Craw

[Chris244]

Question on rigging senkos vs rigging craw such as the rage tail. Why do you only Texas rig senkos with just a hook but when using a rage tail craw people peg a bullet weight to them. Obviously it has to do with working it on the bottom but isn’t that what you want with both of them? 

[Dens228]

I Texas rig Senkos with a weight all the time...........

I also stopped pegging my weights and have done better

 

[Deleted account]

1 hour ago, Chris244 said:

Question on rigging senkos vs rigging craw such as the rage tail. Why do you only Texas rig senkos with just a hook but when using a rage tail craw people peg a bullet weight to them. Obviously it has to do with working it on the bottom but isn’t that what you want with both of them? 

You can rig either with or without a weight, but the senko's best action is often it's level slow falling shimmy thing. On the other hand, craws are usually fished in hops or drags on or near the bottom. At times, a senko with a small sinker, or a weightless craw/creature is the ticket. 

[fishballer06]

For me, where the Senko really shines, is whenever it's suspended in the middle of the water column. Because of its softness, it has that subtle, natural shimmy as it slowly falls through the water column that the bass can't resist. Where as a craw, they're naturally found on the lakes bottom rather than swimming around high up in the water column. The bullet weight banging off the rocky bottom also makes the same type clicking sound that a crawfish naturally makes in the water. 

[snake95]

4 hours ago, Chris244 said:

Texas rig senkos with just a hook but when using a rage tail craw people peg a bullet weight to them.

I don't peg bullets with craws for the kind of fishing I do. 

 

I think the prevailing thinking is you peg a bullet when you want the craw and bullet to work together as a unit - i.e. the bait to closely track behind the bullet.  Examples are flipping grass or punching weed mats.  For general casting to targets and working along the bottom, you wouldn't peg the craw.  

 

The reason you might not see it as much with Senkos is they are generally a less favorable bait for applications where you'd peg.  

 

[LonnieP]

Another reason for using a weight with a craw is casting distance. A senko weighs a lot more than an unweighted craw and doesn't require extra weight to make a long cast.

[Joe_w1234]

I agree with the above posts. Seniors for me are great unweighted because of their shimmy and slow fall. Craws are best weighted for me because I like to drag them of just pick them up and let them fall right back down. 

Hope this helps

 

Joe

[CountryboyinDC]

I'm with @Dens228, I have probably caught more river smallmouth with a Senko with a light worm weight than any other bait.  I rarely fish a craw unless it's on a jig.  I wouldn't peg either one unless you're pitching it and need it to have that soft diving entry.

[primetime]

You can also use a light weighted hook with both craws, menace, or a senko...Gives it a bit more action and speed on the drop....Plus you have the keeper which is a nice feature..You can also just buy the DOA pinch weights or crimp a split shot on the shank and slide it up or down to get the bait to fall in the direction you want.

 

I only peg the sinker if pitching into heavy cover. Having a weight slide seems to give the bait a better action after the sinker hits and the worm slows. I also feel I convert more hooksets when the weight is not pegged, but hooks with keepers like the Owner and Mr. Twister Keeper hooks are good worm hooks. Alot of companies make them, I think they used to call it the "Rage Rig" where you would use a weighted swimbait style hook on a rage bug and slowly swim it on bottom...I actually like to use a weighted hooks with alot of plastics to cover water quicker and find active fish. 

 

Nice thing about all the Strike King creature baits including the menace, is they make a great topwater swimming baits. Doesn't need to be a toad, then just kill it and see if anything was following if not hit on top...You can fish the Menace at any portion of the water column and get bit.

 

I fish senkos with sliding bullet weights in deeper water often, and will peg a heavy sinker and pitch into cover instead of using a creature....Senko's will catch fish on any rig.

[WRB]

12 hours ago, Chris244 said:

Question on rigging senkos vs rigging craw such as the rage tail. Why do you only Texas rig senkos with just a hook but when using a rage tail craw people peg a bullet weight to them. Obviously it has to do with working it on the bottom but isn’t that what you want with both of them? 

Just reading your question without reading anything into it is Senko's are heavily salt loaded soft plastic and sink on thier own with or without a hook added. Adding a hook either wacky rigged or weedless to a Senko doesn't change it's natural action. Adding a weight to a Senko will make it sink faster but doesn't add any more action or movement.

Most craws don't sink on their own and don't have any natural action fished weightless so you need to add weight to get them to sink fast enough to get some movement or action. Anglers like to peg a bullet weight or use a jig to keep the craw and hook together to go through cover without snagging, some anglers prefer using a sliding billet weight.

At the end of the day it's what the bass prefer that counts.

Tom

[Bluebasser86]

I never use a senko with a weight. I do a lot of other stick worms with a weight though. Pitching a lightly weighted stick worm can be a great way to get bit when the bite is tough.

[snake95]

20 hours ago, Sweet Tater Pie said:

Seniors for me are great unweighted because of their shimmy and slow fall.

?

I assume you only fish them wacky?

??

[roadwarrior]

On 10/8/2019 at 8:56 AM, fishballer06 said:

For me, where the Senko really shines, is whenever it's suspended in the middle of the water column. Because of its softness, it has that subtle, natural shimmy as it slowly falls through the water column that the bass can't resist. Where as a craw, they're naturally found on the lakes bottom rather than swimming around high up in the water column. The bullet weight banging off the rocky bottom also makes the same type clicking sound that a crawfish naturally makes in the water. 

I have never fished a weighted Senko.

 

[fishballer06]

2 hours ago, roadwarrior said:

I have never fished a weighted Senko.

Me either. Tried it once in my swimming pool with a 3/16oz weight and it just quickly helicoptered to the bottom and laid there flat. Not an action I wanted from a Senko. There's lots of better worms out there for texas rigging. 

[Bankbeater]

If I’m fishing a senko in weeds, I go weightless. If I’m fishing a senko in fairly open water then I use a weight. I always use a weight with a craw. 

[GReb]

If I weight a stick bait its a pegged 1/2 oz or heavier bullet flipping into thicker cover during the middle of the summer.  I've had success but usually opt for a creature.  Honestly as much as GY Senkos cost you are wasting money by weighting it.  You are paying for the slow fall action that can't be matched by other stick baits from my experience.

 

I always hop or drag craws on the bottom with an unpegged bullet.