What Are The Most Effective Finesse Techniques? 2025
prjavelin reply :
Ive recently learned how effective a little plastic with a small weight being hopped can be.
Whats your most effective finesse technique? how do you present it?
Im wondering about weightless plastics(not senkos or ikas) and how effective could those be. How should you present weightless plastics?
Darren. reply :
Hard to say most effective finesse. If I were to put them to a top 4, here's my try:
1. Green Pumpkin Finesse Zoom w/Chartreuse tip tail, wacky rigged
2. Watermelon Gold Flake Zoom Finesse Worm, wacky rigged
3. Yamamoto Watermelon Gold Flake Yamaminnow, wacky OR split shot rigged
4. Zoom Tiny Fluke, Watermelon Red, Wacky OR Split shot rigged
Jay Ell Gee reply :
My number one finesse presentation is absolutely the split shot rig. #6/4/2 split shot 12-18 inches in front of your plastic of choice. I am a big fan or Roboworm 4.5 inch curly tails, Zoom dead ringers, Roboworm Zipper grubs, Zoom UV speed craws, finesse worms, etc. 3 inch Senkos also do well.
You can also get into small floating plastics. Something floating only a couple of inches from the bottom is simply something that most bass never see.
The Rooster reply :
Zoom fluke (not super fluke) in pearl white color, nose hooked, wacky rigged, or texposed, on a 3/0 or even a 1/0 Gamakatsu EWG hook, no weight. Work it like a jerkbait or freefall it near cover. Watch for line to run.
Zoom 7" U-tale worm texposed on a 3/0 EWG hook, no weight, let fall near cover. Twitch it a few times if no takers, then bring it back for another cast. Pumpkin/chartreuse tail is my best color, even in very stained water (surprisingly). Watch for line to run.
Zoom 4 1/2" finesse worm on a 1/8 oz. Ike Spike shaky head jig. Work by twitching the rod tip to impart action to the vertically standing bait on the lake bottom. Watch for line to run or feel for the bait to be sucked up by a bass. Only color I've tried was Plum, but it works. This bait was given to me, and I'm told since then Ike Spikes have become unavailable. It's a tungsten jig head.
Teal reply :
My MOST effective finesse technique, a grub on a 1/8 ounce round jig head. tex posed. I use it alot under docks. Pitch or skip to the furthest pole i can get to and let it fall. Let it set on the bottom for a few seconds and then lift it up easy and let it fall again.
Shakey heads are next behind the grubs.
Silas reply :
Micro Carolina rig: small tungsten wt., tiny red bead, Carolina plastic keeper, 4 inches of line and a small Float it beaver on a 2/0 hook. Beaver floats off bottom, as Jay Ell suggested.
Bluebasser86 reply :
shakyhead, finesse tube with a very light internal weight, weightless wacky rig, split shot rig. Which one is most effective will depend on the conditions/location/fishes mood.
flippin and pitchin reply :
dropshot
shakey head
flick shake
Crestliner2008 reply :
For me, I like the drop shot, split shot and shakey head....not necessarily in that order.
I do my split shotting a little bit different though; I use a mini Carolina rig set up. I put a 1/8 oz. bullet weight ahead of a #6 Spro Powerswivel, followed by a 2' section of quality fluorocarbon leader. The business end sports a 2/0 worm hook and a 6" Roboworm. Slow crawling this bad boy, along any kind of bottom, WILL get you bit. 
Will Wetline reply :
On 3/9/2013 at 7:42 PM, Crestliner2008 said:For me, I like the drop shot, split shot and shakey head....not necessarily in that order.
I do my split shotting a little bit different though; I use a mini Carolina rig set up. I put a 1/8 oz. bullet weight ahead of a #6 Spro Powerswivel, followed by a 2' section of quality fluorocarbon leader. The business end sports a 2/0 worm hook and a 6" Roboworm. Slow crawling this bad boy, along any kind of bottom, WILL get you bit.
Yup. I've fished this "Carolina Lite" rig for years with good results.
iabass8 reply :
Shakey head and power shotting
tate reply :
I've had good success with 1/8oz round ball jig head with a Zoom Fat Albert curly tail grub in Pumpkin w/red flake. With that weight it will have slow natural fall but fast enough for curly tail movement. Works well bouncing along the bottom. Can be rigged with weed guard jig head or without.
bighed reply :
7" robo FL worm in A's magic on a 3/16 spot remover gets it done like none other for me. Seems to be particularly effictive around docks.
Jaiden reply :
4" senko wacky rigged.
Snakehead Whisperer reply :
One of my most productive finesse techniques is to use either a walleye style ringworm, or a 7" ribbontail worm t-rigged weightless on a 3/O or 4/O EWG hook with a small worm rattle inserted into the plastic. I fish laydowns, weed edges and docks with this presentation. It's sometimes painful to wait on this bait to sink, but it just flat out produces. This bait also skips nicely into hard to reach places, and with a delicate entry to the water.
jhoffman reply :
On my lakes I have to find a balance because the panfish population is absolutely sky high. So I might want to fish a grub but cant at times because I cant keep the panfish off them. These panfish enhancement programs are terrible for the guy who likes to bass fish. It causes an over abundance of panfish. When I pull up on a 20ft deep road bed and my graph looks has a speck for every pixel theres no grub gonna be going in the water.
J Francho reply :
Wacky jig and drop shot for me.
OkobojiEagle reply :
On 3/10/2013 at 12:46 AM, jhoffman said:On my lakes I have to find a balance because the panfish population is absolutely sky high. So I might want to fish a grub but cant at times because I cant keep the panfish off them. These panfish enhancement programs are terrible for the guy who likes to bass fish. It causes an over abundance of panfish. When I pull up on a 20ft deep road bed and my graph looks has a speck for every pixel theres no grub gonna be going in the water.
How small of a grub are you using that panfish become a problem when fishing bass?
oe
HeavyDluxe reply :
Is dead-sticking a soft plastic considered a finesse tactic? If so, I vote for that.
As has been noted in other threads, slowing down is often the most productive thing you can do in any presentation/technique. Dead-sticking really disciplines me to do that.
NEjitterbugger reply :
Well as far as weightless plastics go Slugos are my favorite, I hook the with the hook exposed...
You can either retrieve the bait fast - resulting in an erratic side to side movement on the top of the water....Or....
You can let the bait sink... twitch... retrieve a bit...sink...twitch....
Definatley my favorite and most successful way to catch bass on weightless plastics...
Mike L reply :
Wacky and Shakey
Mike
Snakehead Whisperer reply :
On 3/10/2013 at 1:30 AM, HeavyDluxe said:Is dead-sticking a soft plastic considered a finesse tactic? If so, I vote for that.
As has been noted in other threads, slowing down is often the most productive thing you can do in any presentation/technique. Dead-sticking really disciplines me to do that.
I'd say it is. Dead-sticking really tries an anglers patience and if one can overcome it builds patience. This technique excels for me on lethargic fish in the heat of summer, especially river smallmouth.
Not many folks can truly dead stick an artificial bait.
BassThumb reply :
For me, it's a 5" kinda-whitish-colored soft-jerkbait on a 3/0-4/0 EWG hook, or a 4-5" whitish grub on a 1/16-3/16 oz. ballhead jig. Simple, yet effective.
Last year, I threw the ballhead jig around all summer and hammered the fish during those heat waves.
jhoffman reply :
On 3/10/2013 at 1:26 AM, OkobojiEagle said:How small of a grub are you using that panfish become a problem when fishing bass?
oe
4"? - Rage tail size... my one local lake I have caught 16" white crappies on crankbaits!
MCS reply :
On 3/9/2013 at 12:07 PM, prjavelin said:Ive recently learned how effective a little plastic with a small weight being hopped can be.
Whats your most effective finesse technique? how do you present it?
Im wondering about weightless plastics(not senkos or ikas) and how effective could those be. How should you present weightless plastics?
Wieghtless trick worms and grande bass rattlesnakes in the hot summer months work very well. I don't fish the trick worms on top like many do, I cast it out let it sink and slowly slowly drag or swim it back, pausing here and there. Rig them the same way at a Texas rig but with no wieght.
kickerfish1 reply :
On 3/9/2013 at 7:34 PM, flippin and pitchin said:dropshot
shakey head
flick shake
X2 ... and in the same order as mentioned. If I am on a finesse bite I usually have these 3 rigged. I also might have a tube or grub rigged. Occasionally I will downsize to smaller 4 inch senko. However the dropshot is so important to me I will usually have 2-3 rods rigged this way.
On a side note take a jackall flickshake and rig it wacky on your dropshot rig. It will help keep this smaller worm from getting missed by a potential fish if there is any vegetation on the bottom.
OkobojiEagle reply :
On 3/10/2013 at 8:44 PM, jhoffman said:4"? - Rage tail size... my one local lake I have caught 16" white crappies on crankbaits!
I don't call 16" crappies that take 4" grubs a problem... I call them a meal.
oe
prjavelin reply :
it seems like a lot of you like slip shots and small carolina rigs. makes me wonder what I can put together with what I have to give it a try. I will for sure prepare the light carolina rig for tuesday when I go fishing again what i dont know is what kind of plastic I will use.
SENKOSAM reply :
I pour a neutral buoyancy worm that s-l-o-w-ly drops with the weight of the hook and salt. It's super soft so the slightest rod tip twitch makes the pointed tail tremble. This I wacky or T rig.
The other is a grub I pour I call the QT or quiver tail, rigged on a 1/16 round jig head with #4 or #2 hook, drop shot rig or split shot. I fish this on 4# or 6# test line.
X-Rap suspending plugs are one of my favorite finesse lures because finesse to me always means slow to dead-stick with slight movements.
Sam reply :
Shaky head.
jhoffman reply :
On 3/11/2013 at 7:09 AM, OkobojiEagle said:I don't call 16" crappies that take 4" grubs a problem... I call them a meal.
oe
I dont eat fish
bluenitrouscoupe reply :
I know it may be old school but you can't rule out a French Fry worm
aharris reply :
shakey head, drop shot, 1/8 oz tx rig pegged with a ultra vib speed craw.
SENKOSAM reply :
Did I mention float & fly? I watched a Jerry McGinnis show years ago where an eighty year old was clobbering large smallies in water over 30' deep using the f & f presentation.
prjavelin reply :
everybody has mentioned a couple of their setups.
my question will be, how do you guys shake your heads?? do you shake a lot or very little, how deep? what plastics do you prefer?
PABASS reply :
Depending on the conditions and since its still cold here I will use my latest catch which was just one this weekend on a 1/8oz hair jig.
related General Bass Fishing Forum topic
previous topic
most viewed General Bass Fishing Forum topic
© 2025 - fishing.qciss.net. All Rights Reserved.