Whenever power-fishing approaches fail, it’s a subtle voice of reason; a user-friendly technique that works just about anywhere and tempts bass in a range of moods, from aggressive to bad hair days. It’s a back-up rig for shaky heads, a rig you can trust.
A well-placed cast and minimal rod tip work are all that are required to use this jig style to hold worms or other plastic bait in a semi-vertical position.
Designed around natural and man-made shelter/feeding points, the shaky head resembles baitfish feeding along the bottom and tempts bass with the ruse of easily captured prey.
With an equal appeal to largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass, the shaky head covers a variety of hard bottoms, including natural rock and shell, as well as manmade formations such as riprap, old road beds, and boat ramps.
It often pairs well with the dropshot bait for a one-two punch of tantalizing finesse. If they don’t want the bait hanging laterally (dropshot), maybe the upright appearance will do the trick.
When to Throw It
There’s no denying that everyone loves the easy days, but this bait really shines when the fish play hard to get.
Heavy fishing pressure could be responsible, but weather is usually to blame.
The hot, still days of the summer when bass just want to be left alone offer prime opportunities for hopping and holding a shaky head around dock pilings, under bridges and anywhere they find cooler shaded water.
Another weather concern puts the shaky head in your starting lineup as the year winds down.
Designed for his Frenzy Bait Company, the Nail shaky head is one of Western pro Greg Gutierrez’s most trusted options for dealing with the lethargy caused by post-frontal conditions that become more common during the fall-winter season.
He believes in playing the fish’s game.
Post-frontal conditions shrink the strike zone, gutierrez explained, which leads to fast moving baits passing right by bass hunkered down somewhere quiet and shady.
“A fish isn’t going to run 10-15 feet to get a bait like (reaction bait),” he said. In his opinion, a shaky head will allow you to get closer to that strike zone, or at least stay near it for longer periods of time.
They’ll just ease over to it because it’s right in front of them and they’re more likely to eat it.”
Below are a few options for shaky heads that are proven to work
Dock Talk; For walking down points, working on rocky bottoms, and many of the traditional scenarios, Bassmaster Elite Cliff Pirch regularly uses the shaky head technique.
The shaky head’s modest, vulnerable appearance often triggers a shy fish because he feels the fish are so used to seeing large profile flipping jigs and various moving baits. He likes to mix this bait into his dock arsenal.
Bar Hopping; Fall bass chase shad back into creeks and pockets, so you’ll occasionally see these baitfish pushing super shallow. In particular, shad nibble at algae on shallow mud, rock, and shell bars on a warm, sunny afternoon.
Tackle Options; He values the bait security of a screw-lock shaky head that holds the bait on a keeper and inserts the hook into the body; however, when he is on a hot bite and can’t afford to miss out, he uses a shaky head that is specifically designed for threading baits onto the hook.
(The screw-lock style offers weedless advantage, so weigh your options.)
Sometimes the shaky head’s enticing posture can benefit from a little attention-grabbing sound.
That’s when Bassmaster Elite K.J. Queen uses the Queen Tackle Hammer Shake on his Zoom Trick Worm, Speed Worm, or Speed Craw.
Those rattles are especially effective at coaxing bass out of brush piles on sunny days, but any time a fish is staring at a bait, a concentrated rattle will close the deal.
Sources: Wideopenspaces
