Underwater Footage of what a WACKY FREE RIG Really Does

[@shorefishingontario]

I use a clear, chartreuse, black or pink acrylic bead to stop the weight from hitting my knot

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

That is an excellent way to go! Thank you for sharing this with everyone.

[@shorefishingontario]

@SteveRogersOutdoors You're welcome. You give a lot of info so I wanted to give something back as well

[@adambussell2111]

I was coming on here to say just this as I do alot of free rig fishing I never leave the house without them best and cheapest idea to stop that problem

[@jaredcopeland5233]

I just want to say thank you. I have learned so much about bass fishing and bass behavior on this channel. I’m fortunate to live close to several bass ponds and cycle through them throughout the month. Some days I will pick a video on your channel, take the technique to the pond and within 10 minutes I’m hooked up. Thank you again. Great content!

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

That is so good to hear! Thank you for sharing that with me.

[@Rigs2Ridges]

I’ve used beads (that my daughter has for her kids jewelry kit) to stop the weight from hitting the line tie.

[@Surfer-727]

I remember you said a weight helps you a lot with a wacky worm. I'm afraid to get snagged bank fishing with a weight, not having my worrm look 100% like a worm and with no sonar I think the bass needs more time to find the wacky worm. If the water is dark I will twitch it on the way down as the bass can hear the wacky worm about 12 feet away. 🐟🐟

[@55Dag]

You're always doing presentations to give me something to think about.

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

Let me know how it goes for you if you try it!

[@turtlepoi]

Covering big flats with much longer casts, once you are sure a wacky rig is the best presentation, could be one reason this would help. Also, as a tip to my SRO friends, add UV hardening glue pen and light to your tackle bag. It can close up the eyes on those weights and do so much more for you on the water. Thx Steve.

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

I have never thought of that tip - thank you!

[@stevemills2870]

Free rig allows you to be more effective in deeper water,saves all the time waiting for bait to get to strike zone and still get the nice slow wobble in the deeper zones.

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

Definitely is more efficient getting to deeper water. And still has that great shimmy.

[@DshaunBirch]

never thought of using a tag end to my advantage like that 😮

[@smokepurp5972]

These are all great videos. Very informative. Thanks a lot, Steve!!! Keep up the good work.

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

Thanks, will do!

[@LowBrowFishing]

Matt Stefan turned me onto using a wacky free rig with a swivel and a leader some years ago. He uses it for really deep water in order to get that wacky shimmy without having to wait 30 minutes for the bait to fall. Personally, I've not had a lot of success with it in my waters as like everything else, it gets caught in the vegetation a lot, lol.

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

You definitely have a lot of vegetation! Totally different fishing in all the hydrilla. I know when I go to Florida I have to adjust a lot from what I do up north.

[@BassHead1322]

You can use a bobber stop by itself or with a bead to stop the weight from going to your hook.

[@walterwest7457]

You could put a bobber stopper on your line before tying on the hook to keep the weight from catching on the knot.

[@paulolimapescador]

Adorei suas dicas Steve, vou usar na minha próxima pescaria de Bass aqui no Brasil. Thanks !

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

Good luck! Have a great trip.

[@catboyzee]

Interesting idea. One thing I think I'd do is put a bead between the sinker and the hook to protect the knot, and perhaps makes some additional fishing attracting noise. Thanks for posting, gonna try this rig next time I go after LMBs.

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

Good luck!

[@michaeloderda4513]

Your videos are the best great insight and under water shots are great

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

I appreciate that!

[@troyweidlich1070]

Hey Steve, love the tip! Matt Stefan gave a tip a while back using the same free, sliding weight, but using a "reverse" wacky rigged floating worm, which would allow the worm to float back up and back down to the weight a few times before moving it forward. I would love to see an underwater view of what that looks like. The floating worm seemed like an efficient way to create separation between the weight and the worm as well as keeping the rig in the strike zone longer. Thanks for the videos!

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

I will have to try that! Thank you.

[@turtlepoi]

Cool, you could drive fish crazy even better than a drop shot on beds when something like a nose hooked 3X lizard it kept dipping into a nest and didn't leave.

[@NeilGraham.I.M.F]

Floating elaztec baits are the way to go if wacky free rigging

[@5wisher5weet]

Add a bead to stop the eye of the weight interfering with the hook.

[@richthompson3326]

Another great informational video Steve! I have never fished the free rig, gonna put it on tonight and try this weekend on TRL! Thanks!

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

Good luck! Let me know how it goes for you.

[@timscruggs7611]

Great tip video Steve! How about adding a bead and a bobber stop? That way you can also have a Carolina rig at the same time if you want it.

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

I like it!

[@jdean1851]

GREAT VID" BOBBER STOP A BEAD 12" FROM HOOK-IS WHAT I'M GONNA TRY" -LET'S GO" SRO!!!

[@jtoth1234summer]

Fantastic idea, and it gets the wacky out a long way so you can cover more ground, I will definitely try it. 👍

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

Good luck! Let me know how it goes for you.

[@jtoth1234summer]

@@SteveRogersOutdoors Sure will, really enjoy your constructive content, Keep up the great 👍 work.

[@shannonkirby9295]

Hey, Steve, great to see ya and pray you and your family are well. This looks good. Be safe

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

Great to hear from you! We are doing well as I hope your family is too. So, so, so excited that football season is ramping up again.

[@rickvann3489]

Carolina keep would keep the weight from interfering hook setup

[@rhodesianhunter9360]

That’s how I fish a free rig. Not only does it help with that, but in shallow rivers the weight starts separated from the bait. It also snags less and pops free better

[@thatfishingnoob]

Interesting idea. I recently used your drop shot tips and let it drop without slack. Got some fish! I have have to try this rig too now haha.

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

Good luck! Let me know how it goes for you.

[@maxcole3930]

Never thought about a wacky free rig, it does get it down to bottom quicker & still having the weightless fall last few inches or foot.

[@raygissendanner1476]

Great information what if you put a bead between your hook and weight

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

I think that a bead would be a great solution!

[@1304GT]

I put a bobber stop after the knot to keep the weight from getting over the knot. On a recent trip I used a finesse jig instead of the the weight. I caught several on the jig but the cool part was the doubles I picked up on the worm thrashing around from the jig bite.

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

That is awesome! Thank you for sharing this.

[@shannonkirby9295]

Congrats on 30,000!

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

Thanks! It's been a good year.

[@bradr.7249]

I haven't tried the free rig yet Steve. I can see its potential though in certain conditions. Using the free rig wacky style could be the deal. I think you are right about the pan fish being attracted to the weight and maybe causing enough commotion to have the bass come take a look. This is another consideration to add to the arsenal.

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

The panfish darting towards the weight is something I didn’t expect to happen - and it happened constantly. Something I think is definitely worth keeping in mind.

[@maxcole3930]

Bellows gills are great baits! I use the 5.8" on weighted & weightless swimbait hooks alot. Mostly weightless because it's already so heavy. It has a really good glide because it's so big & wide! I use the small 2-3" bellows gills on drop shots & mini texas rigs too

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

They are definitely a great lure. I was really impressed!

[@gregchilders7643]

Imo i would say it is good because you can use various hook styles based on conditions and the weight would give you better feel during windy conditions

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

It definitely would be good in windy conditions!

[@wiseupfixit7552]

Smart stuff.

[@danchilds881]

I looked through and did not see anything. But, have you ever done a video on orings vs VMC Crossover cap vs hooking? I love to use the VMC and would jjst be curious about the differences and my perceived preference. As always thanks for the great videos and information!!!!

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

I haven’t done one comparing the two. I definitely need to - thank you!

[@thisolesignguy2733]

Hey Steve, I have a suggestion for a video. Could you do a side by side comparison of a live crawfish escaping/swimming & a craw bait doing the same action, and how you would do that with the rod? Also, a frog side by side? There's lots of videos on fishing frogs & craws, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone do a comparison between the real thing and a soft bait. You could also do one with an actual dying minnow & a soft bait minnow or crankbait. There's lots of possibilities! If us fishermen can watch an actual comparison, I think it would upgrade our presentations by 1000%.

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

This is an excellent idea! I will try to do that. Thank you!

[@jerrycandelaria8845]

The best way to fix that knot problem is to use the ink pen and just melt the ink straw to make the weight hole smaller

[@Norman-bone13]

Steve, you have more juice than Sunkist! Thanks! 🎣

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

Lol. That's awesome. Thanks!

[@yakangler419]

Depps shad looks really good on the free rig. I only have used it on the hover rig. Definitely will try it. What hook size and style do you use for that? So much debate on EWG vs off set or straight worm hooks

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

It does look awesome on there! I used the 4.8 Deps and had a offset worm hook, I believe that one was the 3/0.

[@raychoi9495]

If you fish deeper area, that free rig should be better.

[@Fishingwithfaithoutdoors23]

Bro!!! You’re showing my secret 😂🤣😂🤣🙌🏼🙌🏼 thanks man. Crimp the eye down on the weight just a little to keep it from going over the eye of the hook. The weight is to get it down to deeper water faster and then can be worked slowly and have that good action. Awesome video.

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

Excellent tip! Thank you.

[@kevinmatney2218]

I just cut the the wire part of the weight, And feed the line thought the weight and then tie on the hook

[@Bnicebassfish]

I’ve been using this technique for years. And it catches bigs

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

Nice!

[@cliffordhutt143]

Also, has anyone tried putting a bobber stop between the weight and the hook to protect the knot?

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

I do see anglers using a bobber stop there.

[@stevemills2870]

Plastic earring backs are perfect stops

[@raytubach8988]

Steve thank you. To be honest, I’m still not convinced the Free Rig behaves differently enough from a Texas Rig weight. Do you have any footage that shows that difference?..

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

I don’t have a video that compares them side-by-side. I need to do one. Thank you!

[@clydesharman2053]

I would never have considered that the weight would be attracting small bait fish . To me that seems huge If the weights are different colors to draw the attention of these bluegill or minnows Like silver or gold or some bright color it will draw bass to see the commotion and when the see the wacky rig shimming down it seems like an opportunity for them I’m definitely going to experiment with this Different weight sizes and colors

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

Different colored weights I think is a great idea! I will have to try that - thank you!

[@stevereindl2098]

Thanks for sharing. For me, the video doesnt show enought difference with added weight to justify adding it.

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

I definitely thought the same thing. They were very similar.

[@stevevanhorn1909]

I have never tried a free rig .... We'll see what happens tonight !

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

Good luck!

[@cliffordhutt143]

I think this is worth trying if you want to fish a wacky rig at depth if only to speed things up and keep the wacky rig near the bottom.

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

Definitely something that will get to depth quickly!

[@isaiahdixontv]

I made it first 🎉

[@natenscasamr4320]

2nd

[@somewhereinsd362]

I dont see any advantage to free rigged whacky worm... the underwater footage backs that up... imo 😊

[@SteveRogersOutdoors]

That is kind of what I thought too and why I wanted to try it. The regular wacky does a great job.