Senko under a float?

[Bob C]

I've been doing this for a long time. I put a weight about 15" above the hook and a bobber about 30" above that. I cast to the shallows and reel slowly over the drop off and weeds.

I first tried it to make it easy for my grand son but soon found out this really works good. My wife and I were out last week end and caught 12 in less than 4 hrs.

Lost a couple big ones at the boat.

Bob

[RiverFisher13]

A couple weeks ago i heard this technique on a local sports show from Doug Stange for fall small mouth. So last weekend my old man and i went drifting a little local river. dad kept to his normal strategy of standard texas rigging gulp while i was trying this, and lets just say by the end of the day we were both doing this.

Since we were keeping rock bass to clean and the average fish is a little smaller in this river i had to make a few changes to the above presentation so i figured i would share.

Lure: instead of using a senko i used a 5 inch gulg wacky work, cut in half. This worm is thinner and more fluid, i feel you get more action with less movement. This allows you to sit the bait on the structure(strike zone) longer.

Hook: i used a 5/0 gamaktsu oct hook, small enough for the rocky and big enough for the brownies. I also put a 1/16 once split shot sinker directly above. This keeps the bait down in the current.

Bobber: I used a cigar shaped foam pegged bobber, sold everywhere. I ran the bait about 2 feet below surface.

Line: 2lb berkley vanish and a 4.5 foot shakespeare ultra light, its a must for finesse techniques .

Presentation: 3 to 4 short twitches with about a 10 second pause between. They seemed to always hit on the pause.

Location: I was casting this right on top of submerged logs and right next to log piles. I tried the open flats thing but had no luck with it.

I know most you guys probably fish bigger rivers/lakes than i do so you might over look this. But for you guys who cant get to the big water or just want to go to the near by stream for an hour or two, this will bring in the smallmouth. This is also a great technique to use with younger/just starting anglers.

[iceehot66]

Thanks for that excellent share...gonna try it next spring and I'll let you know how it works!!...

[Wild Bill [NY]]

This is a great technique for newbies.

It works !

[Bob C]

' timestamp='1329396357' post='1076704']

This is a great technique for newbies.

It works !

It works very well, but why is it just for newbies?

[Wild Bill [NY]]

My comments were to say even a young kid or newbie does not have to watch their line carefully

to be seeing line movement or feeling that slight 'tic' of the bass hit to sense a fish that has eaten your bait.

As long as they or their Dad [or whoever is fishing with them] watches the float, they usually will see if a fish has taken the bait.

Not saying it does not work for experienced anglers, just saying it is a way a novice can fish and catch easily . They SEE the activity of the fish.

I volunteer at many functions where we teach kids how to fish in large groups, like the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts, or at DEC Children's Fishing Festivals, or also one-on-one with me mentoring with local kids I know, and often , that is one of the methods I use. Sometimes it is with earthworms and bobbers at the larger events, and if fishing with me, we use the small senkos, wacky-rigged under a float.

Both get the kids some bites, and then they get hooked for life, like I was at 6 years old...{LOL}

52 years later, I am now the one sharing my passion of fishing with the upcoming generations, like my Dad and Grampa did for me when I was just a little guy.

[bigbill]

How about a senko type bait under a crappie rattle float?? There's nothing like ringing the dinnerbell.

I mainly use the senko type baits on a 1/8oz brass weighted carolina rig with a 24" to 30" leader. I either follow it down keeping the line tight to the rod tip or shake the rod tip as it falls making the senko twitch as it falls. I use no scent on the first cast. If i get a strike and a miss one shot of scent on the second cast is a positive hookup on the next cast.

Take a kid fishing we need the next generations educated in fishing too. We need more TV shows like Jerry McKinnis too. We just don't have that anymore.

[lou304]

I've read about fishing a senko under one of these: http://www.cabelas.com/floats-stops-lighted-adjust-a-bubble.shtml?WT.srch=1&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=google|Fishing+Category|USA&WT.z_mc_id1=sl1niMYSB&rid=20

Sounded good enough that I bought one yesterday, now all I need is time out from my kids' sports to go fishing!!!!!

[Bob C]

I caught 4 bass last week end while bluegill fishing with a small hook and red worms 3' under a bobber. I'm old and sore enough that I can't stand up and cast all day like the young pups can. I sure caught a lot of bass last year with 4" pumpkin senko's under a float. When you are as lazy as I am, that's the way to go. Sit back, relax and catch fish.

[HookSettr]

I love fishing wacky rigged senko's, it is my "go-to" versatility lure. I sometimes find myself fishing like a jerkbait and get massive hits, so if you're going to fish it on a float I personally would still want the action of the free falling tails. So I would most likely use the "nail in the tail" trick. Take something like a 12d nail and clip it in half and stuff the sharp end straight up the tails of the senko, this adds a good amount of weight to the lure and gives the tails some awesome action. Play around with it find what you like. It is an awesome lure and technique.

[Bob C]

I took my grand kids blue gill fishing last week end. I put a pumpkin senko under a bobber and in no time I had a 5.5 pound LM. Caught a few others in the 2-4 lb range also. You really don't need to do anything but sit back and watch the bobber.

Bob

[earlbrwstr]

im going to try this tommrow!

[Swamp Girl]

I read at another website that a size 4 hook works well with wacky-rigged Senko. What do you guys think?

[Sam]

Yep.

Senkos, trick worms, finesse worms, creature baits.

Whatever you want to try.

The secret is to aggitate the bass to come up and hit the bait when the bass are in a holding pattern and are not interested in hitting your other presentations.

There have been at least two articles fishing plastics under a bobber. I asked about this presentation previously on the Forum and the positive response was surprising.

So give it a shot when nothing else works or you just want to give it a try.

[Sam]

Ol', I go with a smaller hook for wacky Senkos.

A #1, 1/0 and 2/0.

I usually use weedless hooks since I throw Senkos in as much structure as I can find.

I would think a 4/0 would suffice but personally I like to down size my wacky Senko hooks so they don't overpower the Senko on its fall.

If I want a faster fall I will put a small 1/16 weight on top of the hook.

[CPBassFishing]

There was an article about this in an In-Fisherman magazine a while back. They were using it on suspending smallies in the top third of the water column.

[Bonifas9017]

Can you use this in river fishing

[cyclops2]

We seniors use a lot of floats with wind & current. Drift along. float gets nervous. Pick up rod. Set hook

Even WE can understand that much all day.

[WiscoBassman]

I've done this before for largemouths. I just tie on a hook and put a bobber on the line, I also wacky rig the senko. It was killer for largemouth so I don't see how it wouldn't work for smallies.

[bigbill]

Since the setup for crappies works so well with the rattle bobber and grubs you maybe right using a senko with a weedless hook?

[Bob C]

I've fished all year with a 4" Senco and bobber. It doesn't seem to matter what color. I was on Muskegon lake two weeks before the Bass Masters tournament. I caught 6 nice small mouth in less than 3 hours. The 4 biggest would have placed very well in the tournament. When they were close to shore a few weeks ago on a small lake I like, I got 3 nice size LM on 3 casts under 3 different pontoon boats. The tournament guys laugh at me. One asked, are you catching bass on that? I was out catching him 4 to 1 with my spinning reel and bobber.

[WVbassin87]

I'm new to senko fishing. gonna try this next time i hit the river

[xAngler.rainey]

Never tried it but sounds like a great idea. 

[jtharris3]

I've got to try this!

[Bob C]

What I've noticed here in Michigan, it works best for 6 weeks from the middle of July through August in the weed lines or under docks. Under docked pontoon boats works very good. Any other time I have to go to deeper water to catch them. I tried it the last week end and got skunked. Couple more weeks. lol