BTW MODS: I looked through every thread in the "senko" thread and feel like I have something to add to the discussion. Please feel free to move my thread out of here and into that thread if needed. This is not a discussion on best color/brand/hook/rig. I'm trying to delve more in-depth.
So I immediately fell in love with stickbaits last year when I got my first bag. I've been fishing them addictively ever since. Right now I'm trying to up my game. Here are some things I've learned.
-QUIET presentation is killer! Especially when you're fishing it in shallow water, always utillize your ninja skills with a senko. I've gotten to the point where I feather the reel enough for the bait to enter the water without much of a splash at all. This is crucial. It doesn't matter what size, color, or rig you have with your bait. If you're not presenting it with the utmost care, it's simply not as effective.
-Experimentation with retrieve pays off.
Don't get caught into one retrieve. Sometimes the fish want a jerkbait-style retrieve; a pop-pop-rest with the rod tip down. This is what I use when I'm covering water. Then, once I get a bite (but not a hookup) on the faster retrieve or I reach some cover where I want to slow down, I switch to letting the bait fall and twich twitch twitch it up, then let it fall gain, with the rod tip up. Then sometimes I do a mix of the two, letting it fall and then popping it up with my rod to the side. I let the fish tell me what they want. Sometimes the faster, higher in the water column retrieve is what they're looking for, and sometimes they want me to slow down. Either way, I've got to find out. Experimentation is key.
-Don't get stuck in a rut with your wacky rig. A 'wacky rig' is typically having the hook right in the middle of your bait. Well, often I'll change it up a little and put the hook farther down the bait, not making the rig symmetrical & the hook in the middle. What it will do is one end will fall faster than the other. You're still fishing it like a wacky rig, but it gives the fish a little something different to look at. This comes into play ESPECIALLY around cover, particularly logs. If I had senkos (and rods) to waste and I was fishing logs, I would have three wacky rigs rigged up: one regular, one rigged offset to the left, and one rigged offset to the right. The offset baits are for fishing the sides of the logs. Instead of falling right on the side of the log, they'll fall down underneath the log because one side is heavier than the other. This is something to keep in mind. Helps you get those pressured fish out from under logs.
Hope this helps you go forward in your senko fishing game. Comment your own out-of-the-ordinary tips and tricks for utilizing this bait.
