Setting Hooks With Senko Help

[Balshy Fishing]

So, today; I decided to try to use my senko's more and I was throwing a watermelon with purple flake[or something, def watermelon] and was getting strikes left & right. Whenever I'd reel up the slack and go to set the hook, the fish would fight for a split second and then it'd come free.

 

I'm t-rigging with the tip right below the surface and I'm wacky rigging with both gamakatsu drop shot hooks and worm hooks. 1/0 and a 3 size, somehow i kept getting snagged if I wasn't hooking a fish and the bottom is rock so I wasn't sure how to avoid that.

 

ADVICE 

[jhoffman]

did you confirm it was bass? sounds like they only had the end of it, not only bass like senkos.

 

whats your hookset procedure?

[toddwchandler]

With Senkos, I personally go with a pretty violent upward hook set more so than just reeling up slack. Also, I find a 1/0 to be pretty small. I usually use 3/0.

There are guys on here that are far better fishermen than me that I am sure will give you better advice.

Just my 2 cents.

[Balshy Fishing]

It was either a bass or walleye. I see the strike, I reel up slack, then a little more to confirm even more then jerk it up ward

[Mccallister25]

Make a vertical hookset, if its bass. A lot of the time in my experience with senkos, I feel the initial "tick", then I give it another second to let them take the hook and then I set it. You may be acting too quickly.

[Hyrule Bass]

you may need a bigger hook or atleast use an EWG hook. i use 3/0 to 4/0 EWG hooks for senkos. and i usually fish them weightless. if youre using weight that could be why youre getting snagged in the rocks...

[iceintheveins]

My hooksets on senkos are usually easy, they often totally inhale it. Try a little megastrike and they will hold onto it longer. A 1/0 EWG is plenty for a 4" senko, but with a 5" go with a 3/0. Set the hook with authority though.

[BigMoneyGrip]

I'd rule out other fish first. Around here, bluegill will make you think a bass has it, but it's a bluegill. On my hookset, I just lift straight up and 99% of the time, that gets them.

[Nicholas Saephanh]

gamakatsu worm hooks have never failed me on my senkos. I fish 4-5inch senkos and vary between the 4/0 and 3/0 gamas. I also change between the reg and black hooks.

[Balshy Fishing]

I hear y'all. I fish em all weightless and can't shake em loose no matter what I do.

I was hype though because up until today I haven't got any love from senkos so I'm now a believer.

Yesterday was the first time I hit anything with a crank aand it was from the cheapo bin at bass pro. Things are looking up

[dsidle61]

I know your pain, had this problem a lot but usually only on the t-rig.  wacky rigged I used a regular 3/0 hook no wide gap or anything, id say I had 90% hook rate with that.  T-rig was a different story, you definitely need a wide gap hook, size 4/0 or even 5/0.  Im not a big fan of burying the hook unless I am fishing an extremely thick patch of weeds and then I just barely hide it.  Id much rather have to pull some weeds off on a cast than miss a fish bc I have the hook buried to far.  These were all on 6" senkos also, never had any luck whatsoever on anything smaller even the 5", don't know what that extra inch does but fish love it.

[bassguytom]

When rigging wacky I use a 1/0 Gammy octopus hook. Don't set the hook just reel in the slack and keep reeling. This take some getting used to but you won't lose anymore fish. Hope this helps.

[hatrix]

I reel in some slack and snap my hook set up. It doesn't have to be a hard hook set just a quick snap upwards are you get them.

[Darren.]

So, today; I decided to try to use my senko's more and I was throwing a watermelon with purple flake[or something, def watermelon] and was getting strikes left & right. Whenever I'd reel up the slack and go to set the hook, the fish would fight for a split second and then it'd come free.

 

I'm t-rigging with the tip right below the surface and I'm wacky rigging with both gamakatsu drop shot hooks and worm hooks. 1/0 and a 3 size, somehow i kept getting snagged if I wasn't hooking a fish and the bottom is rock so I wasn't sure how to avoid that.

 

ADVICE 

 

Gammy drop shot hooks are a light wire hook (thinner). I use them in 2, 1, and 1/0 for wacky rigging. Because they're light wire, they penetrate rather easily into a fish's mouth.

 

However, short strikes can and do happen. Some days more than others. This is when a bass has the worm, and sometimes even the hook, in its mouth, but the way the rig is in the mouth, and the way you "set the hook" simply may not land the fish. 

 

While on the small side, a 1/0 is actually perfectly fine for wacky rigging. I've caught plenty of bass on hooks down to size 4. Fly fishermen use even smaller... So it can be done and done quite successfully. Some feel more confident with larger hook sizes, and that's fine. I mean a bass can open its mouth pretty darn wide so a big hook is not the problem.

 

When I wacky rig, I often set the hook with a reel down and lift of the rod, sometimes a sweeping hookset. Mostly a reel-down and rod lift. I don't do a hookset that rips the lips clean off the bass. With thick, heavy wire hooks you almost have to do that in order to penetrate the mouth. Not the case with light wire hooks.

[Balshy Fishing]

Much appreciated all, I'm going to see what I can do tomorrow. 

[geo g]

Darren M gave a lot of good advice. I fish 4"senkos weightless almost everyday. I use light wire Gama #3 or#4 EWG hooks. The light wire does allow for better hookup ratio. Over the years fishing 250 days a year I can feel the difference between blue gill bite, gar bite, and bass bite. Bait fish bites will often pull on the tail and not hook up on the bait all the time. The bite is often a machine gun hit. Bass don't come up short often or miss the bait often, if your fishing plastics slowly. Now if your not paying attention to the bite, you may miss some bass that spit it out. More often you'll end up gut hooking bass. If that happens your waiting to long on the set.

If your getting snagged, try going weightless Texas rigged. A weight on the front the bait will drag the bottom and lead to snags. Weightless the bait will pop up off the bottom with a gentile lift of the rod, and will settle back down lightly on top of vegetation, or on top of the rocks instead of settling between the rocks. I get a lot less snags weightless, then with a weight in front of the bait. You will also get better action from the bait weightless. It will dance and dart with the slightest movement of the rod. Good luck, I love these baits.

[nascar2428]

Weightless t-rigged Senko style worm, use a 3/0 Owner twistlock hook. Use a swing set with a med/fast rod. No need to use a hard hook set, bass inhale senkos like kids inhale candy.

[Tim Kelly]

If you were getting snagged a lot you need to examine your hook point very carefully as the very tip often gets bent over. I lost a couple of fish the other day and on close examination the point was bent. New hook and I was back to 99% success rate!

[Tmmytomato]

I have fished Senkos for years and years and have used more brands and styles of hooks than Senkos have colors (well, maybe).  The VERY best hook I have used for Texas rigging is a Rebarb hook in sizes 2/0 and 3/0 with a sideways sweep and a slight snap and mostly just a steady pull. I've had more consistent hookups with that hook and hookset than any other.

As far as a wacky set up I use a Gamakatsu octpus circle hook in size 4 and size 2. That may sound like a small hook but I've caught fish from 2# to 7# by just tightening the line with that particular hook. You will not hook fish with a circle octopus if you try to set the hook like you would with other hook styles. And more than 90% are hooked in the corner of the mouth. Everyone has a favorite and an opinion. I have turned on a lot of guys in my bass club to this tecnique over the years and it's a winner that doesn't seem to need "improving".

[dam0007]

I have better luck wacky rigged on a medium light rod. Once the line starts moving gently lift up and start reeling. Only down fall with my method is I/You run the chance of gut hooking the fish which isn't good. Its finding the right time from when they take it in to the time they want to swallow to get the hook pinned. Running a 3 or 4/0 t rigged I had the same issue as you. Either way I get snagged a lot!!! I'll pitch right into a downed tree and pray my rod won't snap trying to muscle him up through the tiny opening between branches lmao I mustve re tied 100 times this weekend. lmao