Shakey Head Questions

[kyled]

Can some of you guys give me some clarity on this bait? I have used it and had some success but just wonder if it could be more effective if I knew more about it. My questions are:

Is there a right, wrong, or better time of year than others to throw it??

What type of structure do you focus on when you are fishing it, and is there a depth that seems to be the "wheel house"??

What types of soft plastics do you use (i.e. centipede, worm, senko)?????

Thanks in advance for your help!!!!!!!!

[Nolan_Whaley]

Can some of you guys give me some clarity on this bait? I have used it and had some success but just wonder if it could be more effective if I knew more about it. My questions are:

Is there a right, wrong, or better time of year than others to throw it??

What type of structure do you focus on when you are fishing it, and is there a depth that seems to be the "wheel house"??

What types of soft plastics do you use (i.e. centipede, worm, senko)?????

Thanks in advance for your help!!!!!!!!

I like a 1/4oz shaky head or stand up jig + a green pumpkin/red trick worm most of the time. Gravel and chunk rock, shore to 30'+ deep, depending on season. I'm a sucky deep water fisherman, but that will usually catch something......

[kyled]

Oh I forgot to mention I usually throw it on a 6'6 M lews spinning rod with 10lb braid tied to a 8lb flouro leader. Never tried it on anything else but feel free to let me know if you would change anything with the set up.

[dtrs5kprs]

Until the last two weeks I never went above 1/4oz for shakeys, mostly 1/8 and even 1/16oz heads unless I need to fish deeper than 20'. Fish will eat them at all depths, even an option for working vertically in a pinch. Started playing with a 1/2oz FB shakey and some creature baits and bigger worms and sort of liked it.

You can run any plastics that fit the head. Personally I like Meatheads on the small end, Chompers 6" worm or Trick Worms on the big end. A 1/16oz shakey with a full size Senko is a quirky little combo for fishing deep cedars, docks, pilings. Twirls on the way down like an old finesse gitzit head. Can produce some nice fish when they are suspended around those big bushy cedars.

Throw them as long as they continue to eat them, but it does sort of taper off when everyone starts to vertical fish. Or maybe we just stop using them because it is "time" to do something else.

Not at all a fan of braid with a leader, but if it works for you have at it. Ran some braid for my kids (to combat twist), 10# range Power Pro and 832 with uni to uni knotted seaguar leaders in the 6# and 8# range, both of them lost nice fish last week because of leader failures. Just simpler to run straight 6# or 8# fluorocarbon.

[skeet88bt]

I almost always use a 1/8 or a 1/16oz... 90% of the time I throw watermelon/red finesse worm. Throw it on 6lb or 8lb flouro. I am with dtrs5kprs on this....having a leader is just another point of failure, but i know guys that like having the braid main for sensitivity reasons... Best spot to throw shakey head is around docks. And if the fishing gets really tought I like to throw it in the thick of trees. I know ur kinda taking a gamble with 6# and 8# line but it can payoff.

[abkeenan]

I always just stick to 1/4oz heads because I guess I am just lazy and want things made simple and the 1/4oz head is good for just about all depth ranges from 5' to 40' IMO. I have always done well on the Buckeye Stand-Ups but am now trying out the YUM Pumpkin'ED Standup Jig as I like the bigger hook + EWG options and also a large variety of weights. I fish a 5" YUM Dinger 95% of the time on the shakey head as I just love the simplicity, baits usually last 5-10 fish per bait, I have confidence in it and it flat out catches fish. The reason I am probably gonna switch to the YUM head is because I have had quite a few instances of setting the hook and coming back with 1/2 a Dinger and it is ripped RIGHT at the hook bend. If the fish would have bit another 1/4 inch towards the head I would have stuck it. I believe a 4/0 round bend comes on the 1/4oz Buckeye pro models so I got some YUM heads that are 6/0 EWG's in 1/4oz and I also got 5/8oz w/ 6/0 hooks to play around with this summer with monster 10"+ worms. I think I will have more hook ups by making this switch to a little larger hook. I always throw mine on my 7'M Cara spinning rod with 8# Yozuri Hybrid or P-Line Fluroclear (both good co-poly lines). As far as locations go I will throw them anywhere as they work everywhere.

[Nolan_Whaley]

I switched to the braid + flouro leader a while back, and I spend a lot less time respooling or fighting twisted line. I'm a fan. I will say, you can't throw unweighted stuff on it unless you want it to float. I tried a senko without a jig, and it just wouldn't sink right with the floaty braid.

I watched Stacy King tie the braid to flouro knot at a BPS deal once, and saw how easy it was, and i switched. Tied correctly, i haven't had knot failure at the connection. When you do get hung up, you can break the light weight flouro, retie in a short amount of time and be back fishing. Braid scared me off for a while, just not understanding it. Also, the braid lasts a long time. I'm on my second year of braid on my spinning reel, and it's fading in color a bit, but still strong.

[GNSfishing]

Until the last two weeks I never went above 1/4oz for shakeys, mostly 1/8 and even 1/16oz heads unless I neeed to fish deeper than 20'. Fish will eat them at all depths, even an option for working vertically in a pinch. Started playing with a 1/2oz FB shakey and some creature baits and bigger worms and sort of liked it.

You can run any plastics that fit the head. Personally I like Meatheads on the small end, Chompers 6" worm or Trick Worms on the big end. A 1/16oz shakey with a full size Senko is a quirky little combo for fishing deep cedars, docks, pilings. Twirls on the way down like an old finesse gitzit head. Can produce some nice fish when they are suspended around those big bushy cedars.

Throw them as long as they continue to eat them, but it does sort of taper off when everyone starts to vertical fish. Or maybe we just stop using them because it is "time" to do something else.

Not at all a fan of braid with a leader, but if it works for you have at it. Ran some braid for my kids (to combat twist), 10# range Power Pro and 832 with uni to uni knotted seaguar leaders in the 6# and 8# range, both of them lost nice fish last week because of leader failures. Just simpler to run straight 6# or 8# fluorocarbon.

When using a leader with braid it is a must to wet the knot heavy and pull the knot as tight as you can while holding the tag and main line ends of the leader while pulling the knot tight. I use the albright knot which I have good luck with. At first I did have a problem of the leader coming off of the braid but it was due to not tying it tight and not puling the knot tight.

[dtrs5kprs]

Leaders did not pull free, they popped. Have tried uni to uni, albright, and the seaguar knot, all with about the same results. All of the previous were lubed with good old chapstick. Too much shock at the leader when setting on them with a bait like a shakey. Potentially too much shock on the leader just casting if you inadvertently hammer throw it (no that I ever do...). Little different deal with an open hook like a grub, or with a bait you can sweep set like a c-rig. Also a little different deal with heavy braid and heavy fluoro (for flipping pond grass in summer), that's a more forgiving combination. Also hard to be adjusted correctly for a strong brown fish making a bottom dive with braid. If that drag does not start when it needs to pop goes the leader.

When they make a braid I can run straight to the hook I'll be on it due to the low twist, long life, sensitivity. Like it for grass, frogs, swimbaits. Just not there yet for clear water. Don't let me put you off of it. Tried it last year, and some this year, and am just not happy with it personally.

Abkeenan is on the right track with those bigger heads and bigger baits for hot weather. Outfished FB jigs in brush for me, and with less hang ups. They are a nice change up to FB jigs or finesse shakeys.

[kyled]

Thanks for giving me some clarity on this guys, as well as the pros and cons of straight flouro vs braid n leader. I was going to ask about the hook set but dtrs5kprs cleared that up, sounds like you need to pop them pretty good. I use flouro for almost everything else I have just had issues in the past with line twist on spinning reels. Does anyone else use centipedes or double ringers????? Its about all I have ever had success on but will try some of the ones you mentioned.