Shaky Head Worm Vs. Weighted Texas Rig Worm 2025
Texas Hawg Hunter reply :
I favor the shaky head simply because I don't like to carry much with me and a shaky head is less stuff than a hook and weight. Do you find one works better than the other?
fish365 reply :
I like using floating or handpoured worms/baits on shakeyheads and sinking plastics on T-rig set up. The floating plastics lets me pause it longer and get more strikes mostly in colder water
mjseverson24 reply :
in grass i like t-rig, as it comes through it better and has typically a larger profile, in rock and sand, or sparse cover the shaky head is a good tool, in wood it is a toss up, and typically depends on the size of fish i am targeting, typically t-rigs produce larger fish for me...
Mitch
jbsoonerfan reply :
Do weights and hooks really take up that much room????
I would think you could put 10 weights and 10 hooks in your pocket.
flyfisher reply :
I like both but usually go shaky head in more open cover type situations and t-rigs in more dense cover. I prefer slider heads when rigging baits for smallies in rocky rivers.
Catt reply :
Texas Rig!
I can cast, flip, pitch, or punch! 
Texas Hawg Hunter reply :
On 3/19/2014 at 8:17 AM, jbsoonerfan said:Do weights and hooks really take up that much room????
I would think you could put 10 weights and 10 hooks in your pocket.
Ha! It isn't a matter of room. It's simply a matter of clutter.
WIGuide reply :
On 3/19/2014 at 8:17 AM, jbsoonerfan said:Do weights and hooks really take up that much room????
I would think you could put 10 weights and 10 hooks in your pocket.
Just don't forget the hooks are in your pocket when you stick your hand in there! haha
I prefer t-rigged mainly because for whatever reason I haven't had much success fishing anything with a jig head. I know they're good I just haven't had success with them although I'm going to work to change that this year.
BuffaloBass716 reply :
On 3/19/2014 at 8:32 AM, flyfisher said:I like both but usually go shaky head in more open cover type situations and t-rigs in more dense cover. I prefer slider heads when rigging baits for smallies in rocky rivers.
What are slider heads?
flyingmonkie reply :
T-Rig! My #1 confidence bait.
Shakey wins my favorite new tactic of 2013 award, though. 
RoLo reply :
Bluebasser86 reply :
Shakyheads suck in heavy cover, be it grass or wood. They also don't work well with certain plastics, especially tubes. I love fishing shakyheads, but you're seriously missing out if you're completely dismissing the Texas rig.
Felix77 reply :
T-Rig is much more versatile and gets through cover much better than most other rigs. The shakey head to me is best in sparse cover conditions and when the bite is slow. With a floating worm it practically catches fish alone when its just sitting there.
aharris reply :
I rarely use a t-rig much anymore unless I'm flipping or pitching around cover where they won't bite a jig. I like using a shaky head around deeper sparse cover. I have started using bigger football head with a creature bait more if I think there's bigger fish to be caught in place of a shaky head b/c 90% of the time I'm using a shaky head, I'm using lighter line.
smalljaw67 reply :
I tried this out a long time ago and I'll give you my take on it. I love shaky heads but I thought, why not use heavy hooks and fish it in place of the Texas rig, well, that just didn't work. The big difference was the head versus the weight, the profile makes it tough to bring through heavier cover, even light weights and too light of a weight didn't always work, especially in tress with limbs as the line would hit a limb and the weight wasn't heavy enough to pull the line over the limb. I can walk a T-rigged worm with a 3/16oz worm weight pegged through most any tree limbs or grass and brush you can think of, the shaky head not so much, the shaky head is much better with light wire hooks and thin worms fished in open water.
flyfisher reply :
On 3/19/2014 at 12:19 PM, BuffaloBass716 said:What are slider heads?
http://www.sliderfishing.com/Snagless-Pro-Head-3-0-Black-Nickle-Hook-3-per-pack-WSH-U3-WSH-U3.htm
I use these or my new favorite that i will be using more frequently, the draggin head...seems to never get snagged in the rocks.
http://confidencebaits.3dcartstores.com/Draggin-Head_c_11.html
Arv reply :
I prefer a t-rig, but I throw a shakey head a lot
Bobby Uhrig reply :
TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES THAT HAVE BEEN BASSTARDIZED BY FISHERMEN-- I am guilty as one of them but I made them different for using them for two totally different applications .
Texas Hawg Hunter reply :
On 3/19/2014 at 11:54 PM, Bobby Uhrig said:TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES THAT HAVE BEEN BASSTARDIZED BY FISHERMEN-- I am guilty as one of them but I made them different for using them for two totally different applications .
...and the question asked here is "which applications for which bait"?
Bankbeater reply :
I used shakey heads last year and found that they were a pain to use in the cover tbat I like to fish. Had much better luck with t-rigs in the weeds.
The Fisher reply :
On 3/19/2014 at 7:35 AM, fish365 said:I like using floating or handpoured worms/baits on shakeyheads and sinking plastics on T-rig set up. The floating plastics lets me pause it longer and get more strikes mostly in colder water
I'm with you on this. Trick worms, hags tornadoes, zoom shakey head, etc. on buckeye spot removers; baby brush hogs, senkos, rage tail lobster, u-tail worms, etc. on weighted TX rig.
WRB reply :
Shake a T-rigged worm by adding a glass faced bead and painted brass bullet weight. The shaky head jig with screw lock is designed to stand up and be worked with little forward movement, it's not a cover type presentation. T-rig is far more universal.
Clutter, try a boat load of tackle that needs a computer to keep track of!
Tom
Texas Hawg Hunter reply :
Thanks all. You've all been very helpful. I think I get the relative advantages of each and will try the Texas rig more this year.
Maxximus Redneckus reply :
You can use a shakey head worm t rigged and you can use a reg worm shakey head ..for me depends on cover
Mike L reply :
On 3/20/2014 at 5:52 AM, Bankbeater said:I used shakey heads last year and found that they were a pain to use in the cover tbat I like to fish. Had much better luck with t-rigs in the weeds.
Agree
Mike
Raul reply :
On 3/19/2014 at 7:10 AM, Todd Ward said:I favor the shaky head simply because I don't like to carry much with me and a shaky head is less stuff than a hook and weight. Do you find one works better than the other?
My friend Rigoberto can´t catch squat with a Texas rig, why ? ----> 
T-rigs have the advantage of going out of places where the jighead is more likely to hang up.
Lucky Craft Man reply :
On 3/19/2014 at 8:10 AM, mjseverson24 said:in grass i like t-rig, as it comes through it better and has typically a larger profile, in rock and sand, or sparse cover the shaky head is a good tool, in wood it is a toss up, and typically depends on the size of fish i am targeting, typically t-rigs produce larger fish for me...
Mitch
^^^ This ^^^
dumfish reply :
Simply put, shakey head , wacky, and drop shot, are finesse technics for pressured waters
Catt reply :
On 3/21/2014 at 5:00 AM, dumfish said:Simply put, shakey head , wacky, and drop shot, are finesse technics for pressured waters
And a weightless T-Rig!
jbsoonerfan reply :
On 3/21/2014 at 6:49 AM, Catt said:And a weightless T-Rig!
Are you referring to a soft bait that is rigged "weedless"? I always thought a Texas Rig involved a weight that was free moving(sliding).
I assume there are many variations across the regions as to what exactly a Texas rig is, but I was taught that it was used with a weight. You could expose the hook for open water, or put the hook back into the bait for a "weedless" approach.
I am not trying to argue, just wondering if it is different in different areas of the country.
Catt reply :
3 Part of a Texas Rig
1. Weight (optional)
2. Hook of your on choosing, point Tex-posed, or baried.
3. Any soft plastic
But y'all remember I'm ole school!
J Francho reply :
To me, a shaky head is a finesse presentation. It's an evolution of the jig worm my grandpa taught my to use on tough days, except it has a longer hook and is weedless. A variation it the standup jig styles like the Megastrike head and Spot Remover.
I like a light jig, less than 1/4 oz. and light line - 15-20 lb. braid and leader or 6-8 lb. fluoro. For the worm, I like a floating worm. For the presentation, I cast it out and gently "shake the head" of the bait, as the name suggests. Each twitch causes the tail to drop, and then rise, if you use a floating worm.
A Texas rig to me is a bait rigged weed less, with a sliding bullet weight. Period. You can add a bead, peg the weight, whatever, but it had to have those first two elements. You can use many of the same presentations listed in the shaky head section of my post, but for me, a T-rig has all the action on the drop. A shaky head is all about after the drop.
There's crossover, for sure. You can use extremely light weights on a T-rig and peg it to get a similar bait. And you can get some big old shaky head jigs - Bobby's got some nice ones in the Megastrike line - and pop a big old monster creature on there. Both will catch, and neither is "wrong." But when I hear each term mentioned, I immediately think of what I just described above.
jbsoonerfan reply :
On 3/21/2014 at 7:27 AM, Catt said:3 Part of a Texas Rig
1. Weight (optional)
2. Hook of your on choosing, point Tex-posed, or baried.
3. Any soft plastic
But y'all remember I'm ole school!
LOL, how can you have No 1 be a part of a Texas rig, and it be optional????
frogflogger reply :
2 different tools - like a crescent wrench and a box end wrench - both do the job one may be more versatile than the other.
719BassFishing reply :
I prefer a shaky head for the colder spring fishing. Once the the water temp gets to about 60-65 I like to use a texas rigged senko with NO bullet weight. The slow fall drives the bass crazy, cant keep em' off your hook! And plus, with a weightless senko, you wont have to carry around weights.
jbsoonerfan reply :
On 3/21/2014 at 8:10 AM, 719BassFishing said:I prefer a shaky head for the colder spring fishing. Once the the water temp gets to about 60-65 I like to use a texas rigged senko with NO bullet weight. The slow fall drives the bass crazy, cant keep em' off your hook! And plus, with a weightless senko, you wont have to carry around weights.
So you just hook a Senko weedless then?
Before this thread I never realized how big of a hassle carrying weights can be. I wonder what some people do with their change?? Just toss it because it is too much to carry around.
719BassFishing reply :
On 3/21/2014 at 8:13 AM, jbsoonerfan said:So you just hook a Senko weedless then?
Before this thread I never realized how big of a hassle carrying weights can be. I wonder what some people do with their change?? Just toss it because it is too much to carry around.
Yes I just hook a senko weedless. No weight. Sometimes if its windy ill put a pinch weight on. This is my most effective bait when the fish are bedding. And the only reason why i mentioned the weights is because the initial post says that he doesn't like carrying weights around.
iabass8 reply :
On 3/21/2014 at 8:00 AM, jbsoonerfan said:LOL, how can you have No 1 be a part of a Texas rig, and it be optional????
A weight isnt a requirement for a rig to be a "texas rig". A weighted texas rig uses a weight.
jbsoonerfan reply :
On 3/21/2014 at 10:25 AM, iabass8 said:A weight isnt a requirement for a rig to be a "texas rig". A weighted texas rig uses a weight.
Just hooking it weedless makes it a Texas rig? Where is the rig part of that?
iabass8 reply :
On 3/21/2014 at 10:31 AM, jbsoonerfan said:Just hooking it weedless makes it a Texas rig? Where is the rig part of that?
You are rigging the bait with a hook...
All a wacky rig is is hooking a bait in the middle of it.
jbsoonerfan reply :
This is about shakey head vs texas rig. Both of which can be rigged weedless
Catt reply :
On 3/21/2014 at 8:00 AM, jbsoonerfan said:LOL, how can you have No 1 be a part of a Texas rig, and it be optional????
Optional: available to be chosen but not obligatory
In the early 60s Texas angler Dave Hawk took an unrigged Creme worm and threaded a sproat hook into the worm making it weedless. Creme sold the worm with a 2/0 hook in the pack. Later a weight was added and it was called a "sliding sinker worm", which became the Texas Rig because of its place of origin.
jbsoonerfan reply :
On 3/21/2014 at 7:48 AM, J Francho said:A Texas rig to me is a bait rigged weed less, with a sliding bullet weight. Period.
GREAT POST!!!!
J Francho reply :
To the point of the original question, the sliding weight IS the main difference. Watch what a Texas rigged worm does on the fall and compare it to a shaky head. Goes back to my point about the T-rig being more about the fall than what happens on the bottom. The beauty of a shaky head is the precise control you have after it hit the bottom.
Yes, you can peg a T-rig, and yes there jigs like the Biffle head that swivel. There's a billion variations. Knowing why you want to use something can be the key to better catches.
OkobojiEagle reply :
I feel the bite more easily with a jighead/plastic than with a T-rigged plastic.
oe
ww2farmer reply :
This is just the way I do it..............texas rig in and around grass and wood, just comes through it better. Shaky head around rock, under docks, and on the edges of deep grass lines etc...works for me.
Brian Needham reply :
On 3/21/2014 at 10:31 AM, jbsoonerfan said:Just hooking it weedless makes it a Texas rig? Where is the rig part of that?
texas rig is a method of rigging on a hook...... it can be fish light, heavy, or weightless.... pegged or unpegged weight.
classicly it is done with a sliding weight, but it doesn't have to be, or so the fish say.
J Francho reply :
I disagree. That's simply rigging it weed less. You can call it "Texas style," or "T-rig style," but when someone says "Texas Rig," anyone that has been around a while will think you mean a bullet weight, a hook, and a plastic, wigged weed less. I realize we're using colloquialisms here, but there has to be some consistency in the nomenclature, and we're talking about 40+ year old rigging that only recently has been transformed by rooks on forums. What is a Carolina rig? Is the weight optional? No. Is the swivel optional? No. What about those mojo weights? Well that's a Mojo rig. Is a weight optional on a drop shot? No. What if you put a leader on the hook? Well, it's a 3-way rig then. What if I use a weed less hook? Then it's a drop shot with a weed less hook. What if I peg my bullet weight on a T-rig and slide the weight up the line, C-rig style? Then call it that. It's not a C-rig though.
I probably sound like a rigging nazi here, but on an online forum, it really helps noobs and experienced anglers alike to use established terms when referring to rigs.
If you do search on the rigging names, the majority of search results will show a common theme. You might even find the history of the rig.
Brian Needham reply :
I can buy that Francho, and agree.
though with something like the "carolina keeper" I think a swivel CAN be optional.
I have seen 10,000 times on the boards "T rigged weightless senko" and everyone knows what you mean.
but it is "wrong" in the classic "rigging nazi" way, LOL.
I have always though of it as:
t rig as I explained it
drop shot is the weight below the hook
carolina rig is above the hook
but you are 1000% correct, the meanings have evolved through the internet age.... and not for the better for a new guy perhaps trying to make sense of it all.
J Francho reply :
But you added the words "Carolina keeper" and "weightless" to the description, lol. That I understand. When someone says they used a T-rigged creature to catch the winning bag, no one thinks it was weightless. Right?
RoLo reply :
unageo09 reply :
I really like the shakey head worm. Started using it 2 years ago and it really increased my numbers but not many bigger fish. I generally like to t-rig a lizard but I guess thats for another topic
Fish Murderer 71 reply :
The T-Rig is my goto when all else has failed. Most of the lakes I fish, the Water Authority has killed off the vegitation, so I have a lot of barren lake bottoms. The shakey head is extremely effective in these lakes.
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