How well does the shaky head work for you?

[detroithiker]

Well I decided its time time to learn a new bait or should I say rig.

I am new to fishing and have learned so much in the 1 1/2 seasons I have been at it, I want to learn to use the shaky head jig, I just don't know if they work well in these waters.

A few simple questions
1) Is this a good time to develop confidence in this rig? (I find it best to learn new stuff only when its working good)

2) Is the SH season or condition dependent?

3) Do you have any advice to someone who is just learning this rig?

[Team houston]

The shakey head will catch fish anytime, anywhere all over the country.

[djkimmel]

It's a good finesse tactic similar to the drop shot but good when the bass are eating off or very near the bottom and you don't have to worry about snagging weeds off the bottom like thick sand grass. I sometimes think the bottom approach gets more bites than a suspended bait like a drop shot. The best way to figure out when is to use them both a lot and see what happens.

[fishstick]

Team houston is right! That rig is very versatile!

It has really shined for me around hard cover. I also use a 3/16 jig head most of the time and I like a full size shakey worm (like the Nemesis Baits shakey worm) vs a 4 inch size. Still gets tons of bites, but more quality fish seem to eat the bigger one.

[djkimmel]

That's good advice - thanks!

[Waterfoul]

Been throwing it for years.  As was mentioned it seems to work best for me around hard bottom areas or areas with sparse weeds.  I like skipping it under docks too.  The key usually is to make the bait dance without moving the jig head off the bottom.  Get good at this and you can really whack them at times.  I prefer a 7' Medium action spinning rod.  Tried a MH but it seemed to be too much rod for this type of fishing.