Super User Senko lover Posted May 5, 2015 Super User Posted May 5, 2015 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. 6
Big C Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 Good idea on the wacky variations, but like I said my favorite use for a senko: melt in a microwave and pour in a swimbait mold. 6
Matthew2000 Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 Stealthy. I couldn't disagree more, i catch tons of fish being loud and obnoxious. 2 1
Super User Senko lover Posted May 6, 2015 Author Super User Posted May 6, 2015 Alright, I give up. Just delete the dang thread.
Big C Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 Stealthy. I couldn't disagree more, i catch tons of fish being loud and obnoxious. So many jokes could be built off the "being loud and obnoxious" but I'll pass. Happy Senko de Mayo everyone.
Super User Senko lover Posted May 6, 2015 Author Super User Posted May 6, 2015 Bernie Schultz thought of this one long before ya'll did..............http://www.bassmaster.com/blog/senko-de-mayo# 1
Matthew2000 Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 So many jokes could be built off the "being loud and obnoxious" but I'll pass. Happy Senko de Mayo everyone. Well played....Again.
hoosierbass07 Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 Senko Lover, when you fish senkos, do you use weights or go weightless?
Super User Senko lover Posted May 6, 2015 Author Super User Posted May 6, 2015 Senko Lover, when you fish senkos, do you use weights or go weightless? Almost always wacky weightless. I fish very shallow ponds. 1
Super User jbsoonerfan Posted May 6, 2015 Super User Posted May 6, 2015 Almost always wacky weightless. I fish very shallow ponds. So would these "advanced" techniques work in lakes. I can catch fish on just about anything in a pond. A large lake is a VERY different story. I once thought I was a good fishermen, when I fished ponds. 3
Super User QUAKEnSHAKE Posted May 6, 2015 Super User Posted May 6, 2015 So would these "advanced" techniques work in lakes. I can catch fish on just about anything in a pond. A large lake is a VERY different story. I once thought I was a good fishermen, when I fished ponds. Heres an article (by Gary Dobyns) that includes some big lakes http://www.insideline.net/index.php/column-rods-n-rigs/1510-rods-n-rigs-my-top-5-senko-lakes
Super User jbsoonerfan Posted May 6, 2015 Super User Posted May 6, 2015 Gary Dobyns probably isn't familiar with these advanced techniques. I'm mainly concerned with how I can use these particular techniques. Would "almost always wacky weightless" work in 20 foot of water? I suppose I'm not patient enough to use it in this scenario, but I can see where in a pond with 4' of water it would work much better.
Super User QUAKEnSHAKE Posted May 6, 2015 Super User Posted May 6, 2015 Gary Dobyns probably isn't familiar with these advanced techniques. I'm mainly concerned with how I can use these particular techniques. Would "almost always wacky weightless" work in 20 foot of water? I suppose I'm not patient enough to use it in this scenario, but I can see where in a pond with 4' of water it would work much better. Well I personally dont fish BIG lakes, mostly 300 acres and less, but do regularly fish wacky weightless senkos 20-25' deep with success. In deep water it can be 2 presentations in one cast. 1 You have the long fall to get any suspending bass that see it falling by. Once on bottom drag hop twitch it along the bottom for the 2nd. Many times working senko across bottom has worked better than a jig worked across bottom for me.
bigturtle Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 you throw weightless plastics in 20+ feet of water? why would you wait for 20-40secs every cast just to use that lure? talk about inefficient.....
Super User jbsoonerfan Posted May 6, 2015 Super User Posted May 6, 2015 you throw weightless plastics in 20+ feet of water? why would you wait for 20-40secs every cast just to use that lure? talk about inefficient..... That was exactly what I was thinking.
Super User QUAKEnSHAKE Posted May 6, 2015 Super User Posted May 6, 2015 you throw weightless plastics in 20+ feet of water? why would you wait for 20-40secs every cast just to use that lure? talk about inefficient..... Whats inefficient to one may not be to another. I make less casts but the lure is presented longer. Is making 100 casts really more efficient, not to me. I do it because I have experienced that it works over and over and over over years of use and works better than other lures at times. 1
Super User MIbassyaker Posted May 6, 2015 Super User Posted May 6, 2015 And, of course, you're only waiting 20-40 seconds every cast if the bass aren't suspending. If my goal is to get down TO 20 feet as fast as possible, I'm not going to use a weightless senko; but I've certainly found them efficient at times IN 20 feet of water. 1
Brayberry Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 I'm thrilled to see another Senko thread, seriously. They always get locked, but there is some good info here thats "new" and not in any of the standard Senko threads. I hope we can keep this one going with more tips. Thanks! 1
Super User Senko lover Posted May 6, 2015 Author Super User Posted May 6, 2015 So would these "advanced" techniques work in lakes. I can catch fish on just about anything in a pond. A large lake is a VERY different story. I once thought I was a good fishermen, when I fished ponds. Well, does topwater work in that large lake? I mean, the fish can be very shallow even in a large lake. Fishing a senko in that situation can be just like a fluke or a trick worm. And sometimes large lakes have shallow areas with cover that's perfect for senkos and the techniques I discussed. Dock fisherman love senkos for skipping under docks in lakes. For what it's worth, if I was senko fishing 20+ FOW, I would use a wacky jighead.
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