Who doesn’t use senkos?

[jbrew73]

3 hours ago, bp_fowler said:

Okay, I gotta ask, why all the hate for senkos?  I thought they were a staple bait for bass fishing.  Please don’t beat me up too much ?

I am speaking about stick baits in general and not just the Yamamoto brand.    I’m also downing the wacky rig technique.   
 Honestly I typically catch dinks on them wacky rigged and I feel like I’m taking the easy way out on a tough day fishing when using the wacky rig.    The senko or stick bait in general are a good lure though.    

[LrgmouthShad]

I have not used a senko in probably 6-7 months. But they do work

[Choporoz]

I don't fish wacky rigs.  But a weightless 5 in. Senko on an Owner Twistlock Light will come through heavy grass as well as anything...and I fish a lot of grass the past few years, so I do use them more than I used to.  Senkos have been responsible for saving a couple tournaments for me.  When they are on baitfish in grass, a Senko can still get it done.

[LonnieP]

I don’t use them. Hate throwing them. I have much better luck with a good old fashioned weighted Texas rigged worm

[galyonj]

1 hour ago, bp_fowler said:

Okay, I gotta ask, why all the hate for senkos?  I thought they were a staple bait for bass fishing.  Please don’t beat me up too much ?

 

I'm not going to pay a dollar a worm. 

[FishTank]

I like using senkos but I do get bored with them sometimes...... Who am I kidding? I can put on a clinic with these things when the bite is right. I always have one tied on. 

[keagbassr]

I've never used any senko type baits but I do have a stash of asst. Stickbaits that ive found over the years so maybe someday I'll get around to it.

[bp_fowler]

Certainly some valid criticisms here.  

I guess I just have a soft spot for the things.  I got my start in bass fishing with t-rigged senkos. My very first bass and my PB were caught using them.  For a while they were the only thing I fished.

 

 

[gim]

Quite honestly, I am utterly shocked by this thread. There are some d**n good veteran respected anglers on here that have openly admitted that they never or rarely use them. I did not see that coming.

 

A stick bait has probably been my single most productive presentation for largemouth this season, and has produced my three biggest in 2023. Is it the most exciting way to fish? Certainly not.

 

I find them to be extremely effective in two situations: along an established weed line with a nail weight (for a faster sink rate), and skipping under docks into shade. I use a variety of brands and colors too, including the GY senko.

[Bird]

Probably 90% of my fish this year have come on a wacky rig Senko or flickShake....... but I much prefer a 1/16 head vs weightless.

[padon]

i never use them. i hate it when a perfectly good day of fishing gets ruined by fish biting my lure. its so boring having to reel in a fish after he bites my bait. who would want to use a lure that gets bit when alot of other things wont. im much too accomplished an angler to use something that catches that many fish.

[GreenPig]

I've literally never touched a Senko. 

[rgasr63]

I wacky rig a Trick Worm or a Finesse worm mostly. They are easier on the wallet.

[RRocket]

I use stickbaits but maybe slightly different than others.

 

I use the Big TRD. On a Free Rig either hooked wacky or Texas. Since the TRD is buoyant, it offers some interesting presentation options this way.

 

You can twitch it until it engages to the weight. Then put slack in the line and the worm floats back up. Rinse, repeat.

 

I'm a Free and Jika Rig enthusiast and a stick bait is just another tool in the box that works well with those rigs.

 

 

[swhit140]

I almost always have a stick bait on a rod. I don't buy Senko's, but I do buy BPS Stik-O. 

[fin]

I’ve bought a few stick baits when they were on clearance for like 75% off, but I don’t think I’ve ever caught anything on them, maybe one or two. I’ve never dedicated much effort to them and I doubt I ever will.  I just don’t care for them.

[Catt]

August 18, 2023 

 

Ain't thrown one yet this year, don't see one in the near future. 

[Junk Fisherman]

11 hours ago, bp_fowler said:

Okay, I gotta ask, why all the hate for senkos?  I thought they were a staple bait for bass fishing.  Please don’t beat me up too much ?

I don't have any hate for Senkos.  I'm much more likely to use a Fat Ika and if I am using a Senko it is often on a Neko rig.  Probably the biggest reason I don't use them is that I am fishing for smallmouth primarily and I don't fish many clear, weedy largemouth lakes where Senkos work best IMO.  Now If I was to go out tomorrow fishing a lake with some lily pads and docks I would definitely have a Senko or a Fat Ika tied on.  

[padlin]

Speaking of plastics in the water, I stopped at a local fishing pier one day late last winter to try out a setup. The water being gin clear showed all these whiteish curved sticks sitting on the bottom, I mean hundreds of them. All I could come up with was they were old stick baits, hey must lose their color over time.

[LrgmouthShad]

A positive comment I have about senkos is that they seem to be one of those plastics that still works well in frigid water

[Mobasser]

When Senkos first came out I tried them. Everyone was throwing them at that time. I caught fish on them, but not enough to keep buying them. I do much better on a finesse plastic worm, and have continued using them over the years.                                          I just stick with what I know best, and for me, the simple plastic worm rules.

 

[gim]

2 hours ago, Junk Fisherman said:

Probably the biggest reason I don't use them is that I am fishing for smallmouth primarily and I don't fish many clear, weedy largemouth lakes where Senkos work best IMO.  Now If I was to go out tomorrow fishing a lake with some lily pads and docks I would definitely have a Senko or a Fat Ika tied on.  

I don't get to smallmouth fish more than a few times of year and I rarely use them when I am targeting brown bass.  But when I go after largies in weedy habitat, they get used frequently.  Maybe some of the individuals commenting have a similar situation where the stick bait just doesn't make much sense to use based on where they are fishing and the target they're after.

 

As I previously stated, I used them a fair amount around docks.  And the reason is that this skip really well.  I also like using tubes around docks, as they skip good too.

[TOXIC]

I am literally forcing myself to keep this answer or maybe better stated…opinion…..short. ?. Take the name Senko off the bait and there’s a lot more that use knockoffs.  It’s been my experience that some just don’t like perceived “idiot bait” name that has been affixed to the Senko.  Why anyone who fishes would not want to use a bait that undisputedly has been one of the most successful lures of all time, is beyond me.  Is there such a thing as a bait that catches too many fish?  The idea that “I can catch fish not using a Senko” is a fools claim in my book and almost a badge that some fishermen like to wear.  Why not say the same thing about a crankbait, spinnerbait, etc., IMHO it’s because those baits aren’t as successful and there is some perceived “skill” to using them. I started using Senkos in my guide service because they flat out caught fish.  I became pro staff 30+ years ago because I have caught multiple species of fish from Florida to Canada and from east coast to west coast in every water condition imaginable. I’m not bragging, I’m just stating facts.  Do I throw other lures?  Sure I do but fishing without a Senko tied on to me is like fishing without a hook.??

[TnRiver46]

I use knockoffs, too rich for my blood 

[gim]

The OP clarified he was specifically referring to a soft plastic stick bait.  Not just a senko, as in the one made by GY.