Wacky Rig O-Ring Alternative

[Afrayedknot]

You may have seen a commercial or ad for this rubber band bracelet making toy somewhere. They call it rubber loom or color loom or funloom. They look like this:

(not my picture lol)

With my somewhat one-directional mind, I immediately thought of whether I could use this in fishing. First thought was wacky rig. They actually looked pretty useable so I decided to give it a shot and bought some about a week ago. Costs $3 or so for 600 depending which kind. I got the black color so they would be less visible.


(more to come in 15-20 minutes including images )

[Afrayedknot]

A little bit late on these pics due to some issues with the camera, but here the are:

I used a white off-brand 5" stick bait to show the rubber band better.


I have found that 3 wraps of the rubberband around the worm works best. 2 wraps works as well, but I lost a few worms over 2-3 trips from them sliding out.

Considering that it only costs ~$3 for 600, I'd say this is a darn good deal and is very much worth it. Very easy to use and quick. I bought a pack and kept ~150 and split the rest with a few friends and they seem to like this too. Give it a shot and tell me how you all like em.

[smalljaw]

You said that 2 wraps works but you have lost a worm due to slide out, my question is simple, how tight is 3 wraps and is it tight enough that it will cut into a soft worm like the original Senko? I go in Michaels craft store every time I'm close because I find a lot of stuff for tying jigs and those rainbow looms are all over the store and so are the rubber bands but they are pretty thin. I use a stick worm from River Rock Baits and it is really soft and dense, and it is why I asked about the original Senko, because if it will cut through those then it will cut through the worms I use very easily but if they don't then this is an awesome idea and super economical.

[Afrayedknot]

I don't think it will rip. The three wraps seems to even out the pressure on three spots. Three wraps is not all too tight either and doesn't squeeze the worm. If you look at the second pic I posted you can see that the worm is not being depressed very much if at all by those wraps. I will test more when I get some free time later.

I tested mostly with smaller 3" - 4" stick baits that are a bit thinner and 3 wraps was the way to go with those. With larger 5" stick baits, 2 wraps might be enough depending on the brand/thickness.

[Afrayedknot]

Alright I did some quick testing on a 5" yum dinger, and three wraps is the way to go. Keep in mind that the 5" yum dinger is a bit thinner at it's thickest point compared to a 5" senko.

I put the hook under all three wraps and yanked to see if anything would rip and nothing gave. You could also try putting the hook through the middle wrap only when using 3 wraps if you were worried about ripping. I have had no ripping issues yet with this technique (other than bass tearing them). I have tried several sizes and several brands as well.

[Mnbasser]

"Considering that it only costs ~$3 for 600"

Where did you buy these?

[Afrayedknot]

http://www.rainbowloom.com/products

I bought them in store, but that is a good deal online.

[Mnbasser]

Good grief, i never would have imagined there were so many different colors of rubber bands. Thanks for the link

[Afrayedknot]

Good grief, i never would have imagined there were so many different colors of rubber bands. Thanks for the link

Report how you like them when you get a chance to use em if you do buy some.

[vsmpowered]

Shrink wrap works great

[Mang]

Shrink wrap works great

x2
I have some jdm active wacky tubes a while back gonna have to dig threw my tackle boxes.

[jigapig]

When hooking your wacky through the o-ring or rubber bands hook into the worm an eighth inch deep or so and it will keep the worm from sliding out.

[USA-RET]

Here's some old pictures of what I'd done with hair salon bands:

[hookset on 3]

A little bit late on these pics due to some issues with the camera, but here the are:

I used a white off-brand 5" stick bait to show the rubber band better.


I have found that 3 wraps of the rubberband around the worm works best. 2 wraps works as well, but I lost a few worms over 2-3 trips from them sliding out.

Considering that it only costs ~$3 for 600, I'd say this is a darn good deal and is very much worth it. Very easy to use and quick. I bought a pack and kept ~150 and split the rest with a few friends and they seem to like this too. Give it a shot and tell me how you all like em.

This is what I have used for about a year now and it's quite effective.

In addition to rigging the hook parallel to the stick bait, try it perpendicular by placing the hook underneath the spot where the loops cross over,forming an X. This seems to improve the hook point driving into the roof of the Bass's mouth.