How far will a senko sink?

[Ksam1234]

So I looked on the forums for sink rate and maybe I didn't dig deep enough but how far on average will a senko fall? Fishing a new lake Saturday and the max depth is only 15 ft but the mean depth is 7.. let's say the wind speeds are between 4-10 mph.. would he senko be able to reach 15 ft? Or at least 7 ?

[tkunk]

Depends on current. If you want to fish a senko deeper than, say, 10 feet, you're probably better off putting one on a drop shot.

[WRB]

If you take a Senko out of the package and toss in the water it will sink to the bottom over time, the salt content is greater than the soft plastisol making it heavier than water. How long depends on current and line buoyancy. When you add a hook it increases the Senko weight. If you use FC line the line tends to sink. Adding a 3/32 nail weight increases the sink rate and allows you to keep in contact to determine strikes, for this reading the Neko rig is popular.

Tom

[J Francho]

It will sink until it hits bottom, like any sinking bait. 

[Ksam1234]

41 minutes ago, J Francho said:

It will sink until it hits bottom, like any sinking bait. 

Well that's is if it's light enough.. it may sink but with the wind I didn't know how hard it would effect the sink rate. If you put a senko on the the niagra river let's say, I highly doubt it would reach the bottom as the river runs very fast.. as why I asked if it would easily reach the bottom of this lake. 

And thanks @WRB and @portiabrat .. I figured it would be able to reach or at least almost reach.  Here really isn't much current except for whichever way the wind blows. And it's only supposed to blow 4-8 mph with an occasional 10 gust.. so pretty calm day 

[frogflogger]

I've fished them 15' but it took a lot of patience and if there's a breeze it calls for some boat handling to feed the line down.

[geo g]

The answer is:  (All the way to the bottom).  The only question is how long will it take to get there.  That depends on conditions.  As a rule, I use the least amount of weight on the line to get the job done, for all baits.  This gives fish at all depths a shot at seeing and reacting to the bait on the fall.

[Ksam1234]

1 hour ago, WRB said:

 When you add a hook it increases the Senko weight. If you use FC line the line tends to sink.

I have been using braid this entire time on my weightless plastics or senkos, should I use flouro bc it sinks or is braid ok? @geo g what do you think as well? I don't like to use leaders like braid with flouro.. so would straight braid be ok or flouro for the added sink rate 

[Fishing Rhino]

Methinks the deeper it goes, the faster it will fall.  How do I reach that conclusion?  It's really quite simple.  

 

Water pressure increases with depth.  Water pressure will compress the senko, reducing resistance and drag.  Ergo, because the bait is smaller due to water pressure while the mass is unchanged, therefore, it will fall faster.

 

Of course, we will have to take into account that the deeper it goes the more line it has to "drag" to the bottom.

 

Does the compression of the senko offset the added drag of the line?  I don't know.  You'll have to ask someone smarter than me.

 

Pardon my silliness, I've been up too long.  Left the house at three-thirty this morning and just got home.  A long day on the water will do that to me.

 

Edit:  Does anyone know if a senko will sink in salt water?  I've really got to shower and go to bed.

[geo g]

I use floro 90% of the time with my plastics.  First of all it sinks, its invisible under water, it is super sensitive, It holds up well to abrasion from rock,wood, and weeds,and you can feel the slightest tick of the line from finicky bass.  The only down side is its expensive.

 

Not all floro is the same.  You will have to try them out until you find the one you like.  Trilene 100% professional grade has been my choice for years.

[Ksam1234]

1 minute ago, geo g said:

I use floro 90% of the time with my plastics.  First of all it sinks, its invisible under water, it is super sensitive, It holds up well to abrasion from rock,wood, and weeds,and you can feel the slightest tick of the line from finicky bass.  The only down side is its expensive.

 

Not all floro is the same.  You will have to try them out until you find the one you like.  Trilene 100% professional grade has been my choice for years.

Awesome I'll have to try it.. does it tangle a lot on a bait caster or does it stay pretty straight ? I have never used flouro ever to be honest.. and with the hook set, do you set it harder bc of the stretch ? 

[geo g]

Floro takes a little more care on the spool when you use it.  I spray it before starting the day and after the days over to recondition it.  After every cast, before reeling back in,  I will take a quick look at the reel to be sure there is no slack on the spool.  If there is I will tighten up the slack.  This all takes about a second of my time.  I have been using this stuff so long I don't even think about it, its all automatic now.  You take care of your line, and it will last you a long time.

[bassguytom]

If you are using it wacky use a wacky jig to fish it deeper. That is what we do when fishing senko' deeper then 10 feet.

[RPreeb]

13 minutes ago, Fishing Rhino said:

Methinks the deeper it goes, the faster it will fall.  How do I reach that conclusion?  It's really quite simple.  

 

Water pressure increases with depth.  Water pressure will compress the senko, reducing resistance and drag.  Ergo, because the bait is smaller due to water pressure while the mass is unchanged, therefore, it will fall faster.

 

Of course, we will have to take into account that the deeper it goes the more line it has to "drag" to the bottom.

 

Does the compression of the senko offset the added drag of the line?  I don't know.  You'll have to ask someone smarter than me.

 

Pardon my silliness, I've been up too long.  Left the house at three-thirty this morning and just got home.  A long day on the water will do that to me.

 

Edit:  Does anyone know if a senko will sink in salt water?  I've really got to shower and go to bed.

It will only compress if the material is compressible.  Senko plastic is pretty dense, and I don't think that there is much effect from pressure, at least not at the depths that you will be fishing it.  At 33 feet you have doubles the pressure from what you have at the surface, but that won't have any significant effect on something like a plastic worm.  A balloon full of air will be half the volume at 33 feet that it is at the surface, but air is far more compressible than a Senko. 

 

I've been down as far as 150 feet on scuba and that has had no effect on anything that I had with me except for my air supply, which went away very quickly at that depth.  Nitrogen absorption limits one's stay down there to just a few minutes anyway without having to go through decompression.

[J Francho]

You aren't fishing the Niagara, so current isn't an issue. Sounds more like a pond. If it's windy, keep your tip down and at a 90* angle to the line. If it some still is that windy that it is holding the bait up, add a BB size split shot a few inches above the hook. 

[Ksam1234]

30 minutes ago, geo g said:

Floro takes a little more care on the spool when you use it.  I spray it before starting the day and after the days over to recondition it.  After every cast, before reeling back in,  I will take a quick look at the reel to be sure there is no slack on the spool.  If there is I will tighten up the slack.  This all takes about a second of my time.  I have been using this stuff so long I don't even think about it, its all automatic now.  You take care of your line, and it will last you a long time.

What do you spray it with? Sorry I have so many questions 

[geo g]

Line spray like KVD's or any other line conditioner is good, but expensive for what you get.  For years and from a suggestion from a member of this site, I now use an electric contact cleaner that is one third the price and every bit just as good.  You can get it at Home Depot or Ace Hardware.  Good for the line and keeps the reel smooth.  

[Sword of the Lord]

Everyone has their preference, but over the last couple of months I have personally reached the conclusion that straight fluoro is pointless. It messes up too easily and it takes a lot of care. So, so much easier to use it as a leader and get the same effect. No casting issues (because you're probably using mono or braid as a main line) and you don't have to take extra special care of it to keep it right. My opinion only.

[geo g]

Nether braid or mono sink in water like floro, nether braid or mono are invisible under water, and then you have to deal with the knot that passes through your rod guide at the rod tip.  Use whatever you want to use, if your happy with it that great, and just stay with it, but most pros have 3 or 4 rods on deck loaded with 100% floro.  You just have to get used to it, and learn how to handle it without problems.  It takes time, and experience to do that.  !00% floro is just so much more sensitive, then connecting to mono.  We all have our own preference, that's the American way. 

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

I routinely fish senkos 20-25 fow wacky rigged. I prefer braid for this use over fc due to stretch of fc there is a lot of stretch throwing 100 feet out 25 foot down. Hooksets are much easier with braid. If there are weeds to deal with braid will get through them with much less hassle while dragging the senko. 

[TOXIC]

Info from the factory is that a 5" Texas rigged weightless Senko has a sink rate of 1 foot per second.  That's been the answer I have been told to give.  My personal input: It will vary depending on line size due to tension on the water, wind, water temperature and exactly which color/flake combination you throw.  But if you count down a senko in a known water depth, you will find the above rate is most common.    Deepest I have personally caught a bass on a weightless senko: +-30ft.   

[IndianaOutdoors]

I have fished senkos on weighted swimbait hooks with some success.  I found that if I keep a semi taught line it stayed horizontal on the fall and still had good action.

[fishwizzard]

I have done a little fussing with lead wire wrapped on swimbait style hooks to get small plastics to sink a bit faster in current.  It works and I have gotten small stickbaits to keep a horizontal fall, but it took some time at home with a bucket of water to find the right amount of lead for a specfic plastic. 

[Choporoz]

Before I came upon BR and learned about all the stuff I was doing 'wrong', I fished a Senko t-rigged with bullet weights for years.  I don't think I've caught more fish per senko-fishing-hour since I learned that was verboten.  Don't tell anyone, but sometimes I still do.

[WRB]

There isn't a right or wrong way to bass fish because bass are very forgiving fish that strike a wide variety of lures and live critters, it's what makes our sport so interesting.

When asked I will give you my recommended presentations and techniques based on my experiences that may or may not help you catch bass. I call this sharing information and you can take it or leave it.

Tom