LAKE OCONEE — Just when you think that surely the last possible technique for catching largemouth bass on a worm has been invented or developed along comes another worming technique. The fact is anglers are inventive and always looking for an edge over other anglers. So the development of new worming techniques or modifications and improvements to existing techniques will continue as long as there are anglers.

Just look at the Carolina rig which dates back to the late 70s and early 80s. It has been constantly modified, tweaked and improved over the years and improvements continue even today. Many of the new worming techniques have been slow to catch on in the deep-south since many of these worming techniques were developed in other parts of the country where deep clear water is prevalent.

Additionally, some anglers are reluctant to give up their “power” equipment for the “finesse” equipment that is required to utilize some of the new worming techniques. However, anglers are beginning to see that these new worming techniques are catching fish even in reservoirs with stained water like lakes Sinclair and Oconee.

Until recently, anglers had only to deal with four basic types of worm techniques. Those were the Texas rig, the Carolina rig, weightless worm rig (often using a Trick worm) and the wacky worm rig. Even those four basic worm rigs have variations depending on the terminal tackle used and how the worm is placed on the hook.

The newest worming techniques include names like shaky head or jig head and the drop-shot. These worm rigs have created a whole new group of special worms and terminal tackle. The shaky head and drop-shot worm rigging is meant for spinning tackle and lighter than usual line (4-8 pound test). The shaky head jig has become very popular and is a local favorite of anglers in this area so let us take a more detailed look at the shaky head or jig head worming technique.

The shaky head jig and jig head rigs come in an assortment of styles. These special jigs are referred according to their shape like football head, round head and tube head. All the weighted finesse shaky heads (up to ? ounce) have one thing in common, they are meant to be used with special finesse worms that have been specific ally developed for this style of finesse fishing.

Most worm manufactures are now marketing at least one brand of shaky head jigs and worms. The shaky head jigs have names like Flea Flicker Jig, Flick-It Jig, Bite-Me Jig Spot Remover Jig, Magic Jig and Giggy Head Jig. The shaky head worms have names like the Berkley Gulp Shaky Worm, the Chompers Shaky Head, the Zoom Shaky Head Worm and the Berkley PowerBait Shaky Worm. The shaky head worm can be rigged Texas style with the hook point buried in the worm or can be rigged with the hook point left exposed.

The shaky head worm is an excellent choice for anglers around docks and shorelines. A good choice of equipment would be spinning tackle with 6-8 pound test rated line. Just cast out the shaky head rig and as the name implies, just shake the bait occasionally by shaking only the rod tip. Strikes will often come without the angler giving any action to the bait.

The shaky head worm should be fished slowly allowing the worm to do its work as it twitches and gyrates in the water. Current greatly increases the action of the shaky head worm and creates a tantalizing movement as the worm stands up (head down/tail up) on the bottom. It is also a good choice when the reservoir your fishing has a lot of fishing pressure and certainly Sinclair and Oconee fall in that category.

A recent tournament on Lake Oconee was won with a single fish that weighed over five pounds and it was taken on a shaky head jig. That fish was caught in extremely muddy water so the idea that the shaky head can only be used in clear water is definitely incorrect. Lakes Oconee and Sinclair have very little clear water for much of the year and the shaky head jig catches fish in both lakes.

Larger jig heads can be used for those preferring to power fish or use baitcasting equipment with heavier line. Larger jig heads weigh from ? ounce to a full ounce and can be used with larger plastic worms, lizards or creature baits. They can be fished much like an angler would a Texas rigged plastic bait. A personal favorite of mine is a ? ounce football jig head rigged with a Zoom Trick worm. 

Next week, we will look closer at the types of shaky heads and jig heads, the various plastic worms available for use with jig heads and discuss the various rigging techniques. Good fishing and see you next week. 



Outdoor Columnist Bobby Peoples can be reached via e-mail at brpeoples@windstream.net.