Different Ways to Rig Worms on a Drop Shot

Drop shot fishing is a finesse technique that has gained immense popularity among anglers, especially in bass fishing. The key to success with a drop shot rig lies in presenting your soft plastic worm in an enticing and natural presentation. 

Here are some different methods for hooking soft plastic worms on a drop shot rig to help you maximize your chances of landing finicky bass consistently.

Nose Hooking:

Nose hooking is perhaps the most straightforward and commonly used method for rigging soft plastic worms on a drop shot. Here's how to do it:

• Take your soft plastic worm and insert the hook point into the nose of the worm, just like threading a needle.
• Ensure that the hook point emerges from the top of the worm's head.
• Leave the hook point exposed, making it easy to set the hook when a fish strikes.

Nose hooking is ideal when you want your worm to have maximum movement and vibration, making it a great choice for clear water conditions with sparse cover or when you want to imitate a fleeing or injured baitfish.

Wacky Rigging:

Wacky rigging is another effective method for hooking soft plastic worms on a drop shot. This technique imparts a unique action to your bait that can be irresistible to bass:

• Take your worm and fold it in half.
• Insert the hook through the middle of the worm, making sure the hook point is exposed.
• The result is a worm with the hook in the middle, creating an enticing wobbling action when you twitch your rod tip.

Wacky rigging is excellent when you want to slow down your presentation and target finicky or heavily pressured fish. The subtle movements of the undulating wacky worm can often trigger strikes from otherwise wary bass.

Texas Rigging:

While Texas rigging is typically associated with flipping and pitching, it can also be adapted for drop shot fishing with soft plastic worms. This method offers a weedless presentation and allows you to fish in areas with more cover:

• Take your soft plastic worm and insert the hook point into the head of the worm, just like you would for nose hooking and work the point back out through the bottom of the worm. 
• Next, rotate the hook continuing to thread the hook through the worm until the hook eye is at the head. 
• Lastly, work the hook point back through the top of the worm but instead of having the hook point exposed, bury it into the body of the worm.

This method hides the hook point, making it less prone to snagging on vegetation or underwater structure. Texas rigging on a drop shot is perfect for fishing around submerged vegetation, brush piles, or rocky terrain where you want to keep your bait in the strike zone without constantly getting hung up.

Each of these three rigging methods works great when using finesse or trick-style plastic worms. If you intend to use a flat-sided bait shaped like the Berkley Flat Worm, a different approach to rigging may be more advantageous as bass pro Mike Huff points out in this short video…