Who doesn’t use senkos?

[TOXIC]

Well I didn’t see it…here the original post and Senko is in the title so I am assuming he’s talking about Senkos.  It was later the knockoffs came up….but I don’t want to split hairs, the sentiment is still the same.

 

“I know a few guys around me that refuse to use em because it’s all anyone seems throw around these parts. I’ve caught some good fish on em but there always seems to be a better option”

[LrgmouthShad]

If I fished a spinnerbait for an entire year, and only a spinnerbait, then fished a senko for an entire year and only a senko, I would catch more fish on the spinnerbait. Promise you. Large bodies of water and windy climate has a lot to do with that

[gim]

I agree, the title lead me to think the same.

 

I use the "senko" and other versions of the soft plastic stick bait.  The senko does not have very good durability compared to others but it has a better sink rate, so that's why I sometimes specifically use it.

[FishTank]

I don't know if it's the lakes I fish but I can count how many fish I have caught on a spinnerbait this year on one hand and I generally always throw one. It was one of my go to confidence baits.

 

Senkos on the other hand,  I have caught well over 200 fish on them this year but BFS crankbaits have been best producer the past few years. I never thought I would be changing treble hooks as often I do though.  It's been a fun year so far.

[roadwarrior]

Look at that!

[Skunkmaster-k]

The Senko is a great tool to have in the tackle box. Especially a purple one. 

[Darth-Baiter]

i am surprised by the answers.  i would have extra trepidation slipping out into a lake without at least one bag of #925 Yama Senko's.  you never know when you find such thick grass that you will need to slip something thru it.   

[LrgmouthShad]

59 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

you will need to slip something thru it. 

You mean like this?

[Darth-Baiter]

thats a punch rig.  

 

i am thinking, working it like a fluke.  weightless.  

[Pat Brown]

This thread is giving me a strong urge to fish only a spinning rod with a senko.

 

Maybe the reason it catches fish is because it's so uncool to use for all them serious fisherman types, the fish never see them! ??

[flyfisher]

I never wacky rig them and only time I use them for largemouth is if a weedless rigged fluke isn't getting action, then I may try them.  Now on the river I will almost always have one rig set up with a nose hooked 4" stickbait of some sort to dead drift through likely spots.

[thediscochef]

 

Any time I bring the senkos to the lake with me, the crows show up and take the shape of Roland Martin chanting Sink-O! Over and over again while throwing helicopter lures into the rocks 

[Choporoz]

3 hours ago, TOXIC said:

  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.

Possibly part of it.  But, I would not discount the idea that fishing a Senko could be perceived as a more 'passive' type of fishing than a spinnerbait or crankbait. Chucking and winding can make one feel more like an active participant 

  Certainly, you can target cast a Senko, but often when I am using a Senko it is skipping, hopping or drifting, and none of those feels any better fishing than moving baits...or even jigs or trigs in cover.

   So, I'm ok leaving the word skill out of the conversation, but consider that maybe 97% of the time I am fishing, I don't have a fish on the end of my line....I'd better enjoy fishing the lure that is on there.  I sometimes enjoy fishing a Senko, but I can understand folks who don't. 

[TOXIC]

Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely not trying to change anybody’s mind.  It’s just another version of  the question “Do knockoff Senkos work just as good”? In all my years of seminars and social media, I’ve discovered that there are 2 schools of thought and neither one is going to change the others mind.  I realize I’m not your average Senko fisherman and I have put a lot of time and effort into the bait just as some have put the time and effort into a spinnerbait, crankbait, jig or any number of other baits. My confidence level is super high and I’ve written articles for Yamamoto showing 78 different ways to rig a Senko. Heck, I can even tell differences in the way different colors and fleck combos fish.  That’s not normal.?. And you know what….I’ll be the first to admit there are times when other baits out perform a Senko and I use them! 

[roadwarrior]

 

[WRB]

If you don’t like gut hooking bass using a Senko use a circle hook. 

Senko to me is a must have for SoCal lakes if you want to catch bass 50% of the time. It’s just another finesse soft plastic, along with Roboworms on a drop or slip shot. 

Don’t leave home without a bag of Senko’s, they work!

Tom

[Darth-Baiter]

Is there a similar thread about the Ned rig?  

[GReb]

I have to be really dialed in to where the bass are positioned to break out a senko. They’re other presentations that just work better most of the time on my fishery. Honestly I use a senko more on a bullet weight flipping grass and pads than I do weightless especially in the spring. 

[Pogues2300]

I always have some with but seem to use them only once in a while. Have had some fun days throwing them though!

[tunaman]

29 minutes ago, GReb said:

I have to be really dialed in to where the bass are positioned to break out a senko. They’re other presentations that just work better most of the time on my fishery. Honestly I use a senko more on a bullet weight flipping grass and pads than I do weightless especially in the spring. 

If they want it, they’ll come from a long way to get it.

 

I caught a good largie in Mildred (flooded island on the California Delta) throwing a wacky Senko in the open and watched the fish swim out of 2’ of water at Mach II for at least 30 yards to go inhale it.
 

Largemouth love them, and I’ve always got one rigged up.

[LrgmouthShad]

3 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

This thread is giving me a strong urge to fish only a spinning rod with a senko.

 

Maybe the reason it catches fish is because it's so uncool to use for all them serious fisherman types, the fish never see them! ??

Nah people still use the heck out of senkos

[Pat Brown]

 @LrgmouthShad tongue was planted firmly in my cheek on that comment!  I know they're probably the most fished bait on earth still.

 

I honestly just think the fish bite other stuff better *most days* on my lakes and ponds, especially the bigger ones.  But I'll never totally rule out tossing a stickbait.  It's just a bait.  I try not to get too emotional with my bait choices.

 

I like Senkos weightless and I like other stick baits with a weight (Big Bite Baits, Berkley, Yum and Buzz Baits), which is how I throw them when I throw them these days.

 

I have killed far more bass with treble hooks than I ever did with weightless plastics.

 

I have almost gut hooked bass with hollow body frogs even.

 

Hooks kill fish.  We can't control how fish bite or take the bait down.  It's a sad part of fishing and merely being aware and caring is all that's expected of any of us.  We are all gonna kill one now and again, even the ones hooked clean and released immidiately.

 

[GReb]

1 hour ago, tunaman said:

If they want it, they’ll come from a long way to get it.

No doubt. I’ve seen it happen countless times in cleaner water. The lake I fish now has 10 inches of visibility on a good day and generally you have to hit them on the noggin with it.  I’ve see them come from a foot or two but rarely get that awesome wake to the bait. 

[gim]

@Pat Brown I think you are a shut-in senko user.  Its time to just come out of the closet and admit it, or fade into the hedges.

 

[RRocket]

And it would be the opposite for me due to how extensive the weed growth is here. 

 

As you point out, often times with works is a regional thing.