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Writer's pictureCam Steele

TACTIC BREAKDOWN: Shakey Head




What is a Shakey Head?

A shakey head is a jig head with a flat bottom with a long worm or EWG hook that is meant to be able to fish a soft plastic bait in a weedless, head down presentation. A shakey head usually has either a screw lock or bait keeper beside the jig head to keep the bait on.


How Does it Work?

Another name for the shakey head is the stand up jig. The jig head is designed in such a way that it lands on the bottom on the flat side of the jig with the hook pointing up. This allows the bait to stand on its head, flailing in the current.


Which Shakey Head do I Use?

This all comes down to personal preference. When I am fishing a worm on a shakey head, I like as light of a jig head as I can find with a screw lock. Owner makes a great shakey head jig and I like the 1/16oz or the 1/8oz. If I'm fishing bigger baits like a craw, creature, etc. I like a bigger jig head with a wider base to make it easier for the bait to stand if it doesn't float, and this is when I reach for the EWG shakey head. The Shakker from Jakked Baits is as sturdy as it gets and has a really solid screw lock. One brand that I am not overly impressed by is the Closer from Custom Cast Lures. You can get a big 10 pack of them for a decent price but the hook comes loose from the jig head very easily.


What Baits Work on a Shakey Head?

Traditionally, you fish a shakey head with a floating plastic like a Zoom® Trick Worm or with a thin worm that won't fall down as easily on the bottom. Some other examples are the Biospawn Plasma Tails and the Roboworms. If you want a bit of a bulkier presentation, the Grande Bass Air Tail Rattler is a great bait that has a hollow bulbous tail that stands straight up and you can even put a little rattle into the tail. Craws are also popular on a shakey head but I like creature baits on them too! The moral is that while straight tail worms and craws are the most popular and I have had luck on both, they certainly aren't the only baits that work!


What Should You Throw it on?

This does come down to preference and what kind of presentation you are throwing. For me, if I am throwing a more finesse shakey head like the 1/16oz or 1/8oz, I'm going to throw it on a 7 foot medium fast action spinning rod with 15lb braid to an 8lb flourocarbon leader. When I am throwing a heavier bait on an EWG 1/4oz or 3/8oz if I feel the need to go really big, I like throwing it on a 7'1"-7'3" medium (or medium heavy depending on who makes the rod) fast action casting rod with a 7.1:1 ratio reel with 12lb flourocarbon.


How do You Fish it?

I think that "shakey head" is a bit of a misnomer because I have found the best way to fish it is to let it sit. Keep a slight bow in your rod and watch your line and that is how I catch most of my shakey head fish. This is especially effective in current. When you do hop it, if you feel the weight of the bait you are moving your rod too much. Another effective way to fish the shakey head is to drag it across the bottom, maintaining contact with the bottom. Of course there are a lot of factors that will decide how you fish it. For instance, if you have a really soft bottom, dragging it may not work out too well. It also depends on what you are mimicking. If you have a craw on the shakey head, I like letting the bait sit like a crawfish in a defensive position for a bit then giving it a pop to make it look like the crawfish swimming away, because they always swim backwards in short bursts.


Cam's Secrets:

They shakey head was the first soft plastic presentation that I could consistently catch fish on and for some sharing secrets may seem taboo, but I love teaching and learning, so here are some of the tricks I have come across over the years:


Trick Worms: When it comes to the Zoom® Trick Worm, I have one secret and it is a color and that color is Bruised Banana. It doesn't look like something that would catch fish but it is a killer!


The Big One: Even I had second thoughts on sharing this secret. One of my favorite things to throw on a shakey head is a fluke. It stands straight up and looks like a small fish feeding. Bounce your rod tip up and down very, very slightly. Again if you feel the weight of the bait, you are bouncing WAY too hard. This will make it look like a minnow feeding on the bottom and it drives bass crazy. This makes it an incredible technique for bedding bass!

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