A shaky head worm is an excellent finesse technique for catching bass but losing fish is a common problem. Pro bass angler John Murray improves his hooking and landing percentages by swapping out his shaky head for a drop shot rig with a short leader.
FEATURED TACKLE (retail links)
- ROD – SixGill Lykan Series Spinning Rod, 7’2” ML – Spin
- REEL – SixGill Dreadnought Series Spinning Reel, size 2000
- WORM – Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Hit Worm Magnum
- HOOK – Gamakatsu Offset Worm Hook
- LINE (braid) – Braided Fishing Line, 8- to 15-pound
- LINE (leader) – Fluorocarbon Fishing Line, 8- to 10-pound
As Murray explains, a drop shot with a short 1- to 1-1/2 inch leader fishes nearly the same as a shaky head but provides for better hookup and retention because you get to choose your preferred hook. The worm shakes on the drop shot hook similar to a shaky head, yet independent of the weight for higher landing percentages.
Murray concludes with a quick rundown on his go-to rod setup for fishing drop shot setups, the same setup he uses for shaky heads.
