Has anyone tried wacky rigging 2" soft sticks?

[Spoonminnow]

A while back I mentioned making new lures from old ones and came up with one that fuses grub bodies together.

The above lure can be used with the usual jig rig and works just a good.



I've found that on another lake the thicker grub doesn't work as well whereas the thin stick (miniature Senko design) works fantastic for many species!



I don't know of any one that sells the exact design in that size, but wacky rigged finesse bass worms would do as well if cut down to 2" in length.
I've caught fish on the wacky rig in 3-8' using 1/24 oz and 1/32 oz jigs with a #6 hook and casting long distance isn't a problem. Rod tip twitching is key.
1/16 oz will make them fall much faster.

Hasn't failed me yet!

[Crestliner08]

Actually, I have a few packs of 2" Yamamoto's Senkos! Haven't tried them yet, but I'll certainly keep it in the back of my bonnet, should we get into a casting situation. Thanks for the post!

[Spoonminnow]

How large a diameter? Thinner the better for that tip quiver.

[SpeckledSlab]

Deleted by poster.

[SpeckledSlab]

I think it's an excellent way to give'em a new look and I'm thinking of recycling some used plastic bass worms. You can even give them a bi-color offering doing this. Maybe Spike-it on the tips.

[jackie53]

Have had very good success on these.Very deadly on our lakes.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J120A using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

[Rink]

I like the idea! One question how are the 2 pieces fused together? Thanks!

[Spoonminnow]

I like the idea! One question how are the 2 pieces fused together? Thanks!

I mostly use a candle flame and a steady hand to join the parts centered to each other. I hold the ends over a flame only until I see a small bit of melting plastic and then hold the two parts together for 4 seconds. (no cold water necessary). The bond is permanent. If the parts aren't aligned perfectly, I cut the seam with a blade and start again.

To smooth over the seam on larger baits, I roll the seam in the flame quickly and then blow on it while cooling it. The glues sold for soft plastics don't always work and you still have the seam that is a weak area once fish have attacked. For small hybrids, I use a battery powered soldering gun to smooth over the seam.

Here's an example where I didn't like the body of the Crappie Magnet that is too short and fused the tails to the bodies of a grub design I pour from a mold (except the black and orange lures where I fused a Mr Twister Grub body to the tail):


Here's a cone tail from a stick worm added to a grub body:


Other hybrids:


A big advantage is reusing tails of favorite grub or worm designs that have been cut up by many fish attacking. Cut the tail off and fuse it to another body of your choosing. The tail of the above Slider Worm was attached to different bodies three times and is still in use. Soft plastic lure prices are ridiculous when S/H is included and some colors no longer offered, so why not?

[Rink]

Thank you! I'm gonna practice on a few !

[Spoonminnow]

Thank you! I'm gonna practice on a few !

Once you catch fish on a few of your unique creations YOU CAN'T STOP! LOL

But more important, you'll find out that a small change in a lure can make a BIG difference such as:

a. making a lure smaller (especially for finicky or colder water fish, post-spawn fish, subtle lure action change)
b. lure action change can make a big difference
c. overall lure profile changes that result in more strikes
d. less reliance on what's on the shelf especially when stocks are low and colors no longer available (I use Spike-It color dye sometimes for a two tone bait or to make a color lighter or darker)