Senko Rigs: Weightless, Ned, Neko and Wacky Compared

By Cal Brannock · house pen name of the Dockrig editors · who writes here · Updated Oct 11, 2026

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The same stick bait fishes 5 ways. Each 1 needs a different hook and weight.

• Shallow, spawning or cruising fish: weightless wacky or weightless Texas. No weight, slow fall.
• Docks and sparse cover: weightless Texas or a weedless wacky.
• Rock and gravel, 8 to 20 ft: neko, 1/32 to 1/8 oz nail weight.
• Cold or pressured fish on the bottom: Ned, with a cut stick bait on a light mushroom head.
• Grass and wood: Texas rig with a bullet weight.

There's no single right rig. Pick by depth, cover and how active the fish are.

Comparison matrix

The hook sizes assume a 5 in. stick bait unless noted. Go down 1 size for a 4 in. bait, up 1 for 6 in.

Weightless Texas

Rig it like a Texas rig, with no weight. The point goes in the nose, out the side, and back in, skin-hooked on the back.

It falls slowly and glides a little. With the point hidden, it slides through docks and sparse cover. Salted stick baits sink on their own, so no weight is needed.

• Hook: EWG, 3/0 to 4/0 on a thick 5 in. stick bait. The wide gap clears the fat body.
• Fits: shallow cover, spring and fall, 1 to 6 ft.
• Skip when: deep water or wind. It takes too long to get down.

Wacky

Hook it through the middle, or under an O-ring at the middle. It falls flat with both ends shaking.

It's the classic shallow rig. Many bites come on the fall. See the wacky rig page for O-rings and weighted versions.

• Hook: #1 to 1/0 for a 5 in. bait. Weedless wacky hooks around docks.
• Fits: spawning flats, dock edges, open water 2 to 12 ft.
• Skip when: thick cover. The exposed point snags.

Around docks, a guard over the point saves baits. Weedless wacky hooks in size 1 fit a 5 in. stick bait hooked through the middle.

Neko

Push a nail weight into 1 end of the bait. Put an O-ring between the middle and the weighted head. Hook under the ring with the point toward the tail.

The bait falls head first and stands up on the bottom. A small shake makes the tail wave. It's a bottom rig for rock and gravel.

• Hook: #1 or #2 neko hook, weedless for cover.
• Weight: 1/32 to 1/16 oz to start, up to 1/8 oz in deeper water or wind.
• Fits: points, gravel flats, rock, 8 to 20 ft.
• Skip when: thick grass. The weighted head buries.

Ned

The Ned rig is a short soft bait on a light mushroom-shaped jig head. A 5 in. stick bait cut to about 2.5 to 3 in. works. So do baits made for it.

On the bottom, the head rests flat and the buoyant tail tips up. Slow drags and small hops make it move. It's a cold-water and pressured-fish rig.

• Head: a light mushroom jig head with a light-wire hook. Go as light as still lets you feel the bottom.
• Bait: 2.5 to 3 in. Floating materials stand up better than salted ones.
• Fits: rock and clean bottom, 4 to 15 ft, cold or tough days.
• Skip when: grass or brush. The exposed hook snags.

Texas rig

Add a bullet weight to the weightless Texas rig. Now it gets down fast and comes through cover.

Peg the weight in grass and wood. Leave it sliding on open bottom. See the Texas rig page for weights by depth and cover.

• Hook: 3/0 to 4/0 EWG for a 5 in. stick bait.
• Weight: 1/8 to 1/2 oz; heavier for punching mats.
• Fits: grass, wood, docks, 2 to 25 ft.
• Skip when: fish want a slow, natural fall in open water.

Where each rig fits on the water

• Spawning flat in 3 ft of clear water, spring: a weightless wacky 5 in. stick bait on a #1 hook, cast well past the fish and allowed to sink on a slack line.
• Shaded dock posts in 4 to 8 ft: a weightless Texas rig on a 3/0 EWG, skipped or pitched under the walkway so it glides down beside the posts.
• Gravel point in 12 to 18 ft, summer: a neko with a 1/16 oz nail weight on 15 lb braid and an 8 lb leader, dragged slowly and shaken in place.
• Rocky bank in 6 to 10 ft after a cold front: a Ned with a cut 3 in. stick bait on a light mushroom head, barely moving along the bottom.
• Matted grass in 2 to 5 ft: a Texas rig with a pegged 1 oz weight on 50 lb braid, punched through the mat.

How to pick

1. How deep are the fish? Under 6 ft: weightless. 8 to 20 ft: neko or Texas.
2. What's the cover? Open: wacky or Ned. Docks and sparse: weightless Texas or weedless wacky. Grass and wood: Texas.
3. How active are the fish? Active: wacky or Texas. Slow: neko or Ned.
4. How's the wind? Windy: add weight. A weightless bait loses feel in a bowed line.
5. What gear do you have? Spinning: wacky, neko, Ned. Casting: Texas.

Swapping rigs on the water

You don't need 5 rods. A spinning rod with 15 to 20 lb braid and a 6 to 10 lb fluoro leader covers wacky, neko and Ned. A casting rod with 15 lb fluoro covers weightless Texas and Texas.

Carry O-rings, nail weights, a few mushroom heads, wacky hooks and offset hooks. That's enough to switch rigs in under 2 minutes on the water.

If fish follow but don't bite, slow down. Go from wacky to neko, or from Texas to Ned. If you can't feel the bottom, add weight.

If you keep snagging, hide the point with a Texas rig or a weedless hook, and fish the same spot again before you give up on it.

Line and rod for each rig

Braid with a fluoro leader is common on spinning rigs. The braid gives feel and casts far. The leader gives low visibility near the bait. Join them with a double uni or an FG.

Light line helps a weightless bait fall naturally and slowly. Heavy line slows the fall and pulls the bait off course in wind.

Seasons

Spring. Fish move shallow. Weightless wacky and weightless Texas shine on flats and around docks in 2 to 6 ft.

Summer. Fish split between shallow cover and deeper rock and grass. Texas rig in cover. Neko on deep points.

Fall. Fish chase bait and roam. A wacky rig covers shallow flats. Moving baits often do more.

Winter. Fish go deeper and slower. Ned and neko, dragged slowly in 10 to 20 ft.

These are broad patterns. Water clarity, temperature and your lake's layout matter as much as the month.

Nail weights: lead or tungsten

Nail weights come in lead and tungsten. Tungsten is denser than lead. So a tungsten weight of the same oz is smaller.

A smaller weight is easier to push into a thin bait and less likely to tear it. Some anglers find tungsten gives more feel on rock. Lead is softer and easier to trim to size. Both work.

See fishing weights by rig for lead vs tungsten across other weights.

Bait choice for each rig

Salted stick baits sink and fall naturally, which suits weightless and wacky rigs. They're soft and tear easily. Use O-rings.

Firmer stick baits last longer and float more. They suit neko and Ned, where you want the tail to stand up.

Length follows the rig. 5 in. for weightless, wacky and Texas. 4 to 5 in. for neko. Cut down or 2.5 to 3 in. baits for Ned.

See soft plastic baits for other bait types and bass hooks by type for each hook shape.

Common mistakes

1. Weightless rig in deep water. It takes too long to sink. Use a neko or Texas.
2. Exposed hooks in thick cover. Wacky and Ned snag. Switch to Texas.
3. Neko point facing the head. Turn it toward the tail.
4. Too heavy a nail weight. Start at 1/32 oz.
5. Ned with a salted bait. It lies flat. Use a floating bait.

Read next

• Fishing rigsevery rig on Dockrig compared
• Soft plastic baitsstick baits, creatures and swimbaits
• Bass hooks by typeoffset, EWG, wacky, neko
• Hook size charthow hook numbers run
• Striper rigslive bait and trolling rigs
• Alabama rigumbrella rig for bass
• Texas rigweights by depth and cover
• Wacky rigO-rings and weighted wacky

Sources: Bassmaster and USAngler for neko weights and ring placement (see our wacky rig page). Common stick bait rigging practice for the other ranges. Method on our methodology page. lurefishingtips.com Texas rig chart and Rapala/VMC neko weights.