Senko fishing - Lure feel

[patchtech]

So, I was fishing senkos the other day.  First time, and first time fishing plastics seriously in a while.

 

I noticed usually when I moved the rod I would feel either no resistance at all, or a consistent slight resistance.  I could not figure out which one to react to.  I tried to set the hook a few times when I felt resistance, but nothing.  Didn't set the hook when I felt no resistance.

 

Maybe I'm overanalyzing after the fact, just trying to reconcile the two feelings.  Any advice?

[BigAngus752]

Wacky? T-rig? Weighted or weightless? Were you on the bottom?  What's on the bottom?  It's hard for us to tell you what you were feeling without feeling it.  Hopefully someone more computer savvy will link @Glenn 's video on what a bite feels like.  

 

Here's the simplest response:  Watch the line.  If your line moves left, right, away from your, toward you, or you could feel your lure but suddenly it's weightless...swing for the fence.  If you aren't in current and your line starts moving or suddenly becomes weightless it's in a fish's mouth.  With all the snags on the bottom of my lakes and all the pan fish that peck at my stickbaits I've found that line watching is what catches all my bass when I'm fishing wacky.  

[patchtech]

18 minutes ago, BigAngus752 said:

Wacky? T-rig? Weighted or weightless? Were you on the bottom?  What's on the bottom?  It's hard for us to tell you what you were feeling without feeling it

Told myself I'd put that in there and I totally forgot.  Brain is mush today.

 

t-rigged, weightless.  And I was following the guaranteed to catch bass thread, so it was across bottom.  There were patches of tree limbs, and some rock.  As well as just dirt.  Definitely didn't see any line movement on the surface. 

 

Figured it might be a hard one to answer, especially with second hand info.  Was just wondering and figured I'd ask ?

 

My assumption is, the resistance was probably some structure of some kind.  It was consistent, and in roughly the same place.  Just don't have a good enough feel yet

[bigbill]

I wacky rig the senko with a c rig and a 24” leader with a brass clicker. As the bait falls I keep the line snug and watch the rod tip for the slightest nibble. Once the tip moves set the hook.

 

if nothing happens on the slow fall, i then get jiggy with the rod tip as it falls letting the brass clicker do its thing.

i put a 1/8 oz brass weight, a brass ball, then a brass clicker with it, between the plastic beads.

[BigAngus752]

8 hours ago, patchtech said:

Told myself I'd put that in there and I totally forgot.  Brain is mush today.

 

t-rigged, weightless.  And I was following the guaranteed to catch bass thread, so it was across bottom.  There were patches of tree limbs, and some rock.  As well as just dirt.  Definitely didn't see any line movement on the surface. 

 

Figured it might be a hard one to answer, especially with second hand info.  Was just wondering and figured I'd ask ?

 

My assumption is, the resistance was probably some structure of some kind.  It was consistent, and in roughly the same place.  Just don't have a good enough feel yet

Hey, you're on the right track!  I've fished almost entirely soft plastics this year and I would still rather snag than miss a fish so if you have any doubt whatsoever set the hook.  Here's Glenn with a really good explanation:

 

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/feel-bite.html

 

 

[JustJames]

What line, rod power and action? bigger line or bigger braid some time prevent you from contact with the bait. Rod is also part of equation, MH rod with stiff tip might not response as well as M/F or XF.

You will have to learn weight of senko where when you lift it how much resistance you feel, any different might be a bite. I don’t normally just lift but slight jerk when pre-hook set or move Senko. If I feel sharp tab that might be a bite if I feel a tab plus pull back that is definitely a bite. If I don’t feel nothing and my line is floating, I reel fast and set hook.

[Sam]

On 9/16/2019 at 7:19 PM, BigAngus752 said:

Wacky? T-rig? Weighted or weightless? Were you on the bottom?  What's on the bottom?  It's hard for us to tell you what you were feeling without feeling it.  Hopefully someone more computer savvy will link @Glenn 's video on what a bite feels like.  

 

Here's the simplest response:  Watch the line.  If your line moves left, right, away from your, toward you, or you could feel your lure but suddenly it's weightless...swing for the fence.  If you aren't in current and your line starts moving or suddenly becomes weightless it's in a fish's mouth.  With all the snags on the bottom of my lakes and all the pan fish that peck at my stickbaits I've found that line watching is what catches all my bass when I'm fishing wacky.  

X2.

 

When throwing any bait you need to know how it feels without being hit. This means you have to throw the bait and then concentrate on how it feels via your finger on the line and how you point your rod tip. You do this a few times to get a good "feel" of your presentation.

 

Once you believe you have a good "feel" of a free floating bait, be it a plastic, jig, treble hook bait, etc, you will then know when to set the hook when the bait "feels different."

 

I was fishing a few years ago when I flipped my Senko to the bank and the line just stopped falling. I thought maybe the Senko had landed on a stump. I remembered the "feel rule" from a previous seminar, so I reeled in the slack and set the hook.  A beautiful three pound lady joined me a few seconds later.

 

Seems she was just sitting there, minding her own business, when my Senko floated past her so she sucked it in and held it in her mouth. I knew something was "different" so I set the hook.

 

Remember, once the bass sucks in the bait you have seconds to either set the hook or let the bass spit out the bait. This is another reason to use your favorite scent so that the bass will hold the bait in its mouth for a few seconds longer.

 

And sight and feel are critical, too. You have to keep your eye on your line at all times when fishing Senkos and also your index finger on the line coming off the reel.  On many occasions you will not feel the hit but you will see the line move to the right or left.  When that happens, you take a deep breath and set the hook hard over your head.

 

Keep using and experimenting with your Senkos and soon enough you will be a Senko pro!

[patchtech]

1 hour ago, Bass_Fishing_Socal said:

What line, rod power and action? bigger line or bigger braid some time prevent you from contact with the bait. Rod is also part of equation, MH rod with stiff tip might not response as well as M/F or XF.

Was using 6lb mono, on a medium power, fast action glass rod.

 

1 hour ago, Sam said:

When throwing any bait you need to know how it feels without being hit. This means you have to throw the bait and then concentrate on how it feels via your finger on the line and how you point your rod tip. You do this a few times to get a good "feel" of your presentation.

That was my only reason for throwing it the other day, learning the feel   Glad to know I'm doing something right.

 

I've been primarily a crankbait thrower for a long time, since it was "easy"... Keep throwing till a fish comes along with it. 

 

Thanks for all the tips, and will keep on keeping on with the senkos.  I bought a few packs of em with some 4/0 hooks the other day online.  Should be here in the next day or so, then will be all senkos all the time, at least until I develop more instinctive/reactive responses with soft plastics. 

 

Not necessarily because I like or hate senkos, just I feel if you do the same thing over and over, it gets easier to tell when these differences happen and focus on them.  And there's a _lot_ of senko information on this board.

[Catt]

14 hours ago, patchtech said:

So, I was fishing senkos the other day.  First time, and first time fishing plastics seriously in a while.

 

I noticed usually when I moved the rod I would feel either no resistance at all, or a consistent slight resistance.  I could not figure out which one to react to.  I tried to set the hook a few times when I felt resistance, but nothing.  Didn't set the hook when I felt no resistance.

 

Maybe I'm overanalyzing after the fact, just trying to reconcile the two feelings.  Any advice?

 

I tell you what I'm gonna did!

 

I'm gonna try & help you connect the dots!

 

What you've read above, what you've watched, & what you've heard. Pay attention to & memorize it all but do not stop there.

 

"I would feel either no resistance at all, or a consistent slight resistance."

 

The bites where you feel movement, see movement are the easy bites to detect. The bites where you see zero line movement or feel a heaviness quite often are bites.

 

It is not unusual for a 2# bass to inhale a 1/2 oz lure & simply sit the until you apply to much pressure, at which time they spit it!

 

How easy ya think it would be for it to inhale your Senko & you never feel it?

 

It's a sixth sense you develop over time throwing Texas Rigs & Jig-n-Craws a lot.

 

It goes back to the old saying, "When in doubt, drop the rod, reel the slack, set the hook!"

[WRB]

Experienced anglers using weightless rigged soft plastics like Senko's use terms like "pressure" or "rubber band" bite when a bass engulfs it and doesn't move. What this means is the lure feels different then all the other resistance you detect. Different comes with hours of fishing a specific soft plastic. 

Blind setting the hook with Senko's that tear easily can get costly learning the difference between nothing and something. My suggestion is stop moving the Senko give a little slack then slowly lift the rod tip feeling the line for any ticks or pressure or that rubber band resistance then set the hook. You miss a few strike doing this but you will feel the Senko being rejected and know you missed a strike putting the experience to memory.

 This isn't a easy strike to detect and often becomes an intuitive reaction from collective experiences.

I only use a unweighted Senko where bass are located, meaning I know the bass are in a specific area and depth because it's a slow vertical falling lure where 90% of the strikes occur on the fall or within a few feet after hitting bottom. If I am dragging a soft plastic weightless my choice is a slip shot rig and floating soft plastic.

Tom

[Sam]

8 hours ago, patchtech said:

Was using 6lb mono, on a medium power, fast action glass rod.

 

That was my only reason for throwing it the other day, learning the feel   Glad to know I'm doing something right.

 

I've been primarily a crankbait thrower for a long time, since it was "easy"... Keep throwing till a fish comes along with it. 

 

Thanks for all the tips, and will keep on keeping on with the senkos.  I bought a few packs of em with some 4/0 hooks the other day online.  Should be here in the next day or so, then will be all senkos all the time, at least until I develop more instinctive/reactive responses with soft plastics. 

 

Not necessarily because I like or hate senkos, just I feel if you do the same thing over and over, it gets easier to tell when these differences happen and focus on them.  And there's a _lot_ of senko information on this board.

OK, your post came in first so I am going to add to it regarding Senkos.

 

Colors

297 - Green Pumpkin with Black Flake - All Conditions

194 - Watermelon - Clear Water

213 - Junebug - All Conditions

 

Lengths

5-Inches I have found to be the best length.

 

Wacky Rig

Excellent presentation.

Use heat shrink tubing from the electrical department.

Cut tubing into 1/4 inch strips, slide to middle of Senko so it is even when folder over, and using a bar-b-q igniter to shrink the tubing on the Senko. Place one end of the Senko on a table and heat the tape. Turn the Senko a few times to get the entire tubing hot so it shrinks evenly.

You then place the #1 or 1/0 hook between the tubing and skin.

Tubing will relax as you fish so you may end up with only the tubing on your hook after a battle but you can always reheat it as you fish. Thank Ike for this suggestion.

 

Texas Rig

Works great with a Senko. Just rig it like you would any other plastic Texas rig and start casting.

You don't need an additional weight. The Senko's weight is enough to cast it. If you want to be different, you can always add a very small 1/16 weight to the top of your hook but this is not necessary.

 

Rod, Reel and Line

Just balance the rod's line test and bait weight with the line test you are using.

Add the high and low line tests and divide by 2. This will give you the optimal line test to use or get you close to the best line test rating.

I throw Senkos on spinning gear so I use 8-pound braid or fluorocarbon with a #1 or 1/0 hook.

I also use the same size mono as backing on my spinning reel to stop line slippage.

Medium heavy rod.

 

Balancing Baitcaster

Another trick from the pros if you don't already know it.

Rig up baitcaster ready to cast with your Senko.

Be sure to match the line test with the spool's line test.

Set the spool and drag tight.

Point rod tip to 11 o'clock and release the spool.

You then adjust the spool speed and drag so that the spool stops spinning when the bait hits the ground.

You do this a number of times until you feel confident you have the correct spool speed and drag.

Do not do this on carpet.

You do this outside or in your boat as the hooks can really mess up carpet.

You also do this every time you change a bait on a baitcaster. Everytime. No exceptions.

You will never have a backlash with your baitcaster unless you hit something during your cast.

You can tighten or loosen the spool as you wish for distance or throwing your buzzbaits, Chatterbaits, jigs, etc. on your baitcasters.

 

Confidence

After you experiment with your Senko you will build confidence. You can then use other Senko colors and sizes and throw them in places you would not throw any other baits.

 

Good luck with your Senkos and have some fun. Be sure to post pics of your catches.

 

[patchtech]

@Sam Wow, thanks for such a detailed post!  It's immensely helpful

[Sam]

6 hours ago, patchtech said:

@Sam Wow, thanks for such a detailed post!  It's immensely helpful

I visited my double secret pond this afternoon and caught seven dinks on Senkos of all colors.

 

They hit the 5-inchers rigged both Wacky and Texas style.

 

Pond is not managed since husband passed away so only dinks in it now. But it is still fun to fish and work on your techniques and various baits.

 

 

[WRB]

Plastisol used to make soft plastic lures melts about 320-350f, low temperature heat shrink tubing shrinks about 200-230f, about 100 degrees F difference. Open gas flame is over 2000f, easy to melt both tubing and soft plastic.

Another popular option for wacky rigged Senko is rubber O-rings installed using a simple tool.

Tom

PS, #208 watermelon w/black & red flake is very popular Senko color.