Senko?

[rippin-lips]

Is a Senko similar to a slider? Does it have much action to it or is it one that you drag in along the bottom real slow?

I have seen it mentioned before; however I have not used them. I have two boxes of sliders and would rather use those if they are a similar type of bait.

Going to give them a try on the Willamette tomorrow.

 

[metalmania]

Is a Senko similar to a slider? Does it have much action to it or is it one that you drag in along the bottom real slow?

I have seen it mentioned before; however I have not used them. I have two boxes of sliders and would rather use those if they are a similar type of bait.

Going to give them a try on the Willamette tomorrow.

I usually run them with an 1/8oz jighead and jig them on the bottom. I use them more than just about anything else for bass.

 

[simpsoti]

I have lots of success with a 5 inch senko, rigged weightless texas style. (some call it 'wacky' style). They are heavy enough to huck out there with no weights with a spinning set up. I kinda bounce mine off the bottom as I bring it in. I'll let it settle, then bring my rod tip up a bit, and let it settle again. Strikes far out can be hard to detect, but this way definitely produces fish.

 

[Bass Man]

I have lots of success with a 5 inch senko, rigged weightless texas style. (some call it 'wacky' style). They are heavy enough to huck out there with no weights with a spinning set up. I kinda bounce mine off the bottom as I bring it in. I'll let it settle, then bring my rod tip up a bit, and let it settle again. Strikes far out can be hard to detect, but this way definitely produces fish.

Hi Simpsoti,
Just wondering do you shake your rod tip? I've heard it's suppose to increase the action of the Senko, drives them bass nuts! Also with the Wacky rig what pound line are you using?

 

[rippin-lips]

Are they available anywhere in the Portland area? Fisherman's or ??

 

[dude young]

Just to clarify; Texas rigging and wacky rigging are two different beasts. Texas rig has the hook passed through the very tip of the bait then doubled back and buried in the body of the bait, making it weedless. Typically you would slide a bullet weight on your line before tying on the hook, but not needed for senkos, as mentioned earlier. Wacky rigs are simply passing the hook laterally through the center of the bait leaving the hook point exposed. Again, no weight. This presentation is very well suited to the action of the senko as it tends to "jiggle" as it is allowed to fall. This is when most strike will occur. I like to use a circle hook because bass tend to swallow these things and if you don't "bubba" the hook set, a circle hook will always wind up in the corner of the mouth. The down side to this rig is that you WILL snag anything in your path. Although, I have snagged fewer docks with the circle hooks that a traditional hook.

I will rig Texas style for pulling them over weedbeds and through heavy cover and rocks (smallies go nut for them). I used to use Slugos all the time until I got turned on to the senko. The nice thing here is that a) they are heavier and thus cast farther, b) have so much salt and scent built into them (but I still rub the smelly jelly on them), c) when you get to the edge of the weeds or boulder, let it drop like it was wacky rigged and just twitch to rod tip to impart action. 9 times out of 10... ...WHAM!

So, yes. Use them. They are a very versitile bait for bass.

 

[ninja2010]

yeah, what dude young sez.

wacky style rigged senko had produced a ton of lmb back in the days... bucketsmouths hit them on the fall if you jiggle the rod tip - the excitement of having slack line suddenly go taut and the rod go bendo!

i miss those days.

 

[rippin-lips]

This is good info. Thank you.

Does anyone know where I can get them around here?

 

[simpsoti]

Bass Man,

I will sometimes throw in a slight twitch of the rod when I know the senko is falling, but the worm does most of the work on its own with its crazy sinking and movement on the way down. I bring my rod straight up slowly just to pull it off the bottom and give it another bump of action, reeling in the slack after each pull, but still leaving a bit of slack line for it to fall more naturally.

 

[Mike123]

I think YUM makes a lot tougher of a worm..
Senko's are spendy and fall apart after one fish.

 

[dude young]

I think YUM makes a lot tougher of a worm..
Senko's are spendy and fall apart after one fish.

Sticks are way tougher than YUM's and far less $$$, but I don't use them. I've tried every type of Senko imitation, and keep coming back to the Yama-senko. I use a variety of other plastics for other presentations (I love my YUM crawdad jig bodys). But, I have never enjoyed the sucess I have with the Yama-senko, and I feel it is worth the money if nothing else is working. I usually throw everything else before I switch to them for the $$ reason.

 

[kidholiday]

Are they available anywhere in the Portland area? Fisherman's or ??

Dicks sporting goods have them. I caught a nice bass on one last summer while on the phone with my fiancee, I was just letting the line sit there near the bottom when BAM! With a little current they will create their own action. I bet drop shotting them about 6 in from the bottom would work nicely.

 

[Troutski]

Soft plastics...

Soft plastics...

I admit I use soft plastics for more than just Bass, my question is " do these things decompose or are they like most plastic in the world and have a half life of 500 years. I sometimes feel guilty when I get a strong hook set and then the fish gives me an early release and when I get my hook back the plastic is gone...what happens to the fish that swallows these things? Not looking to stop using them just wondering ... Any thoughts out there...??

Chuck

 

[kidholiday]

I admit I use soft plastics for more than just Bass, my question is " do these things decompose or are they like most plastic in the world and have a half life of 500 years. I sometimes feel guilty when I get a strong hook set and then the fish gives me an early release and when I get my hook back the plastic is gone...what happens to the fish that swallows these things? Not looking to stop using them just wondering ... Any thoughts out there...??

Chuck

I think a lot of them these days will decompose quickly, but I am not sure. I do know that most you don't want to mix in one bag or they will do some funky chemistry together. That is something that would be good to look up. Nice Question.:think:

 

[dude young]

I admit I use soft plastics for more than just Bass, my question is " do these things decompose or are they like most plastic in the world and have a half life of 500 years. I sometimes feel guilty when I get a strong hook set and then the fish gives me an early release and when I get my hook back the plastic is gone...what happens to the fish that swallows these things? Not looking to stop using them just wondering ... Any thoughts out there...??

Chuck

Wow, deep. I can honestly say that I never even thought of that. I can tell you, however, that I'll be finding out the answer and taking this into account when I select plastics from now on. As far as the Senko is concerned, I usually have to change those every hour or so because they def. disintegrate over time. They have a ton of salt in them, so I am to assume they don't last too long either at the bottom of the lake or the fishes gut.

 

[FishSchooler]

Gulp! has lots of plastics that they state are 100% biodegradable.

 

[Finneus Polebender]

lost plastics

lost plastics

definitely a factor have seen other wise healthy fish dead or dyin gotta wonder . I do lose a few very seldom 1 every 10 trips or so at the most . the brush has claimed way more than that. Most of the time they tear so I replace them . Depends on how agressive they are have caught up to 10 fish on a single worm other times one or two strikes and they are toast

 

[Hawk]

In my pond after they spawn,usually, i've noticed a few dead bass, bluegill or catfish. Some years just a couple, some years quite a few (turnover).

 

[Troutski]

In my pond after they spawn,usually, i've noticed a few dead bass, bluegill or catfish. Some years just a couple, some years quite a few (turnover).

Just like at work...

Chuck

 

[Green_Tackle]

do these things decompose or are they like most plastic in the world and have a half life of 500 years.

This happens to be an area where I have done some research...

Like most plastics, they do not decompose and are not degradable. They do break down into smaller particles of plastic (have you heard about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?). Like most plastics, they'll stick around for some time.

In addition to that, the PVC used is typically softened and made pliable using phthalates which are linked to adverse health effects. FoodSource Lures, makers of biodegradable baits, have some links on this issue.

I can't help to question throwing plastics into my favorite body of water and thus I avoid plastics when an alternative is available.

I dabbled with bass fishing while researching products for Green Tackle and replacing the Senko was important to me since I've caught bass with Senko's in the past. I was able to catch a bass on a trip out to Henry Hagg (nothing to write home about... but caught one just the same) using a Food Stick from FoodSource Lures. The Food Stick is similar to Senko worms and I fished it exactly as you would a Senko (I rigged wacky with no weight). FoodSource lures are made out of real food--not plastic. They are 100% natural and biodegradable.

Another alternative for soft plastic bass worms, as was already pointed out, is Berkley Gulp! which is also biodegradable. The Turtle Back Worms come to mind for bass, though they have quite a few different options in the Gulp! line.

And finally, Rapala released Trigger-X baits which are also biodegradable. These are super high end and priced as such (we sell them for $6.29 for a pack of 3). But, they are supposed to be really, really effective and there are reports of them being banned from bass tournaments because of the pheromone scent they use.

The above mentioned lures are not likely to be cheaper than your standard soft plastics which are often mass-produced over seas. Being biodegradable, they will not be able to be re-used for years and years either. They need to be treated more like live bait. So the expense is a bit higher, however, you get better scent dispersion, fish hold on longer before ejecting the lure giving more time to set the hook, and you do good for the environment. So that's the pros/cons you'll need to consider.