Yum Dingers or Strike King Shim-E-Sticks?

[Sword of the Lord]

My favorite lure is the Senko. I especially love them wacky rigged. However, even with zip ties, I'm burning through them so quickly. I could have much better gear than Lightning Rods and Abu reels from Wal-Mart and DSG if I wasn't spending so much on lures alone. So, which do you prefer: Yum Dingers or Strike King Shim-E-Sticks?

[IndianaFinesse]

I know you didn't mention them, but I like the bps stick-o better than the dingers  and shimesticks.  Closest thing to a senko, although no stick worm works as well as a senko IMO.

 

Instead of zip ties, try using 1/4 inch wide pieces of (3/8" for 5" senkos) shrink tubing.  I can usually get 5-12 fish per senko using them.

[tcbass]

Try this method with the rubber tubing. I've had 1 Senko last like 10 trips. 

 

 

 

 

[Dorado]

6 minutes ago, tcbass said:

Try this method with the rubber tubing. I've had 1 Senko last like 10 trips. 

 

 

 

 

Do you mind sharing that color ?oxblood?  I like......

[tcbass]

13 minutes ago, Dorado said:

Do you mind sharing that color ?oxblood?  I like......

 

 

My favorite color, cinnamon.

 

 

Also, not all Senko's are same thickness, I've found this size tube works well with cinnamon and green pumpkin.

[HookRz]

SK Zero or ZMan Zinker. Nothing nearly comes even close in durability. Eventually they float but you can always use a weighted whacky head.

Or...cut them in half for the traditional Midwest Finesse bait. Truth be told most of my Zinkers get chopped before they see whacky action.

[Raul]

I don't see what's wrong with Lightnin Rods, 80 % of the "handful" of 10+ lbers I've caught in my life including my 14 lbs PB felt the power of LRs.

 

Now back to the Senko vs something else cheaper and more durable, I can't say anything about SK stickbaits because I have never tried them, why ? Because Dingers do a great job.

[tcbass]

28 minutes ago, Raul said:

I don't see what's wrong with Lightnin Rods, 80 % of the "handful" of 10+ lbers I've caught in my life including my 14 lbs PB felt the power of LRs.

 

Now back to the Senko vs something else cheaper and more durable, I can't say anything about SK stickbaits because I have never tried them, why ? Because Dingers do a great job.

 

 

I've tried Dingers and others, none were as good as Senkos for me. 

[Raul]

1 hour ago, tcbass said:

 

 

I've tried Dingers and others, none were as good as Senkos for me. 

 

I never said they were better, actually I can't say Senkos are THAT great since they don't last enough to make a mano a mano comparison; besides, the thread is not about which baits are as great as senkos, it's about a comparison between to possible substitutes for senkos.

 

[tcbass]

1 hour ago, Raul said:

 

I never said they were better, actually I can't say Senkos are THAT great since they don't last enough to make a mano a mano comparison; besides, the thread is not about which baits are as great as senkos, it's about a comparison between to possible substitutes for senkos.

 

 

 

I wasn't saying you did, I'm just saying my experience with them, the Dingers just didn't work as well as Senkos. I tried that route too. lol

[TOXIC]

9 hours ago, tcbass said:

 

 

My favorite color, cinnamon.

 

 

Also, not all Senko's are same thickness, I've found this size tube works well with cinnamon and green pumpkin.

Great Color!!  Yamamoto's top selling color is 297.  I can tell you every Senko comes out of the same mold (5 inch).  Now there are a few different 5 inch Senko types (Slim Senko, Pro Senko, etc.) that are different thicknesses.  I've been Pro-Staff for 15 years and have watched them being made.   Now I will tell you that there ARE slight differences in weight depending on color Lg/Sm Flake vs Solid vs Laminate, etc., in the same size Senko.  Due to this some skip and fall differently.  Durability has always been a discussion when it comes to Senko fishing and in my seminars, I always say that a "lot" of waste can be eliminated by rigging.  As for acceptable knockoffs, you'll never hear me say that any other bait fishes like the original and I truly believe that.  There's always 2 camps when it comes to Senko's, the die hard users.....and those that feel they are nothing special and that the knockoffs work just as well.  Believe me when I say, you are not going to change either one's mind on the subject.    The tournament guys that I have guided usually will use a knockoff in practice and switch over to the Senko on tournament day.  Bottom line, buy what you have confidence in, because they all will catch fish.  

[Djohn]

A Senko is hard to beat. I'm not a fan of Dingers. My second choice is Lockett Lures because of the price and color selection. They offera few colors like sunfish laminant that work well for me.

[NYWayfarer]

Dingers. I have had great success this year with all sizes of Dingers.

 

Dingers are great in shallow waters with little to no current as the sink rate is slow. This is where they excel.

 

I normally use Senkos for deeper water with current. If I want to use Dingers in that environment then I use a wacky weighted jighead, Texas rig or Carolina rig. The added weight of these techniques prevents the Dinger from floating.

 

**Dingers are on sale at Dick's this week. $2 a pack if you buy 5 or more. $10 gets you a whole lot of Dingers. I still haven't burned through all the ones I purchased the last time DSG had this sale**

[CTBassin860]

I use dingers. They have never given me a reason to switch to anything else

[BassNJake]

I have to agree with Toxic about having 2 sides to this discussion and neither side is very swayable.

I'm poor and cheap therefore I throw knock offs.

My tourney partner will practice with knock offs and on tourney days switch to Senko's.

When they're feeding it doesn't seem to matter.

 

However, there have been days when the bite was tougher and the Senko was definitely the deal.

We have never had it be the other way around where the knock off out performed the Senko.

 

I liked the Gander Mountain brand as they made bulk packs and I have gotten some pretty decent ones on Ebay as well.

However, I also bought a bad batch from Ebay too.

 

[Fisher-O-men]

Any brand I use last me all day.  That might change if I ever caught a fish.  Man SoCal is tough this year!

[HeavyDluxe]

If these are the only two choices (Dingers and Shim-E-Stiks), I'd vote for the Shim-E-Stiks... They're cheaper per worm (I think), are durable, and fish fine.  The only downside is that they are even *lighter*, seemingly, than the Yum's - so they don't cast as far or sink at the same rate.

 

That said, I sold out and bought a bulk pack of the BPS 'Tournament Grade' Stick-Os this year... They've been really solid for me.  They're dirt cheap in the big packs, plenty durable (though not as durable as the Dingers) at that price, and are salted enough that they cast/sink more like true GYCB Senkos.

 

YMMV.

[Mumbly]

Yum Dingers for me. I have tried a few others like the stick-o, havoc flat dawg, SK ocho, wave tiki stick, to name but 4. They all worked ok but I seem to catch more fish on the dinger's. Perhaps it's a confidence thing, not sure. Another plus is that they can be found on sale frequently for $2 a bag (BPS has them on sale for $1.97 currently).

23 hours ago, tcbass said:

Try this method with the rubber tubing. I've had 1 Senko last like 10 trips. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I learned that not all vinyl tubing is the same. I bought some tubing from a hardware store in that exact size and yikes. I am thinking it might be too stiff and smooth. The 5" Dinger slid right on through it with no effort at all. Looking back, I believe you mentioned in a previous thread about aquarium tubing, which I am thinking is softer and "grippier" which would keep the bait from sliding through it.

[Fishes in trees]

I fish senko style baits quite a bit.  If I'm throwing wacky style, there isn't any substitute for original senko.  I'm a fan of using o-rings.  3/8 o.d. - 1/4 i.d. seems to be the size of o-ring that works best for me.  Sometimes I use a single o-ring, last year I tried using 2 and criss-crossing them so that the hook is perpendicular to the bait.  On e o-ring rigs the bait with the hook in line with the bait.  Didn't notice a huge difference either way, this year I went back to one o-ring.

 

When I tx rig stick baits, either weightless or tail weighted hook or tx rig with a slip weight (pegged or not) or with an insert weight in the tail I find that there are many brands of stick baits that work.  My approach has been to buy most of them and I make my bait choice based on color rather than brand.   

 

This year my buddy has has most of his success with tx rigged dingers, black/blue sparkles laminate.  Me, I've had some luck with the black & blue, and also with the V & M stick bait in Ocochobee Craw and the Ocho in the same color.  Culprit makes a unique color of green pumpkin with large copper flakes that lead the league on a couple of occasions this summer.   Last summer, the water overall was a little clearer than it has been this summer.   Last summer the Chompers stick bait in Huckleberry color seemed to be the ticket.

 

So that is my approach to tx rigged stick baits.   BUY THEM ALL - every color you can afford - make your bait choices according to color rather than brand.   I've found that if the fish don't like the bait - it will last a long time.  Should fish show a preference for a particular color, the bait won't last very long.

[tcbass]

16 hours ago, Mumbly said:

Yum Dingers for me. I have tried a few others like the stick-o, havoc flat dawg, SK ocho, wave tiki stick, to name but 4. They all worked ok but I seem to catch more fish on the dinger's. Perhaps it's a confidence thing, not sure. Another plus is that they can be found on sale frequently for $2 a bag (BPS has them on sale for $1.97 currently).

 

 

I learned that not all vinyl tubing is the same. I bought some tubing from a hardware store in that exact size and yikes. I am thinking it might be too stiff and smooth. The 5" Dinger slid right on through it with no effort at all. Looking back, I believe you mentioned in a previous thread about aquarium tubing, which I am thinking is softer and "grippier" which would keep the bait from sliding through it.

 

 

Interesting. 

 

The tube in the pic is regular plumbing tubing from Menards. I have used aquarium tubing for other stuff, not this. I agree that all tubing probably isn't the same.

[moguy1973]

I tried the clear 3/8" shrink wrap on my stick worms and had zero success.  The worm just tore through the hook and into the fish's mouth and all I had left on my line was the hook and shrink wrap.  I heated the shrink wrap up so much to compress it on the worm that the worm was melting from my heat gun.  Didn't matter, the worm would slip right out of the shrink tubing.  I'll stick with the doubled up Goody hair bands.  They seem to work for 4-5 fish usually before they tear through the worm, and actually since I've started using weedless wacky hooks they've been lasting longer since the weedguard helps prevent the worm from sliding up the line when a fish is on.

[Glenn]

On 8/23/2017 at 7:54 PM, Raul said:

Now back to the Senko vs something else cheaper and more durable, I can't say anything about SK stickbaits because I have never tried them, why ? Because Dingers do a great job.

X2

[moguy1973]

On 8/23/2017 at 9:54 PM, Raul said:

 

 

Now back to the Senko vs something else cheaper and more durable, I can't say anything about SK stickbaits because I have never tried them, why ? Because Dingers do a great job.

Guess I should answer the OPs question too.

 

My go to are BPS Stick-O's just because they are cheap and I have caught plenty of fish on them to not warrant having to use Senkos.  I also use Dingers and that's what I've been using recently since they were on sale and they had the colors I needed to fish the dirty water I was fishing.  I have had some of the not so well known brands that I have not liked mainly because they were too light.  I had some Gambler stick worms that wouldn't sink fast enough to use with a small wacky worm.  They did work well on a shakey head though.

[bowhunter63]

Really like Strike King Shim-E-Stiks,Pretty tough and catch me alot of fish.As far as Lighting Rods go have been using them for years now,Great Rods for the money.

[Sword of the Lord]

19 minutes ago, bowhunter63 said:

Really like Strike King Shim-E-Stiks,Pretty tough and catch me alot of fish.As far as Lighting Rods go have been using them for years now,Great Rods for the money.

They are great rods. I just look at all the Senkos I've bought this season and realize I could have either more gear or better gear if I would try Dingers or the like. The ultimate goal is catching the fish, and Senkos do that, but if something else can be used with little to no noticeable negative effect, then it would be wise to cut the price by more than half.

 

I don't have a BPS anywhere close to me so I picked up some Dingers at a local farming and outdoors mom n pop shop. I'll order some BPS brand to try though.