Deep hooking bass on Senkos

[nycbhoy]

Hi there. Fairly new fisherman and been catching a lot with soft plastics. Mainly Senkos and yum dingers. I watch the line (braid to mono leader) carefully but have noticed I’ve been deep hooking a few fish. Learned how to remove the hooks through the gills and have been doing that successfully but wanted to ask about semi slack line. 
 

My understanding is that you should let the senko fall on semi slack line but what does that really mean? My guess is maybe i still have too much slack? Trying to get better at identifying bites and setting hook quickly. 
 

cheers

 

 

[The Bassman]

It happens to all of us at times. Bass inhale a worm in a blink of an eye. Sounds like you're doing fine. I use braid that I can see well but sometimes they take with little or no indication. Just part of the game. I'm not using soft plastics as much lately mostly because I finesse fish so much during the colder months that I enjoy moving baits now.

[RichF]

This is the main reason I don't fish them.  I've been fishing for over 25 yrs and consider myself to be an exceptionally skilled angler.  I can detect and decipher just about any bite but I STILL deep hook fish if I throw a weightless stickworm.  

[BrianMDTX]

IMO, semi-slack means just about what it says. It’s not completely slack and laying loose on (or just under) the surface, and it’s not tight. It’s just enough slack that the bass starts to run the line out without immediately feeling line tension, but easily reeled in to let the bass set the hook in about a second or so. 

 

Regardless, I’ve deep-hooked two on a WR. And two on a Zoom trick worm TR. Sometimes it just happens. 

[JustJames]

It depends on when the bite happened. If while you are working/moving the lure, you can improve the bite detection, keep as much tension as possible, I feel the bite better with mono/FC when fishing slack line with senko, otherwise lighter braid.

If the bite happen on the drop after cast, that is a little bit harder to detect the bite even with experience anglers. I don’t let senko fall on completely slack line, I’d reel the line a little to keep just enough tension to let senko fall on it own weight and lift the rod up 90 degree while my index finger touch the line at all time. This case I have to cast further off the target since senko would sink pendulum toward you.

[nycbhoy]

Thanks all. Going to try and keep a finger on the line tomorrow and maybe reel a little more line in when letting it fall to see if that helps. The water where I’m fishing is pretty shallow with weed on the bottom so finding options fairly limited and the t rigged worm seems to be working well. 

[txchaser]

Try raising your rod tip up high when the senko hits the water, and follow the worm down with your rod tip so you can maintain that constant semi-slack. Also watch the spot where the line breaks the surface of the water. 

 

Consider mashing down the barb of the hook for a while. You might lose a fish or two, but it'll do far less damage if they do get it gut hooked. 

[WRB]

Circle hook.

When you can't feel the lures weigh or resistance and can't see the bass it simply engulfs the Senko without you detecting the strike. When the bass moves away moving all the slack out of the line you feel the fish that has already swallowed the soft plastic. 

Circle hook doesn't penetrate the throat this di it stops in the corner of the mouth.

Tom

[Bluebasser86]

39 minutes ago, WRB said:

Circle hook.

When you can't feel the lures weigh or resistance and can't see the bass it simply engulfs the Senko without you detecting the strike. When the bass moves away moving all the slack out of the line you feel the fish that has already swallowed the soft plastic. 

Circle hook doesn't penetrate the throat this di it stops in the corner of the mouth.

Tom

How would you Texas rig a circle hook though?

[WRB]

59 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

How would you Texas rig a circle hook though?

Texposed or nose hook it.

Tom

[nycbhoy]

What size circle hook would you use?  Assume something like the Gamakatsu circle octopus hooks would work??

 

Cheers

[WRB]

10 minutes ago, nycbhoy said:

What size circle hook would you use?  Assume something like the Gamakatsu circle octopus hooks would work??

 

Cheers

1/0 octopus, wacky rigged with o-ring or nose hooked.

Tom

[nycbhoy]

2 minutes ago, WRB said:

1/0 octopus, wacky rigged with o-ring or nose hooked.

Tom

Thankyou.  Caught a couple this morning and they were well hooked with the t rigged EWG hook but may pick up some circle / octopus hooks to try them.

[Jermination]

4 minutes ago, nycbhoy said:

What size circle hook would you use?  Assume something like the Gamakatsu circle octopus hooks would work??

 

Cheers

Dont use a circle hook on a wacky rig, they are too small to fit around the jawbone of a 4+lb bass. VMC neko hook #2 is the best route to take IMO. 

 

To me the best way to fish a wacky rig is popping the slack in your line—more or less the way you fish a drop shot. You’re not trying to make your worm wiggle because it does that by itself while falling...  lift your rod tip a few times with slack in the line and when you feel the weight of worm, stop what you’re doing and let it fall on a slack line.

[TriStateBassin106]

This happens more on weightless T rigs I noticed more than wacky rigs. Maybe because I fish T rigs more? Idk but the gill tactic seems to work for me, unfortunately I've had incident where bass would swallow the hook and start to bleed, working on them long like that isn't worth it if they're losing blood at a fast rate. It's better to just send them back with the hook in those cases, hopefully it rusts out. 

[TOXIC]

Use a 4.0 ewg hook for your Texas rig.  The larger hook and gap will jump more than a 3.0 when you get bit. I guided many new Senko fishermen and women and very rarely had them deep hooked using a 4.0 Gamakatsu ewg.

[NHBull]

Please try the Ike NEKO finesse hook.

I take a lot of never-ever kids and that hook can set itself in the roof of the mouth....and if swallowed it is easy to get out through the gills as the shank isn’t so long it won’t turn in a small fish

[WRB]

We have no idea what size Senko is being used; 4", 5"*, 6" or 7" , hook size is generally based on the diameter of the soft plastic.

Tom

*5" is the most popular.

[nycbhoy]

Started using 4” Senkos and more recently 5” since easier to cast and get more distance. I’m fishing from the bank mostly or a kayak. 
 

[OnthePotomac]

Debarb the hook.  Been doing it for 15 years now on the Potomac.  No, I do not lose fish.  Just reach in with your long pliers, grab the hook, give it a gentle twist and slide it right back out.  No barb, no fuss.

[Bird]

Carry a pair of these and simply cut the hook....works every time.

 

[ChrisD46]

On 8/25/2020 at 10:42 AM, TOXIC said:

Use a 4.0 ewg hook for your Texas rig.  The larger hook and gap will jump more than a 3.0 when you get bit. I guided many new Senko fishermen and women and very rarely had them deep hooked using a 4.0 Gamakatsu ewg.

*Assuming a 5" Senko , Dinger , etc. I prefer a Gamakatsu 4/0 EWG as well ... Gary Yamamoto states the 3/0 EWG hook is the  preferred size for the 5" Senko - however I always felt that the 3/0 EWG hook size in the 5" Senko  led to more deep hooking issues with bass .

[TOXIC]

3 hours ago, ChrisD46 said:

*Assuming a 5" Senko , Dinger , etc. I prefer a Gamakatsu 4/0 EWG as well ... Gary Yamamoto states the 3/0 EWG hook is the  preferred size for the 5" Senko - however I always felt that the 3/0 EWG hook size in the 5" Senko  led to more deep hooking issues with bass .

Exactly right.  Gary does prefer the 3.0 because it allows the 5 inch Senko the most action.  You trade off a little action when you step up to the 4.0.  On windy days or fishing relatively deep, I will even use a 5.0 but it is rare.  

[LCG]

4/0 EWG hook rarely sees a gut hooked fish for me. 

 

I have gut fished fish and it sucks, but sounds like you are doing everything you can to preserve your fish. Maybe just more time on the water. 

[BurrStone]

On 8/25/2020 at 1:23 PM, OnthePotomac said:

Debarb the hook.  Been doing it for 15 years now on the Potomac.  No, I do not lose fish.  Just reach in with your long pliers, grab the hook, give it a gentle twist and slide it right back out.  No barb, no fuss.

Ditto