Fishing the wacky worm is great technique year round but in the spring is really when shines. I've had many days with over a 100 fish using this simple but effective technique. What I've found is targeting that 8-10 ft. depth out from your major spawning grounds during the pre-spawn and once they get up spawning moving up shallow and targeting anything a bass would spawn around. Using a wacky worm is also a great bed bait for both largemouth and smallmouth. Last year on Mille Lacs in Minnesota I caught multiple 5 pound smallmouth using a 4" wacky worm. The wacky worm is a great way to target cruising bass, if you see one that means they can see you but if you can cast to the bass and lead it just like Peyton Manning leads his receivers a lot of times the bass will just swim right into it and eat it. This technique is also great for a follow up bait when smallmouth fishing, I always have a wacky worm hanging off the side of the boat just in case I get a follow up. If I have a follow up I simply cast it right to the fish and let it sink and BAM! Fish on. If your fishing deeper water you may want to use a weighted wacky worm jig head to get it down faster.
Another great time to use the wacky worm is around docks, I can skip that ExoStick anywhere and get places where most people can't. That bait skips very well and when a bass sees something skipping up on the surface that gets their attention, then it stops and falls slowly down it's hard for them not to eat it.
The Worm/Hook
I like using the BioSpawn Exostick but any stick worm will work. I like the 5" worm but will cut it down if the bite is tough. I like a 3/0 hook with and without a weed guard depending on how thick of cover I'm fishing. If I'm fishing around docks, wood or heavy grass I'll use the weed guard that I custom make.
The Rod
I have two different rods I use when fishing the "Wacky Worm". Both are 7'0", The first one is a medium action spinning rod and the second is a casting rod also in a medium action. Both are the Wild WildBlack made Carrot Stix but any rod with a soft tip and a good back bone will work. I want that soft tip to make accurate casts with weightless stick worms and having a light and sensitive rod really allows you to fish all day without fatigue. I use the spinning rod anytime I need to skip the worm and the baitcast rod when I'm fishing open water, I just feel I have more power to move fish and get them in the boat faster with the baitcast rod.
The Line
On the spinning rod I use 15 lb. braid with a 6 lb. diameter on my main line and a two foot piece of 8, 10 or 12 lb. Gamma Fluorocarbon line. The size of line is determined on a couple of things, how thick of cover or water clarity I'm fishing.
