River Fishing A Senko

[jtharris3]

I checked the Senko sticky and didn't see anything addressing this scenario. I frequently fish a small to medium sized river that has a moderate to fast flow most of the time. How would you fish a Senko most effectively in this situation?

I frequently fish a Senko in lakes that I fish using both TR and wacky styles, but don't know how I'd approach the river with it or if it would even be effective given the current.

[Crestliner2008]

A lot depends on the bottom content. Whether or not there are trees & brush that you are fishing around or just small rock & mud. Wherever the opportunity presents itself to allow you to wacky rig a Senko, I believe that is your best option. Also, try the Fat Ika. Great smallie bait in rivers. Reverse Texas rig it.

[jtharris3]

The bottom is mostly sandy gravel but there's a lot of wood cover along the banks and islands.

[BrianinMD]

I would suggest to t-rig it with a bullet weight just heavy enough to get it on bottom.

[F14A-B]

You can try owners ultrahead wacky style or jackall wacky jig head (tungsten) both have weed guards and come in different weights that is just one way...

[Scott F]

The senko is a fantastic river bait! I fish rivers a lot and I'll use it more than anything else. A floating line like braid is a must for the way I fish them. Throw it upstream and let it drift down with the current. Keep reeling until there is a small amount of slack line. The floating line will lay on the surface and move with the current . When a bass picks up the bait, you'll see the line twitch on the surface, reel up, and set the hook. Don't cast downstream and pull back against the current. It will just stay on top. Don't use any weights, just let it drift. When it drifts down to your position, reel in and cast back up stream. In summer, just be sure to use it where there is current, especially along current breaks.

[WVbassin87]

So glad you asked this! i was wondering as well. just bought my first pack of senkos

[Scott F]

Just to add, if you are going to add weight, it ruins the natural way the senko slowly sinks. Bass will sit facing into the current waiting for food to come to them. The senko seems perfect for this presentation just as it comes from the package. The weight of the bait will get it down on its own. You will also hang up a lot less with no added weight. You should consider pinching down the barb when fishing senkos in a river. They will swallow the bait quite often and the barbless hook will come easily and do the fish less harm.

[F14A-B]

I can tell you assuredly I have used the above mentioned wacky jig heads in Multiple different river.. Lake scenarios... On Gycb, senkos and trick worms.. Also using strikeking ELAZTECH Plastics which have a slower rate of fall than senkos... Many ways work sometime... The fly fishing a senko tactic works as well. Don't limit you're self to only one way to do it... It's a very versatile bait.. With multiple rigging methods available. Lots of times in the Ohio River, you can't get it down fast enough.. Same with feeder creeks... Great bait, with a lot of different versions available to do things a little differently .

[slainempire]

i use wacky rigged senkos on the susquehanna river in pennsylvania all the time. i look for areas with a little weaker current and cast upstream or try to find completely slack water. its been working very well this year.

[flyfisher]

Nose hooked 4" baits always produce year round for me.  Dead sticked in the current or twitched back like a jerk bait.  

[NathanW]

The only thing I would add, and maybe this is complete BS, but I am a true believer that in the spring time on days your getting a lot of debris floating down the river you want a bait that can be distinguished by the fish as something other than floating debris. This calls for something like a tube, crankbait, or something with a swimtail. I wont fish those "do nothing" baits until it clears. But yeah, when the post spawn fish set up on that shallow rock it is been a fun way to catch em.

[NathanW]

Nose hooked 4" baits always produce year round for me.  Dead sticked in the current or twitched back like a jerk bait.  

Totally overlooked way to rig these baits. I insert about 4 finish nails into a 4" watermelon fluke and do exactly as you say. Absolutely crush em. Great hook up percentage. Great way to get kids into fish.

[pbizzle]

I taught myself to bass fish below the Chickamauga Dam using senkos. I completely tore them up by casting a weightless, or using a keel weighted hook, upstream and parallel to the bank. Then I would retrieve them just fast enough to pick up the slack, but I'm still letting it get washed down with the current. The bass position themselves facing into current so that they can eat whatever gets washed down with the current, and it gives the senko a really natural look.

[jtharris3]

Great tips guys! Much appreciated! I went out and bought a few more packs this afternoon and added some of the 4" size to my arsenal. I'll be fishing them this weekend. I'll report on my outing, hopefully with pictures of fish! I plan on hitting the river with my spinning rig and a box full of Senkos and Yum Dingers.

[Hogsticker]

So when you folks are casting these up stream and letting them drift down, how are you rigging them? Wacky, nose hooked, Texas? My only concern us if there is too much current, the bait will never sink. Slow mild current this sounds awesome. As lame as it sounds, another thing you COULD do is stick it under a bobber. I personally like a tube with an earplug inserted into it with a split shot up the line in these conditions.

[Scott F]

I always rig them Texas style. And, I will toss them in very fast current. I fish relatively shallow rivers, shallow enough to wade. In the summer, if you aren't working in or very close to fast water where the cooler, oxygenated, water is, you aren't catching fish. Slow slack water is hotter and has less oxygen so it doesn't hold fish in hot weather. In fast water, the bait won't sink very far. That's good because fast water, like in a riffle, isn't very deep and it's usually pretty rocky. If it sank too much you'd get snagged. Natural foods also don't sink very far in fast water either. The bass are used to looking up for their food going by in the current, which is right where your bait will be.