# Senkos



## LionFish (Sep 4, 2009)

Ok i know that there have been a few posts on here already about senkos and how to use them, and i know how to use them both wacky rigged and the normal way but i cant seem to ever catch fish on them in lakes. i can catch em all day in ponds and stuff but when i go out on my boat and target bass i can never get one on a senko. Any ideas??


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## Tennessee (Apr 2, 2008)

LionFish said:


> Ok i know that there have been a few posts on here already about senkos and how to use them, and i know how to use them both wacky rigged and the normal way but i cant seem to ever catch fish on them in lakes. i can catch em all day in ponds and stuff but when i go out on my boat and target bass i can never get one on a senko. Any ideas??


patience is key, fish them in productive areas like drop offs and points, i like wacky style cast it out let it sink to the bottom and slowly retrieve fliping the rod tip up a couple of times and let it drop back down


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## Jake_Blues (Mar 16, 2009)

Since we are talking about Senkos. I used them for the first time this weekend and they worked quite well. I got 4 nice bass with the 4in watermellon w black flake. I rigged the worm texas style and skin hooked them 

After each catch the worm was torn in half. I have not had this problem with other worms that I have used and as wondering if anyone else has experienced this before.

The only other approach I may try was is to rig the worm wacky with a worm ring in an attempt to get the bass to bite the hook rather than getting the tail end of the worm

I would be interested in knowing your thoughts.


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## chopper (May 15, 2004)

I am too cheap or poor to buy senkos. They are too weak. However, that does give them a little more wiggle. But I do mean just a little. My friends only buy senkos. I only use yum dingers. The end results seem to be the same. At first we only used the 5 inch. They seem to have given up on that size and we only use the 4 inch now. Keep both, about two weeks ago, I could not buy a bite on the 4 inch. I switched to the 5 in the same color and started getting hits. I texas rig them with no weight. However, I watched a fishing show on TV and the guy was using a texas rigged 5 inch with a bullet weight just like you would any other worm. He said that its a great fall rig. Try it.


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## thelatrobe33 (May 19, 2008)

I never buy the real deal senko either. The YUM Dinger is by far my favorite confidence bait, and I have a rod dedicated to it at all times. This year I have used it weightless Texas rigged, but I wacky rigged all last year. I think the results are about the same. For what it's worth, I only use a 4" in Junebug color. Try the outside weed edges and be slow about your retrieve. Cast, let sink, and slowly lift the rod tip. Then let it sink again. I hardly ever work it all the way back to the boat. I think the only reason you have more success in ponds is that the fish are far more concentrated. Be patient and slow and you'll have success.


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## jcustunner24 (Aug 20, 2007)

thelatrobe33 said:


> I think the only reason you have more success in ponds is that the fish are far more concentrated. Be patient and slow and you'll have success.


Agreed. Also, in a pond, that wait for it to hit bottom is less than in a lake. I tend to be a pretty impatient fisherman myself, but I've learned that with senko's patience is a real virtue.


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## norseangler (Jan 8, 2009)

I've caught more fish on a Yum Dinger than a Senko and I like their colors better (green pumpkin purple flake is my go-to color). I seldom fish them weightless, but Texas-rig a 4-incher on a 2/0 round bend hook with a 1/16 oz. sinker and fish them s-l-o-w around cover. I also love a hand-poured 5-inch worm that, frankly, looks like the mold was copied from an old Creme Scoundrel. It's probably more comparable to the Pro Senko than to the Senko or Dinger.


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## wargoth (Sep 11, 2007)

The real key to the senko, as has been mentioned is patience. It is the senko's slow falling fluttering that makes them so effective. I NEVER use a worm weight with a senko, though I will occassionally put a small length of solder down the center if I want it to drop faster though this is RARE. Weights will pull down one end and completely negate the action that makes them so effective. Toss it in wherever you think fish may be lurking and let it drop. Then wait. Then wait some more. If nothing after 20-30 seconds... twitch it. If still nothing lift the rod as high as you can, maybe even reeling in a tad and let it drop again. Wash, rinse, repeat.

I have caught many hundreds of bass with this exact technique. The senko is not a search bait, it doesn't provoke a reaction strike, but it does make hungry fish absolutely ravenous.

Don't underestimate deadsticking the bait either. I can't begin to count how many fish I have had grab one while picking out a backlash and only notice that there is a fish on a minute or 2 later once I have cleared my reel. I can honestly say I have never seen a bass spit out a senko once it has grabbed it. Most of my gut-hooks have come off senko's as they not only don't spit them, but they swallow them too, something I don't see with many other artificials.

Anyway, hope this helps some.


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## bgrapala (Nov 1, 2008)

I was fishing a senko early morning one day (weightless "tex-posed") and working it like a fluke on the surface for about 3-4 jerks then letting it sink. The bass seemed to be just waiting on it to fall and they just hammered it. Once the sun got out in full effect they just took it the normal way again. This was the first time I tried this tactic and got pretty good results. 

"Jake Blues" I would try the "tex-posed" method of rigging the senkos. I had problems with fish tearing them up as well until I started rigging them this way and now it seems the hook gets out easier and into their mouth.


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## thedon255 (May 4, 2008)

bgrapala, I second that tactic. That's what I often use myself, since I'm usually too impatient to do the raise and drop. You have to make sure you twitch the rod horizontally, not vertically (absolutely crucial) and the senko will twitch and dart a lot like a fluke and then die senko style. It's on the fall that they hit. I once saw a wake from what turned out to be a nice 18 inch bass race over from several feet away, nail my bait and take off with it. 

I also like to use a t-rigged senko for topwater weeds. I've had a lot trouble catching bass on a frog (twenty some hits in one day with 2 fish to show for it) so I started using a senko. Makes more commotion than most other soft plastics like a Zoom lizard, which is key for fishing scum and weeds. Usually, just a straight reel, fairly slow but constant, will trigger a strike. Then wait a moment, watch for the line to move, and set the hook. Also, keep the rod up just enough so that the top portion of the lure, the head of the senko and the eye of the hook, is off the weeds. This should help keep you from cleaning off your lure all the time.


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## tnant1 (Nov 21, 2006)

I use a Gander Mountain version in black with a red belly at night. Works well.


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## Fishin' Coach (May 19, 2004)

I use the bass pro shops version...
Every spring at the classic they offer em up 3 bags of 20 for $10 Huge selection of colors and sizes


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## bassmaniac (May 10, 2004)

Try the Cabelas Glow Sticks. Good baits and they have good action but are durable. I have good results with them. I usually T/rig them with an 1/8oz. weight.


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## sisezz73 (Mar 9, 2007)

Keep tryin they do work..............


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