Neko Rig
The Neko rig nails a weight into one end of a wacky-hooked worm so it head-stands and hops along bottom like a feeding baitfish - wacky action with depth and direction.
Take a wacky worm and hammer a nail weight into its head: now it plunges nose-down, stands on the bottom, and hops along tail-up like a minnow rooting the silt. The Neko rig (Japan's gift to finesse fishing) keeps the wacky wiggle but adds depth, speed and a bottom posture that deep, pressured fish read as a genuinely feeding creature.
What it is & why it works
Wacky-style mid-body hook + nail weight in one end = a bait that falls fast, stands vertically, and 'feeds' with every twitch. The head-down posture mimics bottom-feeding forage precisely.
When to use it
Deeper finesse work (3-10 m), smallmouth gravel, ledges, docks in summer - wherever the wacky's slow fall takes too long or the head-stand look wins.
How to set it up
O-ring the worm 1/3 from the head; hook under the ring (point up, exposed or weedless); push a 1/16-3/32 oz nail weight fully into the head tip. Spinning gear, 8-10 lb braid-to-fluoro.
Fishing it
Let it plunge to bottom, then drag-hop with small rod lifts - it stands and quivers between hops. Bites are ticks or moving line; reel-set with a sweep.
Variations & sizing
Worm sizes 4-6 in; heavier nails for depth/wind; screw-in 'Neko weights' with keeper barbs stay put; weedless hooks in rock and brush.
Common mistakes
Hooking dead-center like a pure wacky (Neko wants the offset), nails that eject on every cast (push flush; use keeled ones), and overworking - the stand-up pause IS the presentation.