In an article featured in the most recent issue of Bassmaster Magazine, pro angler Jeff Reynolds shared his thoughts on the shaky head. While the article offers a fairly decent, yet brief run-down of shaky head fishing, one point Reynolds made left me wondering just how true his rationale might be. Reynolds does not like a jighead with a screw that holds the plastic lure in place. The article did not openly discuss what he prefers, but I inferred that he prefers the second design I mentioned above. In addition, a photo in the article showed a Zoom Finesse Worm rigged on just such a jighead. So why does he prefer this design? It seems he prefers it because he doesn't like the other kind. I could point out the somewhat flawed reasoning in picking one design over another because he doesn't like one of them, so he uses the other, but that's not why I'm writing this post. I found his reason for not liking the first design intriguing. Perhaps I should change what I'm doing.
Reynolds feels you don't get a good hookset on the screw-in shaky head jigs.1
How much truth is there to this assertion? What is the reasoning behind such an assertion? Does it really make a difference?
By threading the worm down the hook shank and up against the jighead, does it interfere less with hook penetration? When using a jighead with a screw or pin holding a worm in place, does it actually interfere with the hook's ability to penetrate effectively? Does it affect how a fish engulfs the bait?
In both designs, the body of the worm tends to ride one way or the other along the hook bend. It's entirely possible that one misbehaves more than the other. I know I've had a finesse worm ride up towards the hook point one minute and down towards the shank the next, creating a funny bend in the middle.
References:
1. Stout, Louie. "Nothing Sissy About Going Shaky" Bassmaster Magazine Nov. 2009: 66-67.
Related Posts:
Shaky Head Discussion
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3 comments:
From Martin Starks via Facebook
I fish both depending on what type of plastic I have rigged...small baits like finesse or trick worms I like the non screw or pin type jig head....the spring is a little too big for those type of worms....if I am throwing a rattlesnake or something similar in size I like the screw because it keeps the worm a little straighter...I don't like the pin because it doesn't keep the bait attached to the head very well.
As far as hookset penetration, I can't really tell that there is a difference. I don't miss or lose any more fish with one type over the other.
I know a lot of folks prefer the original Spot Remover over the Spot Remover Pro for this exact same reason. Myself, I think the plastics hold better, and longer, on the wire keeper. But some feel that’s the problem – the wire keeper keeps the bait bunched up on the hook; whereas the pin keeper allows the bait to come off the jig and not interfere with the hook set. To be honest, I know I use the wire keeper because I lose/damage less bait. Maybe I need to change my thinking on this as well.
Great blog! Nice to see so much great info related to bass fishing!
Will make sure I stop back often!
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