Senko Fishing

[soggyturf]

I am limited to a 7'6 GLoomis fast action trolling rod right now for my spinning setup.  I feel that I am missing out on fish.  Is 7'6 too long for Senkos fishing? 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Too long......no

 

Is it too much power for the technique.....likely but I don't know the rod specs.

 

A 7ft medium fast is the perfect rod for a senko imho.   

 

[MediumMouthBass]

My rod i fish texas rigged senkos the most with is either an Aird X MH or Dobyns Fury MH both are 7'3" and are excellent at it. 7'6" shouldnt be an issue, more or less what the rods made of and what its ratings are.

But still a senkos a type of bait you can use on any rod and reel combo, casting, spinning, doesnt really matter. There are so many different ways to fish it, weightless, weighted etc....

And to add to you feeling like you are missing fish that can be fixed to a certain amount with line change or different hooks.

[Mobasser]

Type in Senko in the search bar. There's an encyclopedia on the subject. Rods, lines baits, everything.

[Bankc]

What's the model number on your rod?  That doesn't sound like a bass fishing rod, so the weight listing could be way off and cause problems.  Or maybe not.  It's hard to tell without more information.  

 

Though really, you could catch bass with a senko tied to a fence post.  It just might not be ideal.  

[Tennessee Boy]

3 hours ago, soggyturf said:

I feel that I am missing out on fish.

Not being able to cast a lure well.

Not being able to get a good hook set.

Not being about to work a lure properly.

 

These are examples of what happens when you’re not using the  right rod for a given technique.   Feeling like you’re missing out on fish is not a rod problem it a psychological problem that is usually associated with spending to much time listening to the bait monkey.  Go fishing and if you have rod problems then worry about fixing them.

[MN Fisher]

Trolling rods have a different action than casting rods - they're made for....wait for it....trolling - not casting/retrieving a lure.

 

A generic Medium/Fast rod would suit better - Aird-X was mentioned earlier, that's a really good rod for the price...I have a couple and prefer them to rods costing almost twice as much..

[Big Hands]

I went on a vision quest to find the holy grail of 5" Senko rods because I fish them more than anything else for 6-8 months of the year, and feel like I learned a few things along the way.

 

The first thing I learned is that Senko fishing is not the same for everyone and a rod that may be fantastic for one person, may not be all that great for another.

 

After trying several rods, both spinning and casting, I finally found one that stands head and shoulders above the others . . . FOR ME and the way that I prefer to fish them (mostly tossing them up against bluff walls or right at the waterline and dragging them into deep water). 

 

I fish them wacky & weightless on brightly colored 10 lb braid with a 6-12 ft leader of 6-8 lb fluorocarbon leader on a Daiwa LT2000 size reel with a 6.2:1 gear ratio (shallow spool JDM versions are my reel of choice). The rod I ended up loving and purchasing is the St. Croix Mojo Bass MJS76MLXF (7'6" Hair Jig spinning rod).

 

From casting, strike detection, setting the hook, fighting and boating the fish, there isn't any part of the process it doesn't do extremely well. I recently found out the this particular rod has now reached "recently retired' status as the Mojo Bass line has been revamped and now features the new Trigon grips and the 7'6" Hair Jig model is now a 7'10" Hair Jig rod. I have no idea how it works and probably will never know because I am not a fan of the Trigon (particularly the reel seat part). The one I have is still available as a 'recently retired' model by at least one seller that I saw.

 

But, that is just what works for me and the way I fish. You just might have your own somewhat unique requirements.

[Ski]

A,  7' 6" fast action Rod being either M/H or Medium power rods are fine for stick baits, it is the "Trolling" rod you mention that I question.

[TOXIC]

Without knowing how you fish a Senko or how you’re trying to fish a Senko, everybody’s answer will be what works for them.   I normally have 3 Senko rods rigged for different applications.  

[Tennessee Boy]

1 hour ago, TOXIC said:

Without knowing how you fish a Senko or how you’re trying to fish a Senko, everybody’s answer will be what works for them.   I normally have 3 Senko rods rigged for different applications.  

Exactly!

 

It's fun to post about rods and what rod is perfect for a specific bait.   The problem is people who are new to fishing read these post and think they can't fish a bait until they get the right rod.   

 

What is the right rod for fishing a Senko?  One rod might be perfect for one cast and less than ideal for the next cast.  Are you fishing from the bank or boat?  Do you make long cast or shorter precision cast?  Casting,  skipping,  flipping,  pitching?  Are there trees overhead?   What size Senko are you throwing?  Carolina Rig?  Texas Rig?  Is it weightless? If not then what size weight are you using?  

 

Instead of carrying 50 different rods to make the perfect cast in every situation with a Senko,  I just use a 7 ft medium heavy fast spinning rod 90%.  That's my preference but it's as unique to me as the size pants I wear when I'm fishing a Senko. 

[Skunkmaster-k]

You should definitely buy another rod. A bunch of them. 

[Gera]

1 hour ago, Skunkmaster-k said:

You should definitely buy another rod. A bunch of them. 

 

Best advice on Bassresource. 

[Motoboss]

I agree

 

 

[WRB]

I am not a fan of braid with leader this is one exception. The floating braid is an ideal strike indicator using a weightless wacky Senko free falling. Watch the braid closely for visual line movements that indicate the Senko has moved reel the slack in and set the hook.

Tom

[Aaron_H]

For my weightless Texas rigged senkos, I use a 6'10" M/XF casting rod, on 30lb braid to 12lb mono leader.

 

For wacky rigged senkos, I fish them on a 7' M/XF spinning rod, 15lb braid to 12lb mono leader.