Help with Fishing Setup (Weightless Senkos/Fat Ikas)

[neenjacoder]

Hi Everyone,

 

Can you guys let me know if this rod and reel setup would work for fishing weightless Senko's and weightless Fat Ikas? If this setup doesn't work what would be a good alternative? I would prefer Daiwa or Phenix Rods for my setup since I can get a slight discount on these. Still relatively new to the bass world so any help would be appreciated.

 

Rod: (FTX-C-71ML) Phenix Feather 7'1" Medium Light 1/4-5/8oz 6-14lb

Reel: (TTUSV103HSL) Daiwa Tatula SV TW103 7.1:1

Line: 20lb braid with 10lb leader

[roadwarrior]

That will work just fine.

[Revival]

I fish Fat Ikas on the regular and I use a ALX Zolo Deputy which is a 7’1” MH/Fast.

 

I have experimented using different combos and I have had the most success by far using the MH/Fast.

[FrnkNsteen]

If you aren't around heavy vegetation,... I agree this will work fine. The ML might be a little light if you get around too many weeds.

 

I fish mine on an older Fenwick Techna AV 7' MF, but truth be told, it's weight range is 1/4 - 1oz, so more of a light MH.

[Jrob78]

I have that rod in L power and I would assume the ML would be way underpowered for what I would consider a good t-rigged Senko/Ika rod. I generally use a 7'-7'3" MH casting rod with 12-15lb fluoro.

 

I make long casts and need a rod that can drive a big EWG hook home from distance. Senkos are also heavy and I like a stiff enough tip to cast them with some control. 

 

 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

I was trying to get a 7'2 MH M1 for quite a while after handling a buddys.  They were constantly backordered for quite some time, so I gave up and went with something else.  Never even touched a Feather and I'm sure it would be serviceable as a weightless t rig rod at close range and in open water.  I just like to have that extra power to set a hook at the end of a cast and turn a fish if I need too.  I have a 7'1 M 1/4-5/8 Muse that I use from time to time for weightless t rigs, it will work, however its not ideal.  Where the 1/4-5/8 M F rods excel IMO is lighter crankbaits, JBs, topwater and finesse jigs.  That 7'2 Mh M1 is a versatile rod as well.  My buddy uses his for just about everything when hes on his yak.  I wanted it for weightless-3/16 t rigs and moving single hook baits. 

[new2BC4bass]

Welcome to the forum.  "roadwarrior" has waaayyy more experience than I do so if he says it will work, then I'm sure it would.  Personally I'd want more power.  What size hooks will you be using?

 

I went from light/ultra light for spinning to more MH rods than other powers when I got into baitcast reels.  Both lures are fairly heavy.  They fit well in most MH lure ranges.  Fat Ikas cast like a bullet.

 

From what I've read, Phenix Feather rods fish light.  I'd like to have one for finesse.

[Big Hands]

Not sure that this helps you as I am not sure we fish the same way or if my experience might somehow be relevant for you, but this is my WW Senko journey thus far with light tackle. . . .

 

I have the Phenix Feather in both L and ML and I bought them with fishing weightless Senkos as being the primary reason for acquiring them. I paired both rods with Curado BFS reels. I also own a Daiwa SV TW 103, the one before the "20" model came out, but have not tried it on the ML or L Phenix Feather casting rods.

 

IMHO, Phenix Feather rods do fish slightly lighter than what I am used to with other rods from other manufacturers.

 

For five months a year from the middle of spring through late summer, WW Senkos have become my go to on the water I fish, so I was willing to do some experimenting and dialing in what would ultimately work best for me with this type of fishing. It's effective, and it suits my preferred style of fishing, especially when the wind isn't blowing too hard.

 

I'm not casting to a general area, rather I am casting to the shoreline, and usually very specific spots on the shoreline. We have a lot of steep shoreline bluffs or steep rock shoreline. Often, if I can cast right at, or within 6" of the water's edge, I call that as being right where I want it. 12" away, and it's OK, but not what I am hoping for. If it lands two feet or more from the bank, I might fish it, or I might reel it back in. Some of the banks I like to fish have 30' depth half a boat length from the water's edge, some places more than that, and the lake level is over 100' low.

 

If there is a moderate breeze, that breeze can blow a weightless wacky Senko bait off course just before it lands and that can put me on the rocks, or five feet away from the bank. It is what it is. All this to say casting precision is important to me.

 

I fish 15 lb braid on both Feather baitcasting rigs, but I am considering trying 20 lb braid. The reason for that is because after nearly every fish I catch, the hookset causes the braid to dig in, and if I don't take a 'maintenance cast' out away from my target where I can stop it right when it gats to the dig-in and then pull it loose a ways and then rewind it in (usually with a little tension) it will 'fluff up' when I try to take a full cast. I probably could always keep a thumb and forefinger on the line as I retrieve to make it wind under tension, but it's not a habit I have reliably employed.

 

As for casting weightless Senkos, both the L and the ML do it pretty well, with the L doing slightly better because I don't have to load it up as hard to get the distance. Whether or not that will be true for everyone, I can't say. They can both set a hook as hard as I need to, but I am usually fishing with 7 lb Samurai leader and offset, wide offset or G-Lock hooks. They will definitely cast WW Senkos farther than either of my MH/F rods (Daiwa Tatula and Phenix Feather).

 

STILL, I was not super thrilled with being able to cast WW Senkos as far as I was wanting to. This ultimately led me back to spinning gear. I love the way baitcasters perform once the fish strikes, so it would be great to have them perform better on the front side of the equation. But, for me, they just don't. I do still like them for light t-rig, shakey head, light carolina rig and slipshot fishing. Very sensitive without tipping off fish that a line is attached to the snack they have inhaled. For the most part, they match well with the BFS reels, but they could handle a reel with a little more powerful drag. The Curado BFS reels have a fantastic drag for light line fishing, but with 8 lb line, I need to cinch the drag down pretty hard or a bass over 3 lbs is going to take longer than necessary to get into the boat IME. So, the Tatula SV TWS 103 might be a fine match for those rods.

 

My M/F spinning rods (I have a few including a Phenix and two Daiwa  rods {Tatula and Kage}) but I would really have to whip them to get the distance I was desiring, so I tried a couple lighter rods, a Shimano ML/F Zodias and then an Expride A in L/F.

 

At that point, the Expride was working best for me. It would not have been terrible if I had settled on that. Very sensitive, casts well, and does a great job of managing the fish once it's hooked. 

 

Yes, there is an end to this verbosity, and it's in sight. As much as I could have called it a day with the Expride L/F with a Tatula LT2000 with 10 lb braid and 7 lb Samurai leader, I decided to try a Hair Jig spinning rod. I initially was looking for a Tatula 7'6" ML-M/F in either the AGS or regular Tatula, but they were nowhere to be found at that time. I happened to look through my local tackle shop, thinking they might have one of the Daiwa hair jig rods lurking in the rack, but they didn't.

 

What they did have was a St. Croix Mojo Bass 7'6" ML/XF hair jig rod. This has been a significant step up in more than one way. It casts noticeably further with less effort with decent accuracy. It also loads up nicely when setting the hook, and then manages hooked fish extremely well. I casts a 4" weightless wacky Senko as far as I could previously cast a 5" weightless wacky Senko and puts another ten feet or more on my 5" Senko casts.

 

If I had a complaint, it would be that when casting the weightless wacky Senko so far, it takes a little longer for the line to settle, and it's not uncommon to have a fish on by the time it does. The extra distance I'm getting on the casts may also affect the sensitivity slightly, or it could be that the Expride is just a little more sensitive, I'm not quite certain.

 

I do know that I love fishing weightless wacky Senkos with this hair jig rod, and may pick up a second one so I can have a 4" on one and a 5" on the other. Not sure if I want to simply have the exact same rod for that, or may try either one of the Tatula flavors of such a rod, or may throw down on one of the other similar, but slightly different hair jig rods from St. Croix. I guess Bait Monkey will continue to be my guide. 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

I throw them on different rods due to the weight difference and hook’s used. I prefer 4” weightless worms so the difference is more pronounced. I’ll use a ML or M fast spinning rod for worms and M or Mh for Ikas depending on cover. 

[dodgeguy]

I fish them on a MH fast with 50 lb braid. Get no dig in and don't need maintenance casts. 

[FishTank]

I use a G Loomis 844C GLX with a Shimano Curado and 12lb fluorocarbon.  I fish them backwards with either a 4/0 EWG or a 4/0 Owner Wide Gap Plus. 

[BrianMDTX]

12 hours ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

I throw them on different rods due to the weight difference and hook’s used. I prefer 4” weightless worms so the difference is more pronounced. I’ll use a ML or M fast spinning rod for worms and M or Mh for Ikas depending on cover. 

I kinda agree with this. I have great success (and fun) fishing weightless Senko TR’s on my MLXF, but they weigh substantially less than a Fat IKA or a Neko Macho.  I prefer a MF at a minimum for those, and mostly a MHF. 
 

It will work, but I find casting accuracy suffers with too much rod flex. 

[T-Billy]

I have that Feather ML. Way too soft for the baits mentioned imo. I use it for neds.

[WRB]

Fat Ika with 3/0 hook needs at least Medium power rod, wacky rigged Senko you can get by with a ML with exposed hook. If you Texas weedless hook the Senko it’s no different then a T-rigged worm and needs more rod power for hook sets imo.

Tom

[TOXIC]

14 minutes ago, WRB said:

Fat Ika with 3/0 hook needs at least Medium power rod, wacky rigged Senko you can get by with a ML with exposed hook. If you Texas weedless hook the Senko it’s no different then a T-rigged worm and needs more rod power for hook sets imo.

Tom

Agreed.  Since there isn’t a standard rating for rod power and every maker is different, the thing to remember is those 2 baits fish different.  A Senko is much easier to get a hookset than a Fat Ika.  Also consider what line you are going to use and how you are going to fish the bait.  Long casts suck up a lot of power on a hookset and you need a rod that can deliver it with some power.  I personally like a medium powered rod with a fast tip. 

[JackstrawIII]

43 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

I personally like a medium powered rod with a fast tip.

 

Same here. I prefer to fish smaller/lighter plastics (with buried hooks) on a medium power, fast action rod. 

 

I love my medium light rods, but I only use them for exposed hook applications (Ned rig, small treble hook lures, etc.) 

[Revival]

9 hours ago, BrianMDTX said:

weightless Senko TR’s on my MLXF, but they weigh substantially less than a Fat IKA 

Just FYI…
 

5” Senkos are 0.35 oz

4” Fat Ikas are 0.40 oz