Straight-shank hooks: Wacky and Neko hooks

Short shank, wide gap, fine wire, often a wire or twin-fibre weedguard. The stick bait is hooked through the middle (wacky) or near the head with a nail weight in the other end (Neko), and the exposed point needs the guard near cover.

ItemDetail
ShapeShort straight shank, wide gap; with or without a weedguard
WireFine; Gamakatsu G-Finesse Weedless Wacky is 20% thinner (maker claim)
Sizes#2–3/0; #1–1/0 for 5" (13 cm) stick baits
RigsWacky rig, Neko rig, wacky drop shot
Line / rod8–10 lb braid + 6–10 lb FC leader, M spinning
WhereDocks, laydowns, grass edges; clear water, pressured bass

Put an O-ring on the bait and hook the ring, not the plastic: the bait lasts ten fish instead of one.

Neko setupHookExamples
Open waterExposed-point finesse hookOwner Mosquito, VMC Neko
Near coverTraditional wacky / Neko hook with a weedguard (fibre or twin wire)VMC Weedless Neko, Owner Weedless Wacky, Wild Mosquito Double Guard
Heavy cover (Texas-rigged Neko)Offset hook, point buried in the bait: the rig becomes a Texas-rigged NekoNogales Hooking Master Neko Rig Offset, Hayabusa FINA N.S.S.
Cover with a keeperStraight hook with a swivel or spring keeperGamakatsu G-Finesse Cover Neko, Jackall Coilock

So a Neko rig is not tied to one family: in open water it uses straight hooks; in cover it often uses an offset hook.

Top 10 in four markets

United States

  1. Trapper Tackle Heavy Drop Shot/Wacky Hooks — price not shown on TW category page (pack count varies by hook size). Tackle Warehouse 'Wacky Hooks' (53 items) sorted by Popularity: #1; 4.5/5 avg rating
  2. VMC Weedless Neko Hook 5pk — $6.49 / 5 pk. Tackle Warehouse 'Weedless Wacky Hooks' (37 items) sorted by Popularity: #1; 3.9/5 avg rating
  3. Owner Sniper Finesse Neko Hook — $4.79 (pack count varies by hook size). Tackle Warehouse 'Wacky Hooks' (53 items) sorted by Popularity: #2
  4. Owner Weedless Sniper Finesse Neko Hook 4pk — $7.49 / 4 pk. Tackle Warehouse 'Weedless Wacky Hooks' (37 items) sorted by Popularity: #2; 4.5/5 avg rating
  5. VMC Finesse Neko Hook 5pk — $6.49 / 5 pk. Tackle Warehouse 'Wacky Hooks' (53 items) sorted by Popularity: #3; 5.0/5 avg rating
  6. Ryugi Heavy Guard Talisman Weedless Wacky/Neko Hook 4pk — $5.99 / 4 pk. Tackle Warehouse 'Weedless Wacky Hooks' (37 items) sorted by Popularity: #3
  7. Gamakatsu Finesse Wide Gap Hooks — $4.99 - $22.29 (pack count varies by hook size). Tackle Warehouse 'Wacky Hooks' (53 items) sorted by Popularity: #4; 5.0/5 avg rating
  8. Gamakatsu Ball Rig Hook Weedless — $5.59 (pack count varies by hook size). Tackle Warehouse 'Weedless Wacky Hooks' (37 items) sorted by Popularity: #4
  9. Gamakatsu Ball Rig Hook — $4.79 (pack count varies by hook size). Tackle Warehouse 'Wacky Hooks' (53 items) sorted by Popularity: #5; 4.0/5 avg rating
  10. VMC RedLine Series Weedless Wacky Neko Hooks 4pk — $9.99 / 4 pk. Tackle Warehouse 'Weedless Wacky Hooks' (37 items) sorted by Popularity: #5; 4.0/5 avg rating

Canada

  1. Gamakatsu Finesse Wide Gap — C$5.99 (pack count not listed by store). anglingsports.ca 'hooks (bait-hooks)' collection, best-selling sort #6; store copy calls it the wacky-rig hook; #6 of all hooks
  2. Gamakatsu Finesse Wide Gap Weedless — C$10.99 (pack count not listed by store). anglingsports.ca 'hooks (bait-hooks)' collection, best-selling sort #42
  3. BKK Predator WG Drop Shot & Wacky — C$5.99 (pack count not listed by store). anglingsports.ca 'hooks (bait-hooks)' collection, best-selling sort #43
  4. Owner Wacky Hook — C$5.99 (pack count not listed by store). anglingsports.ca 'hooks (bait-hooks)' collection, best-selling sort #69
  5. Owner Weedless Wacky Hook — C$9.99 (pack count not listed by store). anglingsports.ca 'hooks (bait-hooks)' collection, best-selling sort #79
  6. VMC Weedless Neko Hook — C$7.99 (pack count not listed by store). anglingsports.ca 'hooks (bait-hooks)' collection, best-selling sort #89
  7. BKK Predator WG Weedless Wacky — C$8.49 (pack count not listed by store). anglingsports.ca 'hooks (bait-hooks)' collection, best-selling sort #91
  8. Mustad TitanX Wacky/Neko — C$4.99 (pack count not listed by store). anglingsports.ca 'hooks (bait-hooks)' collection, best-selling sort #102
  9. Mustad TitanX Wacky/Neko Weedless — C$4.99 (pack count not listed by store). anglingsports.ca 'hooks (bait-hooks)' collection, best-selling sort #105
  10. VMC Neko Hook — C$5.99 (pack count not listed by store). anglingsports.ca 'hooks (bait-hooks)' collection, best-selling sort #133

Japan

  1. Owner (Cultiva) B-77 ジャングルワッキー — ¥385 (naturum list price; pack count not listed, varies by size). naturum 'Worm hooks (mass-bari type)' category, best-selling sort #1
  2. Daiwa バサーズワームフックSS G･WKY — ¥393 (naturum list price; pack count not listed, varies by size). naturum 'Worm hooks (mass-bari type)' category, best-selling sort #5
  3. Daiwa バサーズワームフックSS G･FN — ¥310 (naturum list price; pack count not listed, varies by size). naturum 'Worm hooks (mass-bari type)' category, best-selling sort #6
  4. Hayabusa FINA POWER WACKY GUARD(パワーワッキーガード) — ¥460 (naturum list price; pack count not listed, varies by size). naturum 'Worm hooks (mass-bari type)' category, best-selling sort #8
  5. Hayabusa パワーワッキー ヘビー ガード — ¥448 (naturum list price; pack count not listed, varies by size). naturum 'Worm hooks (mass-bari type)' category, best-selling sort #15
  6. Zappu リジットフィネス — ¥338 (naturum list price; pack count not listed, varies by size). naturum 'Worm hooks (mass-bari type)' category, best-selling sort #16
  7. Varivas グラン ワッキーマスター ライト — ¥275 (naturum list price; pack count not listed, varies by size). naturum 'Worm hooks (mass-bari type)' category, best-selling sort #21
  8. Hayabusa N･S･S HOOK PERFECTION II — ¥532 (naturum list price; pack count not listed, varies by size). naturum 'Worm hooks (mass-bari type)' category, best-selling sort #24
  9. Daiwa スティーズ ワームフック SS ワッキー — ¥354 (naturum list price; pack count not listed, varies by size). naturum 'Worm hooks (mass-bari type)' category, best-selling sort #25

China

  1. 友渡路亚 障碍倒钓钩 挡草 Wacky/Neko — ¥19.9 / item（pack count varies by option，not specified in listing）. Taobao list page 'nekohook' (sales-sorted, fetched 2026-09-25): position 1; shop 友渡路亚
  2. NICOSIA 障碍型 NEKO 钩 — ¥17 / item（pack count varies by option，not specified in listing）. Taobao list page 'nekohook' (sales-sorted, fetched 2026-09-25): position 2; shop NICOSIAsoft-plastic series
  3. 言饵 障碍防挂 Wacky/Neko 钩 — ¥17 / item（pack count varies by option，not specified in listing）. Taobao list page 'nekohook' (sales-sorted, fetched 2026-09-25): position 3; shop AUTUMNSU旗舰店
  4. 破川 障碍直柄钩 挡草 Wacky/Neko — ¥23.8 / item（pack count varies by option，not specified in listing）. Taobao list page 'nekohook' (sales-sorted, fetched 2026-09-25): position 4; shop 破川旗舰店
  5. 海豚路亚 DOLPHINLY 障碍倒钓钩 挡草 Wacky 特氟龙 — ¥4.5 / item（pack count varies by option，not specified in listing）. Taobao list page 'nekohook' (sales-sorted, fetched 2026-09-25): position 5; shop 海豚路亚旗舰店
  6. Hayabusa 哈雅布萨 Wacky/Neko 倒钓钩 — ¥19 / item（pack count varies by option，not specified in listing）. Taobao list page 'nekohook' (sales-sorted, fetched 2026-09-25): position 6; shop 眼镜蛇路亚
  7. Hayabusa 哈雅布萨 FF202/FF203 障碍防挂 Neko 钩 — ¥27 / item（pack count varies by option，not specified in listing）. Taobao list page 'nekohook' (sales-sorted, fetched 2026-09-25): position 7; shop 鲈钓专家
  8. Cast&Catch 七成 挡草 wacky 钩 (腹铅) — ¥12 / item（pack count varies by option，not specified in listing）. Taobao list page 'nekohook' (sales-sorted, fetched 2026-09-25): position 13; shop 天猪行空路亚
  9. ENGINE 引擎 Superior CN HOOK 障碍 Neko 钩 — ¥26.6 / item（pack count varies by option，not specified in listing）. Taobao list page 'nekohook' (sales-sorted, fetched 2026-09-25): position 17; shop 鲈钓专家

← Swivel drop-shot hooks · Aberdeen hooks →

Straight-shank hooks

The shank runs straight from the eye to the bend. One of the two big hook families: Aberdeen, straight worm, flipping and punching, drop-shot, octopus, circle, wacky and Neko hooks.

  1. Straight worm hooks
  2. Flipping and punching hooks
  3. Drop-shot hooks
  4. Drop shot hook (Octopus hook)
  5. Swivel drop-shot hooks
  6. Wacky and Neko hooks
  7. Aberdeen hooks
  8. Circle hooks

Straight-shank hooks