For a long time, my go-to worm setup was the weed-busting Texas rig. And while there’s still no question that the Texas rig is a good choice, it has issues that every savvy angler recognizes.
The weight at the nose of the worm or creature bait deadens action the heavier it gets, placing a practical limit on its grass mat and lily pad punching power. And as worm tech has advanced – and it really has – you want the soft plastic to strut its stuff unimpeded by close proximity to a bullet weight.
The Carolina rig is one alternative, creating space between the weight and worm and thus improving action. But for punching a matted layer of grass, it’s just not the right choice.
Enter the Tokyo rig, a Japanese-inspired soft plastic technique that enables anglers to use heavy weights without deadening action and keeps the overall presentation compact enough to really punch nasty stuff.
Pros like Mike Iaconelli swear that the Tokyo rig increases hookup percentages and catches more fish than the Texas, Carolina, Neko, or Ned.
Want to know more about the Tokyo rig?
Keep reading!
Table of Contents (clickable)
What is the Tokyo Rig?
At the heart of a Tokyo rig, you’ll find a solid steel O-ring. In front of this rides a barrel swivel to attach to your main line or leader. Behind that swivel, a thick-gauge hook hangs free to wriggle and move. And below that O-ring drops a short length of stout wire to which you can attach weight.
This design is no gimmick, and it does several things better than any other rig I’ve ever seen:
- The Tokyo rig lets the soft plastic of your choice really move freely, unencumbered by the weight. That provides unparalleled action.
- Because heavy weight can be attached without affecting the action of your bait, it punches grass, weeds, lily pads, and other thick cover like a lead football. The O-ring allows the bait to follow the weight, unlike a gliding Texas rig, keeping your cast where you put it.
- The hanging wire and weight keeps the rig in contact with the bottom but holds it up and out of mud and silt, putting it where bass can see it.
That all adds up to a rig with the subtle, finesse action of a drop shot with more punch than a Texas, with the bottom contact of a Neko.
That makes it a lot more than just a punch shot. “When I first saw this rig, I thought, ‘This is going to be a great tool for punching, flipping, and fishing deep grass.’ Back then, I never saw the potential for it in a lot of other places, but it really has become a versatile technique,” Iaconelli explains.
More on that below.
Putting this rig together from scratch is probably not the best idea, and VMC has several different styles of Tokyo rigs ready to go.
For flipping, perhaps the most productive technique with the Tokyo rig, VMC’s Tokyo Rig Heavy-Duty Flippin’ Hooks are the way to go.
The barrel swivels and O-ring are top-notch hardware, and the hook holds a worm like the soft plastic owes it money. Sharp, thick-gauge wire makes this hook hard to bend, and even a monster bass is not going to straighten this beast out.
It’s available in 5/0, 4/0, and 3/0 sizes.
For Neko weighting your soft plastic on a Tokyo rig, VMC’s Tokyo Rig Finesse Neko Hook lets you weight your bait at the head, forcing it tail-up to increase its appeal to spooked or pressured bass.
When I want to rig big creature baits weedless, I reach for the VMC Tokyo Rig Heavy Duty Wide Gap Hook. Perfect for running back through my soft plastics, I can throw this rig into the worst stuff on the lake and not worry too much about picking up weeds or getting hung up on thick cover. Bass Pro carries it in 5/0, 4/0, 3/0, and 2/0 sizes.
Used in conjunction with a VMC Neko weight, this is hard to beat for finesse in nasty cover.
For my worms, I keep plenty of VMC’s Tokyo Rig Heavy-Duty Worm Hooks on hand. They’re sharp, heavy-duty, and perfect for rigging a trick worm or ribbon tail just right.
Most of the time, I use a ¾-ounce VMC Tungsten Flip’n Weight. When I want to run toward the lighter end, a single Flip’n weight is perfect. When I want to take that up a few notches, I’ll load a second ¾-ounce weight, tail-to-tail, on the wire, or even step up to the 1-ounce versions.
Of course you’ll want a pair of fishing pliers to bend the wires and secure those weights. I really like KastKing’s Cutthroats, but there are plenty of great pliers on the market.
How To Set Up a Neko Rig
Rod, reel, and line
There are two basic approaches to the Tokyo rig that we’ll discuss in more depth in a moment: flipping/pitching and dragging.
For flipping and pitching, just as you’d expect, I want a 7 ½-to 8-foot rod with heavy power and fast action. My favorites are the Dobyns XP series DC 766FLIP and DC 805 FLIP/PUNCH. They can take up to 2 1/2 ounces of weight, and you’ll still feel every bump and pebble on the bottom.
These will wear an excellent baitcasting reel like a Daiwa Tatula CT Type-R 100HS, but there are plenty of good options out there.
In stained, murky, or muddy water, I’ll definitely run braid, typically no less than 20-pound test, but sometimes as high as 50. If I’m worried about abrasion on rocks or stumps, I’ll attach a length of fluorocarbon or mono leader. One combo I’ve come to trust is Sufix 832 tied to a Seaguar InvizX leader.
In clear water, I’ll typically run straight fluorocarbon, choosing Seaguar in 20-pound test.
Monofilament will work well, too, but it doesn’t offer the sensitivity of the much denser fluorocarbon.
Knots
Braid to fluorocarbon connections can be tricky, as neither of them accepts a knot as well as mono.
We’ve covered this topic at length before, and if you want the complete run down, take a look at this article:
Connecting Braided Main Line to Leader: Best Knots for Bass Fishing
My pick for the leader connection is the 5-Turn Surgeon’s Knot because it’s faster, easier, and typically stronger than the Alberto.
For my terminal connection, I usually run an Improved Palomar.
Soft plastics
You’ve got your rod and reel, you’ve selected the right line for your situation, and you have your Tokyo rigs, pliers, and weights ready to go.
Now it’s time to get down to the important business of selecting the right baits.
Creatures/Beavers
For pitching and flipping, I can’t get enough of Berkley’s Bunker Hawg. 4 inches of fat body and fluttering appendages, this bad boy is basically a bulky craw that moves and looks like an easy meal.
I also love the Berkley PowerBait Pit Boss, available in a nice range of colors and lengths from 3 to 5 inches.
And obviously, no list of soft plastic creature baits is complete without the Strike King Rage Tail Craw, 4 inches of bass attracting flutter and shimmy.
Worms
But creatures aren’t the only way to go with the Tokyo, and trick worms of all types are ridiculously effective.
A big, black Zoom trick worm, rigged Neko-style or on an offset hook is killer on the Tokyo rig.
You can also count me as a fan of the Culprit Original 10″ Worm. That long, wriggling tail is just what you want as this rig heads toward the bottom or shakes in front a wary bass.
Paddle tails
When the bass are keyed in on baitfish like shad, bluegill, and bream, a paddle tailed minnow is ideal.
D.O.A.’s C.A.L. Shad Tail is a great choice in either 3- or 4-inch lengths. That tail gets attention as you retrieve the rig across the bottom, and it’s hard to beat for calling bass in for a second look.
Of course, other soft plastic work, too, and you should definitely give everything from Senkos to lizards a try.
To assemble a Tokyo rig, follow these steps:
- Rig your soft plastic of choice to the hook, inserting the point through the head.
- For Neko rigging, insert a nail weight as well.
- Slide a bullet weight, tail first onto the wire. If more weight is desired, load the first weight head first, followed by the second weight tail first. You’re looking for tail-to-tail contact.
- Using pliers, bend the wire up and inward to hold the weight(s) in place.
How to Fish the Tokyo Rig
Flipping
Flipping allows truly pinpoint precision, and for targeting cover in which accuracy is everything, it’s the dominant technique.
Holding the rod in your right hand, pull out a length of line in your left. Lower your rod tip, levering your rig forward in a pendulous arc. If you release the line in your left hand at the perfect moment, you’ll flip your rig forward with amazing accuracy.
Let your Tokyo rig settle to the bottom, keeping your left hand in contact with your line to feel for light strikes and gentle sucks.
Many strikes will happen on the fall. If that doesn’t happen, you can twitch your rod tip to get your soft plastic dancing.
Pitching
Pitching is similar to flipping, just minus the left-handed action. By lowering your rod tip, you’ll pitch the rig forward, giving you more distance than a flip.
From there, the technique is the same.
Bouncing
The Tokyo rig will keep your soft plastic glued to the bottom without burying it in the mud. And with gentle motions of your rod tip, keeping your rod at about 10 o’clock, you can lift your soft plastic, bouncing it along the bottom.
Take in some slack to keep a gentle bow in your line as you do. Semi-slack is the way to go.
Dragging
The Toyo rig is also amazing when dragged along the bottom and run into structure or cover like branches, boulders, rocks, and stumps.
Much like a crankbait, you’re looking for contact and trying to get an erratic bounce every time you hit something.
You can do this by using a side-sweeping motion with the rod, retrieving slack as you go. Or you can use a steady retrieve and very subtle movements of the rod tip to keep your Tokyo rig moving.
Whichever technique you use, keep your hooksets overhead rather than sweeping (as with the Carolina rig). Your hook-up percentage will be much higher, and you’ll land more bass.
Final Thoughts
The Tokyo rig may have started out as a great way to punch grass and lily pads, but it has proven to be a lot more than a leadered punch shot. And whether you use it that way or run it across the bottom, this is quickly becoming the most productive option many anglers have ever used.
We hope that you’ve learned something new today, and as always, we’re here to field any questions or comments you might have.
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Source: usangler.com