Quail Tail, if they are lazy and the fishing is slow I'll use the Talking Stick. Basically I try to match the action of my lure with the action of the bass. A deep, lethargic, post-spawn female is not going to be in the mood to chase down something that might flee away quickly. Using something with little action and just slowly dragging it across the bottom will be much more appetizing for that big lazy bass.
I'll fish a drop shot in just about any situation. Bounce it across a rocky point, pull it over a ledge, drag it through submerged grass with the worm floating just above the grass, or pitch it right into flooded cover or under a boat dock. If there's a fish around, they'll hit it!
2. The Shaky Head
Rod: 7ft Medium-Fast Casting Rod
Reel: 7:1 Baitcasting Reel
Line: 12 lb flurocarbon
Jig Head: Cactus Wren 1/4 oz Tully Shaker
This rig has completely replaced the Texas-Rigged worm for me. I use it primarily for casting toward particular targets like flooded timber, over hanging trees, and man-made structures like bridge columns and boat docks.
The shaky head excels in situations where the bass are holding very tight to cover and the strike zone is incredibly small. One cast may take three or more minutes, but I won't move the bait more than a foot or so. Just cast it out there within inches to the cover and lightly shake your rod tip on slack line.
The only worm I'll use on the shaky head is a 5 inch talking stick. Despite the name, a shaky head is a very slow and subtle presentation so a straight tail worm is a must. Imagine you are a pretty girl at the club. To your right is a wildly dancing long-haired hippie on PCP, to your left is a nicely dressed business man quietly sipping a gin and tonic. Who are you going to go home with? (The shaky head is the guy on the left)
3. The Chowa Barb Jig
Rod: 7ft Medium Heavy-Fast Casting Rod
Reel: 6:1 Baitcasting Reel
Line: 15 lb flurocarbon
Jig Head: Cactus Wren Chowa Barb Jig
The Chowa Barb Jig is the long-haired hippie wildly dancing on PCP (some girls like that sort of thing). I fish this on a bit heavier equipment because of the thicker hook on the CW jig. You can fish this just like a traditional Texas Rig targeting heavy cover or bed fishing in the spring time, but I prefer to fish it much faster, almost like a deep diving crankbait, or slow rolling a spinner bait or swim bait.
For this presentation I'll use a 6 inch Quail Tail or a Canyon Craw. This can be a great pre-spawn technique when the bass are up roaming looking for a spot to make their beds and the females are still staging and looking for a few big meals preparing for spawn.
4. The Ned Rig
Rod: 7ft Medium Spinning Rod
Reel: 5:1 Spinning Reel
Line: 8 lb flurocarbon
Jig Head: Cactus Wren 1/4 oz Tully Shaker
When a shaky head is still too much for the lethargic bass, I'll try the Ned Rig as a last resort. It's a smaller, more compact version of the shaky head.
To rig it, I use the first 3 inches of a 6 inch Talking Stick or Quail Tail (you can use the back half of the Quail Tail as a trailer on a spinnerbait). Rather than a subtle shake of the rod tip I'll toss it out and dead-stick it. After about 20 seconds give it a couple hops and dead stick it again.
You want to leave as much of the hook exposed as you can. The worm is pretty thick, so you want to be able to leave enough room between the barb of the hook and the side of the worm to get a solid hook set. Leave it buried and you'll easily pull this compact bait right out of their mouth.
5. Weightless
Rod: 7ft Medium-Fast Spinningg Rod
Reel: 5:1 Spinning Reel
Line: 8 lb flurocarbon
Hook: 1/0 or 2/0 Offset Roundbend
The first four rigs have focused on deeper water presentations, or when the bass are holding tight to shallow cover. The last three focus on fishing the upper end of the water column, and when bass are actively chasing small baitfish.
There are a few ways to fish these baits weightless to catch fish when traditional topwater baits and shallow running cranks don't work. The first is like a Fluke, or some other soft-plastic jerkbait. This presentation can be deadly in the spring and fall when bass are chasing shad. When bass are boiling on a school of shad at the surface, most anglers will throw something like a Spook past the boil and walk it through the boil. Doing so can often spook (maybe that's where they got the name) the bass. Generally these schooling bass are relatively small and won't hit a large top water hard bait. However, the 4-inch talking stick is light enough you can toss right into the boil, twitch a few times and probably end up hooking into one. This technique probably won't catch many double digit bass, but it can certainly put a good number into the boat when used at the right time.
When the action slows down, you can slow the bait down as well. Letting the 4-inch Talking Stick sink on slack line will allow the bait to fall horizontally. The larger 5 and 6 inch Talking Sticks will fall with a gliding nose-first action. When rigged weightless these worms fall slower than any stick bait I've ever seen. When the bass want a slow fall, this presentation can out perform the ever so popular Senko mightily.
When the bass are suspending in 5 to 15 feet you can add a small split shot weight about two feet up the line to help get the bait to the fish quicker. Adding a 1/16 oz split shot or mojo weight will let the bait fall at about a foot per second. So toss it out, count it down, and slowly begin retrieving it back with a twitch-twitch-pause retrieve. This can be killer in submerged grass, using the mojo weight instead of the split shot will let the rig slide through the grass without getting hung up as much.
6. The Donkey Wren
Rod: 7ft Medium-Fast Casting Rod
Reel: 7:1 Baitcasting Reel
Line: 12 lb flurocarbon
Leaders: 8 lb flurocarbon
Tackle: 2 1/0 Offset Roundbend Hooks
2 swivels
2 glass beads
Fish this rig just like you would the weightless Texas rigged Talking Stick. It always makes it more fun knowing you have a chance at catching two bass at once. Once you hook up on a fish, don't reel him in right away, let him swim with it and play with it for a while. How many times have you reeled in a bass to see another one follow him in all the way to the boat? With this rig, that follower will be caught too. Bass just can't stand seeing their friend have all the fun, they'll want to join in too if the opportunity is there for them.
How to rig the Donkey Wren: Start by tying two swivels on to your two 8 lb flurocarbon leaders. You want one leader to be about twice as long as the other (10 and 20 inches are a good place to start). On your mainline put on a glass bead, then the longer of the two leaders, then another glass bead. After the second bead, tie your shorter leader to the main line.. Tie on your hooks to the end of each leader and you're all set. Remember these two important things: (1) The first swivel should just be threaded onto the main line so it can move freely up and down the line along with the beads. (2) That leader should be the longer one, otherwise the leaders will just become a twisted mess.
I like to throw this rig on casting gear because I have more control over the fish with it incase I hook up on two at once. If you're not able to throw such a light presentation with a baitcaster, a spinning set up will work just fine too.
The beads are optional, but I like them for three reasons: They make a clicking sound to attract fish, they protect the knots, and it gives the impression of a third little baitfish that the two bigger baitfish are chasing, like a mini little food chain all in one rig.
7. The Weightless Wacky
Rod: 7ft Medium-Fast Casting Rod
Reel: 7:1 Baitcasting Reel
Line: 10 lb flurocarbon
Hook: 2/0 Gamakatsu Weedless Wacky
You don't need the O-ring tool, or even the O-rings, but it will make your life easier and you won't be going through worms as quickly. If you use the O-rings, be sure to use two. Cross them over each other creating an "X" and put the hook between the two, underneith where they cross so that the hook is held perpendicular to the worm.
I use this presentation with the 5 and 6 inch Quail Tails and Talking Sticks. Sometimes I'll rig the hook through the middle, other times towards the nose. The sink rate differs quite a bit so you'll just have to experiment until you get bit. This worm will not fall horizontally, instead it will glide nose first off to one side or the other. This mimics a dying baitfish much better than a stick bait that wobbles end to end as it sinks straight down (I mean really, have you ever seen a baitfish do that?). Despite the different action, fish it the same way you would that wacky Senko. It won't work every time, but on the days that the traditional approach isn't paying off, this might be the ticket.
So there you have it, seven finesse presentations that you can try with these great little worms from Cactus Wren Outdoors. Visit them online at www.cactuswrenoutdoors.com and pick up a few packs of Quail Tails and Talking Sticks. I hope I see you out on the water soon!
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