Whacky worms, senkos, soft stick baits. No matter the trade name, the phenomenon that California’s own Gary Yamamota started with his original Senko continues today. I can’t recall a bait that’s made a bigger splash in bass fishing than the Senko. It’s one of those rare baits that seem to catch fish, no matter how poorly you fish it.
Since their introduction, bait companies have inundated the market with senko-style offerings. Each modeled after the original’s simple pepperoni stick design. While these baits may be magical, they do have drawbacks. For one, they’re on occasion a “one-and-done” bait. That is, they tear easily; rendering them useless for reuse. They’re also difficult to get a good hook set on when rigged whacky-style. Recently, I discovered a solution for that which afflicts the senko-style baits.
Big Bite Baits, makers of the 5″ Wacky Stick, have molded a rubber o-ring into the middle to their soft plastic senko-style worm. The o-ring is barely exposed on either side of the worm. When rigging it whacky-style you slip the hook through the o-ring. This exposes the entire hook, giving you great hook-ups, with little or no effort. You can also down-size your hooks, opting for several sizes smaller, as you won’t need as much shank to penetrate the worm body. This is a great advantage when fishing the bait on a very slow drop, for inactive fish.
I’ve found that the 5″ Wacky Stick is versatile too, working equally well on brown or green fish (smallmouth or largemouth). When rigged whacky-style with a mosquito drop shot hook, the bait sinks slowly, with that perfect fish catching action. The fluttering of the terminal tips of the worm drives fish nuts. You can also down-size your line, as heavier test isn’t needed for lighter gauge hook shanks. This is a tremendous advantage when the bite turns cold and your presentation slows to a crawl.
The Big Bite Bait 5″ Wacky Stick is available in eight colors and retails for a very reasonable $5.99/7-pack. The bait last longer than others as they don’t rip and tear.
Price: $5.99/7-pack
Website: bigbitebaits.com
Rating the Wacky Stick on the 1 to 5 Fish Scale
Finish: 4.7
Build: 4
Hooks: N/A
Action: 4.8
Price/Value: 5