Wacky rigs are one of the best setups for fishing rubber worms. They're known for their effectiveness during and after spawning season but will catch fish year-round. While this is a good beginner technique, a dedicated wacky rig setup will help you fish this rig more effectively.
While you'll hear varying options on rod types, a spinning setup will give you the most versatility. However, when you're fishing wacky rigs along shoreline cover, it's best to use a rod with a stiffer backbone.
This guide breaks down the best wacky rig rod characteristics and reviews our favorite poles. Check out our guide to the best bass fishing rods of 2022 for more versatile options.
Overview of Contents (clickable)
Rod Specifications
Length, power, action, and rod type are important considerations when building a wacky rig setup.
The best wacky rig rods are 6'6" to 7' spinning rods with medium/medium-heavy power and fast action.
While this rod type will get the job done, many anglers prefer to fish different rods depending on the situation.
Medium power spinning rods are best for open water fishing. However, they lack the power to quickly pull fish out of heavy cover. It's common for anglers to switch to longer medium-heavy baitcasting rods when fishing wacky rigs along the shoreline.
If you're looking for one rod that can do it all, a medium-heavy spinning rod with a length around 7' is the most versatile setup. A fast-action tip will speed up your hook sets and increase casting distance regardless of the rod type. For hook recommendations, see our guide to the best wacky rig hooks.
Rods for Wacky Rigs
1. St. Croix Avid - Best Wacky Rig Rod
The best rod for fishing wacky rigs is the St. Croix Avid Series Spinning Rod. While it's not cheap, this isn't the most expensive pole in the brand's lineup. This model casts like a dream, has a tournament-quality design, and will surely become a favorite in your arsenal.
St. Croix is known for its innovative designs that keep its rods lightweight, strong, and less bulky. The blank features advanced SCII graphite construction, which makes it shockingly lightweight in nimble in your hand.
Features & Components
One of the ways St. Croix stands out is through its use of integrated poly curve tooling technology. This innovative approach to rod construction eliminates all the typical transition points in a rod blank, ensuring the power from your hand is transferred as efficiently as possible.
The Avid Series rod features Kigan zero tangle guides with aluminum-oxide rings and titanium frames. These professional-level components make the rod cast insanely smooth, mainly because they're paired with a dynamic blank.
Overall, we have no complaints and love the St. Croix Avid Spinning Rod. The cork handle sits comfortably in your hand, and the titanium hook-keeper is a bonus.
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2. Dobyns Fury Series - Best Value Rod
The Dobyns Fury Series was designed specifically for fishing Senko Worms and similar baits. This rod is an exceptional value for the money, as it has the build-quality of models that are twice as expensive. For this reason, among others, it's become one of the most popular rods for wacky rig fishing.
Gary Dobyns, a renowned professional bass fisherman, was the mastermind behind the design. The experienced angler wanted to make a rod that beginner anglers could afford while being technical enough to compete with tournament-quality rods.
Features & Components
The Fury Series includes all the necessary features that anglers demand. With a Fuji reel seat, Kevlar wrapping, and a high modulus graphite blank, this rod has a professional and dynamic feeling.
This rod's cork grip and hi-density Hypalon butt make it comfortable in your hand. We were able to cast wacky rigs for hours and with much less fatigue than cheaper alternatives. The guides are well-secured and cast stick baits a mile.
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3. St. Croix Legend Elite - Best Tournament Rod
If you're willing to spend top-dollar on a wacky rig setup, the St. Croix Legend Elite is the best rod on the market. St. Crox is widely known as the best rod manufacturer in the bass fishing industry, and the Legend Elite is the top rod in their lineup.
When a premium brand builds a rod without sacrificing any expenses, the result is something extraordinary. The Legend Elite is constructed with high-modulus SCVI carbon fiber towards the tip and FRS carbon towards the butt of the rod. This combination gives you the most power and agility while reducing the weight of the entire blank.
Features & Components
Like the St. Croix Avid rod, the Legend Elite uses IPC tooling technology to eliminate transition points. However, this rod goes further by implementing ART technology to improve fish-fighting power and TET for improved sensitivity and dynamics.
The Legend Elite also has an upgraded cork handle and slimmer ferrules. With Fuji Torzite tangle-free guides and a TVS blank-touch reel seat, its top-of-the-line components reflect the price difference.
Overall, you can certainly distinguish between the Legend Elite and St. Croix's other rods. While St. Croix doesn't make any low-quality products, we found this rod offers an unparalleled fishing experience.
If you're an avid angler that spends a lot of time fishing wacky rigs, investing in a premium setup will make your trips far more enjoyable. It's a ton of fun fishing with the pros' equipment.
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4. Fenwick World Class - Best Casting Rod
The Fenwick World Class Rod is the best baitcasting for wacky rig fishing. Casting rods offer many benefits when fishing around heavy cover and in areas where casting precision is key.
While spinning rods are usually more sensitive, Fenwick Rods does an excellent job retaining sensitivity in their casting rod models. We love this rod's aesthetics, comfort, and overall ability to fish wacky rigs efficiently.
Features & Components
Fenwick uses a 3M power lux blank in the World Class Rod. This construction evenly disperses tension while fighting fish, which allowed Fenwick to use less material in the blank. Even though the body is slimmer, this model has 30% more strength than other rods with the same resin construction.
The World Class Rod features Fuji K guides with lightweight FazLite inserts. It also incorporates Fenwick's proprietary reel seat, which helps transfer vibrations and keeps your reel from shifting after days of casting wacky rigs.
Our favorite aspect of this rod is its handle design. The grade A cork is comfortable in your hand, and the design has an aggressive look. Fenwick has some of the coolest styling in the industry.
Lastly, you can't beat this manufacturer's customer service. Fenwick offers a lifetime warranty with every World Class Rod, which speaks towards the brand's confidence in its quality.
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5. Berkley Lightning Rod - Best Budget Rod
If you're trying to build a wacky rig setup on a budget, the Berkley Lightning Rod is an excellent affordable option. This rod costs 5x less than others on this list and has many qualities that make it a great value for the money.
The Berkley Lightning spinning rod has decent casting distance, plenty of strength and is far lighter than other models in its price range. It's not quite as sensitive and doesn't qualify as tournament-quality, but this is expected for the price.
Features & Components
The Lightning Rod is constructed from durable 24-ton multi-modulus carbon composite. This design gives it plenty of strength for pulling large fish out from thick grasses. While there's no power transition technology, the multi-modulus blank makes it a better wacky rig rod than comparable products.
While some anglers don't like the styling, we like the subtle brown color Berley uses. It has a natural aesthetic and doesn't show dirt like other rods.
This pole comes standard with stainless steel guides and aluminum oxide inserts. Compared to other rods under $100, the Berkley Lightning Rod casts much father.
The reel seat is made from a plastic composite, but the double-locking design makes up for the material. You'll never have to worry about your favorite fishing reel coming loose when it counts!
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