Senko How To

[Garry2Rs]

With Bass opening tomorrow I thought that you might like to see the How-to that I wrote for my clients.

 

Senko type plastic worms:

Here are my favourite ways to fish Senko type worms.

All, except Walking the Dog, work with both Texas and Wacky rigging.

1. The Fall.

You cast and do nothing! Close the bail and just watch the line as the worm sinks.

The strike will come as the worm falls slowly toward the bottom. You will see the line suddenly dart to the side, speed-up or stop...Set the hook!

 

2. The Shake.

The worm from example # 1, has sunk all the way to the bottom, a second or two has gone by and you tighten the line just enough to feel the worm. If there is weight, set the hook!

If there is no weight, without actually dragging the worm, you shake or twitch the rod tip to move the line. A fish might be watching the worm. You want to provide proof of life. A little shudder from the worm can trigger a strike.

3. The Jerk.

Example #2 didn't work, so now we give the bait a Jerk. This will be a gentle 2 to 4 inch pop of the rod tip.

The pop will pick the bait up off the bottom and allow it to resettle.. As in #1 watch the line as the bait sinks, then as in #2 pick-up the slack to see if there is any weight.

If there is, set the hook!

 

4. The Swim.

The Swim is a continuation of the Jerk. This time you will pop the rod tip three or four times, Pop-Pop-Pop, moving the bait two feet or less. After the third pop let the worm sink. This is the classic dying minnow, struggling to right itself and falling back again. You can retrieve the worm all the way back to you in this fashion.

Hits will usually be hard! They often com on the pause as the bait begins to fall back between sets of pop's.

5. The Scoot.

At the end of the cast in shallow water or after the Fall, the bait can be retrieved very quickly just under the surface. This is the Scoot and is easier to accomplish if you hold the rod tip high and pop the line so there is slack in the air. With braid watch out for line wrapping around the rod tip. You want to pick up most, but not all the slack between pops, with Texas rigged worms this will allow the bait to hunt back and forth erratically.

6. The Scoot-up.

A variation on the scoot retrieve is to cast well beyond an obvious target, then scoot-up into the strike zone...

This allows you to kill the bait in the perfect spot and let it Fall into the fishes kitchen, It's my #1 Wacky Worm technique.

 

7. The Skip.

The skip is a sidearm cast meant to bounce the Senko up to, or under docks, boats, overhanging trees and other structural elements like boulders and stumps.

 

8. Walking the Dog.

Walking the dog is done by starting the retrieve with slack in the line and tugging the bait so it glides in the surface film.

There is a cadence involved. You will tug, retrieve some, but not all of the slack, then tug again.

When you find the rhythm the bait will glide to one side then reverse and glide to the other.

[alexcba]

thats some awesome stuff garry. thanks for the tips!

[Roy]

thats some awesome stuff garry. thanks for the tips!

 

Almost worth printing out a copy and keeping it in the tacklebox for the first few outings eh? Thanks Garry, that's great info regardless of one's level of competence.

[BillsTheBassMan]

Informative as always Garry

 

I've practiced all these techniques, but did them instinctively based on the conditions I was fishing without actually knowingly practicing them. Either Way, this will go a long way into helping people fish the Senko.

 

A Question - how often do you find, that when you're fishing lakes, that fish are waiting for your senko to hit the water before it hits the water and rise to meet it? I've had this happen LOTS of times where fish are waiting for it like they're a center-fielder fielding a pop-fly.

 

Ryan

[HTHM]

Tutorial tomorrow! Looking forward to casting with you again.

[Garry2Rs]

Informative as always Garry

 

I've practiced all these techniques, but did them instinctively based on the conditions I was fishing without actually knowingly practicing them. Either Way, this will go a long way into helping people fish the Senko.

 

A Question - how often do you find, that when you're fishing lakes, that fish are waiting for your senko to hit the water before it hits the water and rise to meet it? I've had this happen LOTS of times where fish are waiting for it like they're a center-fielder fielding a pop-fly.

 

Ryan

Hi Ryan;

I've had that happen with Senko;s and with spinnerbaits too.

I don't think they are actually fielding it.

However I read that a SmBass can travel 30 ft in 1.5 seconds from a standing start...

If you shorten that distance to 5 feet it could appear to be catching the bait in mid-air.

Garry

Edited June 25, 2010 by garry2rs

[Harrison]

Nicely written Gary.

[timmeh]

Good stuff, I think i'll print this out and add keep it in the book.

 

Have you ever fished senkos in moving water? Spending a fair amount of my time in rivers, I must admit that I rarely fish except in the slowest of currents. In current the natural wobble is reduced. Any tips on different ways to fish a senko in moderate current?

[misfish]

7. The Skip.

The skip is a sidearm cast meant to bounce the Senko up to, or under docks, boats, overhanging trees and other structural elements like boulders and stumps.

 

One of the best guys I ever seen do this, was Bobs brother Wayne on Rice lake.Boy could he skip a senko under a dock.

 

Great thread Garry.

[Daplumma]

Very good,how do you rig your terminal tackle?I use 3 ft of flouro and a swivel because I generally river fish and the current will spin the worm around.Wacky is not so much of a concern with the twisting.Usually spinning outfit for smallies,long casts cause the water is clear and they are skittish,light lines help.The Origional Senko still works best for me but I have heard the imatators are catching up.Good stuff ,thanx.

Joe

[a.cortellessa]

Thanks for the tips Gary, thats awesome advice.

[Garry2Rs]

Very good,how do you rig your terminal tackle?I use 3 ft of flouro and a swivel because I generally river fish and the current will spin the worm around.Wacky is not so much of a concern with the twisting.Usually spinning outfit for smallies,long casts cause the water is clear and they are skittish,light lines help.The Origional Senko still works best for me but I have heard the imatators are catching up.Good stuff ,thanx.

Joe

 

For a long time I used 10 pound Power Pro and 3/0 EWG hooks on a St.Croix Avid 6'9" ML rod. A couple of years ago I noticed that one of my clients was catching 3 fish to my two consistently on a tough day. He was using Fluorocarbon. That same year I also had a few cut offs when SmBass or Rock Bass took my line and wrapped it around granite rocks. To try to cure two ills at once I switched to 20# PP and tied on 3ft. of 6 pound Fluoro using a nail knot or a Uni to Uni.

 

When the new Fireline braid hit the market, I switched line again to 15 pound Tracer. I liked the hi-visibility, but of coarse it's only painted on and it wears off pretty fast.

 

After 10#PP I wasn't very happy with the strength of 6# Fluoro, so I tried 8 then 10 and twelve pound Fluoro. I even tried a full spool of 8 pound 100% Berkley, but I hated it!!! Can anyone else remember the Slinky???

 

This season I will start with 8# Stealth braid with an 8 pound 100% Fluoro leader. I've used this set-up for Crappie since April and it's a good compromise between visibility and strength. I still have 15 pound Tracer on a 7FT. G.Loomis ML rod and can leader up to 12 pound Fluoro. if I get into those sharp rocks again.

 

I still use 3/0 EWG's for Texas, but now carry some red Mustad 1/0 or 2/0 weedless hooks that I buy at CTC. They're cheap and allow me to fish Wacky in heavier cover than the open hook did. I tried the expensive "wacky hooks" but didn't feel they were any better for my purposes. I'm not fishing tournaments so if I lose the odd fish I was going to release anyway, so what?

 

I have very little experience fishing worms in current, but I would think that the thinner "finesse" models might have more action that the regular fat Senko. Our OFC friend Curtis cuts gulp worms in half lengthwise for drop shotting. I bet they would also be dynamite in a current. With one flat and one round side it should have some interesting movement...

Garry2R's

[lucabrasi]

Great info! Thanks for posting!

[kenzy31]

good write up Garry, informative. i just picked up my first couple packs of these and i'm wondering what rigging i should use for your techniques? weightless wacky, wheightless texas, weighted, etc. i have been bassin for a few years now but i'm completely green to Senko style baits. i picked up some weedless widegap 3/0, weighted 3/0, and offset shank 3/0 hooks so i should be covered. any comments would be great

 

Jesse

[Garry2Rs]

good write up Garry, informative. i just picked up my first couple packs of these and i'm wondering what rigging i should use for your techniques? weightless wacky, weightless texas, weighted, etc. i have been bassin for a few years now but i'm completely green to Senko style baits. i picked up some weedless widegap 3/0, weighted 3/0, and offset shank 3/0 hooks so i should be covered. any comments would be great

 

Jesse

 

 

Hi Jesse;

All of the tips are for weightless Texas or Wacky, except for the last one, Walking the Dog, which is only for Texas. The key to this bait is the fall, weighting the line or the hook kills that action. For simplicity, I use regular EWG 3/0 for everything, although it might be larger than necessary for wacky. There are a number of weedless wacky hooks, but I think they cost you a fish now and then.

Garry2R's

[OhioFisherman]

I used to fish a Wednesday evening bass tournament at a small local above ground reservoir. The water is crystal clear and the banks fall at a 45 degree angle to about 17 feet deep.LOL and actually weeds down there, unusual for an Ohio body of water, sunlight usually doesn`t get that far down here.

 

Fall rate can be very important, if a bait is dropping to quickly they may take a look, but then ignore it. Never used senkos much, a lizard or worm with a 4/0-5/0 hook allowed to drop slowly worked as well as anything. Put on too much weight? the number of hits dropped, at times the difference between 1/16th and 1/8th of an ounce matters.

[BillM]

Awesome tips Garry!

[lunkerbasshunter]

you should do a video on this?