Bass season opens Saturday, and crankbaits, spinner baits and jig-and-worm combos will be joined by wacky rigs as favorites to trick smallies and largemouth bass. Wacky rigs, which feature soft plastic stick worms, have considerable advantages in clear-water lakes such as Minnetonka and Mille Lacs. Fish them weighted or weightless, depending on current and depth, hooking the worm in the middle (impale the worm directly with the hook or tie it to the worm with an O ring or zip tie) using a 1/0-4/0 wide-gap hook, your choice, with weed guard.

Dennis Anderson