I'm not much for finesse fishing but a shakey head is a rig to try when the fish get tight lipped. The rig is great after a front passes through and the bass get sluggish. We are heading into that time of the year when bass will start transiting from summer to fall and this little rig can be a gem. A couple of baits that I have a lot of success throwing on a shakey head are a baby brush hog, a tube type bait, a Senko, and a trick worm. All these baits have their time and place. Depending on conditions one will probably work better than the other.

The brush hogs seem to work a lot better on the rig for me when you've got warmer water and if the conditions have been more stable. That wild action you get from the tails is great if the bass are in a positive mood. I usually pick up a tube bait if I'm skipping the docks because it is hard to beat a tube for getting back under them. You can do it with a hog or a worm but a tube will just skip like a rock. Fall is just around the corner and you can catch some nice fish throwing a white or smoke tube around the docks. The Senko and the trick worm work better for me if the bass just don't want to bite. They have a more subtle action and seem to work better for me earlier in the year or later in the year when you have colder water. Everything starts to slow down and your baits should also be more subtle.

When I'm retrieving my shakeyhead I try not to take the bait off the bottom. Also I have the best luck shaking the rig on a semi slack line. I don't like to move the bait too much. It is best if you let the baits work for you because too much action is unnatural.  If your fishing vertical cover sometimes the best way to fish a shakeyhead is to just cast it up to the cover and let if fall on a slack line to the bottom and just shake it a little bit and reel it in. Most of the time they will hit the bait on the initial cast or follow it down to the bottom and then strike it. You can cover a lot of water like this even while throwing a finesse rig. 
   
When it comes to shakey head jigs you want to get some that are really sharp and also hold your plastic up on the hook. If you’re plastic keeps slipping this can make for a frustrating day on the water and you won't be efficient enough to catch many fish. OMEGA Custom Tackle has a couple of shakey head type jigs that work really well. The Savior does a great job of penetrating the cover because of its unique head design. The wire keeper also holds your plastic perfectly on the hook so you can spend your time catching and not having to mess with your bait. OMEGA also has the Shakey Foot which works great through the bigger rocks because of its football design and is great for dragging a brush hog or a Senko type bait around.  It has the same hook in it as the OMEGA Derrick Remitz Signature Series Football Jig so you can throw thick bodied baits with no problem.

For more information or to order OMEGA jig heads see www.omegacustomtackle.com