John Murray Law for Tough Bites - Wacky Jighead
Story and photos by Dan O'Sullivan
We are smack in the middle of one of the toughest times of the year to catch
bass. The hot summer months can create a situation where the activity level of
fish can be downright dormant. The hotter water temperatures reduce the oxygen
content of the water and bass can become overheated and downright lethargic.
But, that doesn't stop tournaments from happening all over the country. The
fact that there is a tournament that anglers are competing in mean they
absolutely must put five quality bass on the scales to cash checks and get
points towards their year-end championships.
While many anglers try and bank solely on the early morning bite to try and
produce their weight for the day, the practice does not always prove to be
fruitful. Anglers often turn to a frog or a Flippin' Stick to see if they can
coax enough fish into striking, but that doesn't always do the trick either.
John Murray, a Bassmaster Elite Series pro from Phoenix, Ariz. knows how
difficult these times can be, and several years ago, he found a tool that
helped him cope with extreme circumstances.
That tool is a Wacky Jighead.
Uncommon Results
Ironically, the first time Murray used the Wacky Jighead was during the
swimbait wackfest on Clear Lake during the tournament
in which Steve Kennedy pounded out 122 pounds, 14 ounces on swimbaits en route
to breaking the all time four-day heavyweight record in B.A.S.S. history.
Murray finished that event in fifth place, but he was going against the grain
slightly.
One might begin to wonder why Murray would be using a Wacky Jighead and a six-inch
worm on six-pound-test line when most everyone else was using 20-pound-test and
higher and throwing eight-inch swimbaits. Murray's answer was one of necessity.
"I had been throwing a swimbait for most of the tournament when live bait
fishermen invaded my spot," he said. "The area that I had caught big
bags on swimbaits for three days was so overloaded with live bait, that I
couldn't get my fish to eat my swimbait any longer."
Murray needed a coping mechanism. He tried the dropshot, he tried the shaky
head and a jig to no avail. When he tied on a Wacky Jighead, his fortunes
changed. "I caught something like 70 bass that day and really had one of
my best tournament days in a long time."
Why Wacky?
Murray said that since that day, he has found that rig to be the only thing
that could compete with live bait. "There's something about the way this
rig works that seems to make fish eat it," he said. "I'm not entirely
sure why they eat it so good, but for some reason, it just appeals to
them."
He said that it has become an excellent rig for him to use when he guides
clients on the waters around his Arizona home in the offseason. "It's a
great confidence rig, people catch a lot of fish on it."
Fishing the Wacky Jighead
The veteran pro recommends that anglers set themselves up for success from the
beginning. He said it is important to have a rod with a soft tip, to use light
line and to use a light a jighead as possible. "I try not to go heavier
than 3/32 any time I am throwing a Wacky Jighead," he said. "I want
the bait to have as natural a fall as I can get."
He said he uses two brands of jighead; an Owner
Ultra Wacky Head around grass and smooth bottom and a Zappu Inchi Wacky head if he is fishing around rocky
bottoms. The difference between the two is that the Zappu version is tungsten
and it transmits feel around rocks better.
He rigs one of two worms on the jighead; either a Zoom
Swamp Crawler or a 6-inch
Fat Roboworm. He said he doesn't have a set reason to go with
either, but has found that they are both effective, so he experiments between
the two. He likes green pumpkin and watermelon tones primarily, but turns to
blacks if the water has more color to it. He sets up a Powell
733 spinning rod and reel with six-pound-test fluorocarbon line and
goes about fishing.
He suggested that anglers avoid doing too much with the Wacky Jighead.
"The best advice I can give is to tell anglers to not do anything with
their rig," he said. "Shaking it, or hopping it seem to keep fish
from biting as good as they can. I truly let the worm sit as still as I can on
the bottom and let the fish swim off with it."
Tips for Success
Murray said that all there really is to generating bites is that - cast it out
and let it soak. However, he offered up a few tips to help anglers convert on
the effectiveness of the rig. "I really think it helps to use a lot of
scent on the worm," he said. "I spray my bait with scent before each
cast, because I'm a huge believer in it."
He also said that anglers need to tone down their hookset. "I really
wouldn't call it a hookset at all," he said. "I let the fish swim off
with it, and let the line get tight then lean into it like a circle hook for
live bait fishing.
"It's a really effective technique if you don't overthink
it or overfish it, I really like it a lot."
See more like
this at advancedangler.com
Advertising