Fishing for Largemouth Bass on Bone Lake, WI with the Wacky Worm

Bass fishing in the Midwest provides a rewarding adventure, but equipping yourself with the right techniques can transform your experience from rewarding to exceptional. Enter the wacky worm rig — a classic, simple, and outrageously effective method, perfect for a relaxing day on Bone Lake.

Video Recap

The Adventure Begins

Our journey commenced early in the morning, enveloped by the serene calm of Bone Lake as Brandon initiated the day's tutorial on the art of using a wacky worm rig.

The wacky worm is not exotic or peculiar as the name might suggest. It's a Senko worm, usually four to five inches in length, rigged on a small hook - in our case, a drop shot hook, but standard wacky worm hooks will work as well. The charm of the wacky worm rests in its simplicity and the results it delivers.

As Brandon demonstrated, the worm's flapping motion in the water is irresistible to bass, adding an element of anticipation and thrill.

Fishing Techniques and Tactics

Pop - Pause - Pop

It quickly became clear that there is more than one way to fish a wacky worm. The primary method involves casting the line, allowing the worm to sink a bit, and then steadily popping it back towards the boat.

Soak - Check - Soak

A second approach is to let the lure sit and soak, giving it some extra line and barely touching it, patiently waiting for that expected peck. While sometimes the peck could turn out to be a panfish, there's always the potential for a record-breaking bass at the end of the line. As our guide insightfully pointed out, reeling into the fish first before the hook set gives you the needed confidence of a sure catch.

Crank - Pause - Crank

And finally, the "quick crank and let it sit" method adds a thrilling twist to the adventure. The process involves throwing the rig into the water, allowing it to sink, then performing a quick crank followed by a pause to let the worm sit, creating an irresistible illusion for the bass lurking beneath.

Catching the Bass

Armed with these techniques, we embarked on our angling journey, sharing smiles and laughter as the morning fog began to lift from scenic Bone Lake. Greeted by the splash of a bass falling for the wacky worm allure, our adventure truly began. From the initial catch of the day, to the teasing nibble of smaller fish, the morning unfolded into an exciting journey of victory, near misses, and lessons to be learned in the art of wacky worm fishing.

As the sun began its journey towards the horizon, the pace slowly picked up, yielding impressive results — most notably, a respectable 17-inch catch that brought excitement after many smaller fish throughout the day.

Calm day Catching Fish

As the sun began to set, painting an artistic canvas in the sky over Bone Lake, it was time to pack up and head out. Leaving the lake with beautiful memories, newfound spots to bring friends fishing, and a wealth of fishing knowledge gained. Ready to encourage and inspire other anglers to experience their own fishing adventure here in the midwest. Stay tuned for more fishing adventures here at Fish Roulette.

Lessons Learned with Recording

The day before I had accidentally deleted all of my footage on the DJI Osmo pocket 3. It started to rain, and I quickly held the record button, which is also the power button and when doing so it asks you if you want to cancel the recording and by cancel the recording it deleted my entire day of raw footage from Saturday of memorial weekend. That was an unfortunate lesson learned but obviously we're trying to learn this new sport and we have new mistakes that we have to learn from and try to get better day by day.

With that said, we did capture a selfie of the 19" largemouth bass which was caught using bottom contact, so the wacky worm does not get credit for this one.