Senko under a float?

[juicebass]

Would you float a plastic creature bait?If a fish wonders by it, sure it might bite it. But a senko works best on the fall creating that reaction strike.

If you wanna read a magazine or drink beer, im sure a floating senko can be used to be a throw it out and sit back bait. But in that case,  real worms will probably work best.

[Bob C]

Spoiler

 

I agree on the fall or some other movement. I've found that if I don't get a bite in about 20 seconds, it probably won't happen. Then I reel slow as to not make a wake with the float. I catch a lot of LMB doing that under docks and on weed lines.

[Bryant Williams]

Hmmm..I can see this working well

[Jeff H]

 

4 hours ago, Bryant Williams said:

Hmmm..I can see this working well

It does.  And not just with Senko type baits.  I have actually done well with Original Slider and 4-6 inch worms below slip float on windy days on deeper structures, particularly humps. 

[Airman4754]

I do this fairly often in the summer when the wind kicks up and I don't feel like fighting it. I use a Havoc Money Maker and either a 1/8 or 1/4oz wacky jig head depending on the wind strength. I run a swivel with about a three foot leader and just a regular old red & white bobber above the swivel. 

We figure out what depth the smallies are cruising at with the electronics and keep the boat at that depth line. Then we throw it out in front of us and let the wind drift the boat and bobber naturally.

It can really make the slow times a lot less slow. 

[holeshot]

Here in the North Carolina mountains we use this regularly in our streams & small rivers..works great if you can keep the trout off of it..lol  of course they pull pretty hard also...no monsters but lots of fun....we usually wade the streams upstream & cast upstream & let your bobber  wash back to you over the riffles & runs & deeper pockets....we usually like to have the Senko ( the smaller the better) only 12-18 inches under the cork(which also should be really small)..favorite cork color is chartreuse....most of the time depending upon stream, we catch about as many smallmouth as trout...great for the kids ..!!

Edited August 4, 2016 by holeshot
spacing

[lbirch14]

This is something I'm gonna try. Just starting using soft plastics. I'll try this out the next time I head out.

[Mark Smith]

On 8/24/2009 at 5:23 AM, Crestliner2008 said:

I've been using a slip bobber/Senko set-up for the last two seasons and this one as well. It allows to fish two rigs at the same time - legally - and with a partner, it gives us four presentations. I'm usually working a drop shot on my second rig and a partner might be working a spinnerbait or tube. Fishing alone, I've had many doubles; fishing a partner, we've had 4 "quads" over the years. Talk about a lot of fun! Here's what my set-up looks like:

The bobber stops can be found at any sporting goods store - even WalMarts. They have the stop set-ups & small plastic beads in the package. You can find the cigar floats at Dicks; you can use all kinds of slip floats in this application, but after trial & error, I've pretty much settled on this one. It's about 4" long and the bright colors make it easy to see, even in a decent chop.

I've chosen Fireline Chrystal, as my main line, because it stays on the surface of the water, between the float and your rod tip. This makes slack retrieval much easier, as well as hook-sets. And, for me, it's easy to see! The glass bead under the float prevents the eye of the crane swivel from sticking in the bottom of the float. (There actually is a method behind my madness, believe it or not!) It also ads a little weight to help get your Senko down faster.

Do NOT use a barrel swivel! You know....the kind that are used with "snap-swivels". Use a quality crane swivel or ball bearing style only. These turn much easier than the barrel types. The Senko hanging below a bobber, has a tendency to turn....so you will need to avoid line twist, as much as possible. I really like to use the Spro Powerswivels, size #8 or #10. They work as well as any ball bearing swivel, but they are expensive and not easy to find everywhere.

You can use any hook you want; however, I would highly recommend you give this one shown a try (crush down the barb!). I've had excellent results with it. When the bobber goes under, you just start reeling her in! The leader between the hook & swivel is anything you want it to be. If I'm fishing fairly shallow in weedy/wooded conditions for LM, I'll beef it up to about 10# test - or more! But for open water SM fishing, the 6# test cited above is about as good as it gets.

Now....the most important part! How far up the line do you set the bobber stop? This is what I do. I find bait on the structure I'm fishing. Then I attach an ice fishing depth finder - the lead weights with the alligator clips molded into them - to the hook. I lower this boatside until it hits bottom. I adjust the bobber stop so that the float is about 2' underwater. This will be correct, for having your Senko presented 2' ABOVE THE BOTTOM. Got that? Simple...effective. Remove the depth finder, slip on a Senko. Cast it a short distance from the boat. The float will lay flat, until the Senko is at the end of it's travel. Now the float will semi-stand up, bouncing about and imparting a rather dramatic action to your wacky rigged Senko.

Lots of folks have a prejudice against bobbers. I guess they automatically associate it with live bait fishing, but it's quite different. You still need to present your Senko in front of fish and and you have to find them! I've posted here, previously, my technique of how I wacky rig these Senkos, so you can do a search on that. Hope this is of some help to some of you folks.

Awesome, I love float fishing the rivers and cant wait to try this on a choppy day. Thanks

3 minutes ago, Mark Smith said:

Awesome, I love float fishing the rivers and cant wait to try this on a choppy day. Thanks

Can this be used on a tournament?

[Jeff H]

3 hours ago, Mark Smith said:

Awesome, I love float fishing the rivers and cant wait to try this on a choppy day. Thanks

Can this be used on a tournament?

Yep.

[king fisher]

Sounds like a perfect way to get a drag free drift while fishing for small mouth in small rivers.  Just like using a strike indicator while fishing nymphs with a fly rod. I know the perfect spot to try this technique on my favorite small mouth stream.  Will give it a try as soon as possible. I have had luck in the past drifting a senko without a float, but had trouble getting the drift right due to not being able to mend the line correctly with a spinning rod.  I'm sure using a float will give me a more natural drift.  For those who say they don't think using a bobber is sporting, I will say the same thing I say to fly fishermen that refuse  to use a strike indicator.  More fish for me.